I’ve been writing the Families.com Health Blog for about two and a half years now. With every piece I write, I learn something new — about myself, about the history or future of medicine, and more.
But there are some bits and pieces that have really stuck with me.
Probably the best advice I’ve ever gotten from a doctor — and one I’ve given out repeatedly here in the Health Blog is the sinus rinse. Whenever I feel a sinus infection coming on, I break out my sinus rinse kit and shoot warm salt water up my nose. It’s definitely gross! I don’t enjoy doing it. But it has helped me repeatedly stave off a sinus infection.
My new favorite piece of beauty advice came from a list of unusual tips a friend sent me from Cosmopolitan magazine: use conditioner (like for your hair) for shaving your legs. As the Cosmo beauty experts promised, it leaves my legs feeling SO soft! I’ve even tried it on my underarms, too. Totally worth a try if you have a lot of conditioner around the house. Someone once suggested shaving with lotion, but I was never a fan of that. Lotion just slides off your skin when it’s wet! But the conditioner clings long enough for me to shave.
I use a variety of sleep tricks when I’m having trouble reaching the land of snoozes. Visualization has always been a favorite, but when my mind is racing, I can’t always settle down and focus on mental imagery.
I’m fortunate that I don’t get migraines, but I know lots of people who do. And I’m constantly pointing them towards a piece of research on the benefits of magnesium for people with migraines. After watching my mom suffer through them for years, I’m glad to be able to share around some helpful info for migraine sufferers.
What brings all this to mind? I was toying with the idea of experimenting with my latest injury in the line of duty at the cats-only boarding facility. I was curious to see which would work best for me — antibiotic ointment, aloe vera gel, or vitamin E oil — when it comes to healing without leaving a scar. From there, I started thinking about other crazy ideas I’ve tried on myself in the name of the Health Blog… and voila! Here we are.