Updated 07/20/2010 10:23 AM
Smart Living: Drug-free remedies in your kitchen
By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Quick and easy cures for several routine illnesses are right in your pantry.
Many Americans trying to cut back on health care costs now see the kitchen as their pharmacy.
Last year, 45 percent of Americans turned to over-the-counter drugs and home remedies to find relief.
If you have athlete's foot, mix two teaspoons of salt with a pint of warm water. Soak your foot in it for ten minutes. The saline will help kill the fungus.
For bee stings, try toothpaste. It's been shown to relieve the sting in just minutes and reduce pain for up to five hours.
If you rubbed up against poison ivy in the garden, rub the area for at least 25 seconds with liquid dish soap before rinsing with water.
One study showed doing this prevented a red, itchy rash from developing nearly half the time, and reduced inflammation and blistering by 56 percent.
If restless legs are keeping you up at night, reach for a glass of tonic water. Quinine, the active ingredient in the drink, helps control muscle spasms.
An at-home remedy for eczema relief is, rubbing olive oil on the skin to deliver both moisture and inflammation-fighting antioxidants.
Every Monday and Thursday YNN's Jennifer Borget offers lifestyle reports that help families make decisions about careers, finances, nutrition, fitness and parenting with our
.