posted on July 24, 2008 10:46:56 PM new
We're transcribing old family diaries from 1853 - 1895. In one of them is a clipping with a recipe for curing corns. I'm wondering if there is ANY validity to this?
Recipe for Curing Corns
Four genuine pearl buttons, half cup rain water, soaked four days; pour off the water, cover the buttons with lemon juice, and let stand for four days. Apply salve to corns three or four times.
posted on July 24, 2008 11:15:27 PM new
Mother-of-pearl buttons would probably be much easier to find than genuine pearl.
According to this site, which shows some remedies and cures, in Europe and Persia pearls were also used for insanity.
For CORNS, an old English remedy prescribed ABALONE SHELL: squeeze lemon juice over mother-of-pearl buttons twice a day for 7 days till buttons turn to paste. Spread on, cover with bandages, and repeat daily until the corn is gone
posted on July 25, 2008 08:44:25 PM new
Rainwater is mildly acidic due to the dissolved CO2 it contains. Pearls and shells of all kinds are primarily calcium carbonate, which is basic, or the opposite of acidic. Soaking in the rainwater is probably unnecessary as the lemon juice, which is highly acidic would make up the difference. What's left is a mildly acidic paste that would wear down the corn. Modern corn removal mixtures are mostly salicylic acid, another mild acid. The homemade mix probably works about as well as the store bought, but sounds like a bunch more work. Your homework, roadsmith, is to try both on different corns and report back to us. Go on. Get busy.
posted on July 25, 2008 09:34:27 PM new
Thanks, Profe. How interesting! I've never had a corn, so the experiment will have to wait until one of our people at this site decides to try it.
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posted on July 26, 2008 06:32:53 AM new
Drug store shelves are lined with ready made homeopathic remedies, usually so diluted that the product is no more potent or effective than water.
Seems to me that most homeopathic remedies and alternative medicine and even some prescribed drugs rely on the placebo effect.
My grandfather's cure for everything was scotch whisky. He lived in good mental and physical health to the age of 98 without ever seeing a doctor.
posted on July 26, 2008 12:00:26 PM new
Helen: I just saw something about this on TV, showing the tiny fish nibbling at the dead skin on a submerged hippo. In a way it gave me the creeps, but it was cute to watch. I think the commentator said there will be some use for those fish with burn victims as they recover, but not sure.
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posted on July 26, 2008 07:27:15 PM new
I used to have a doctor who said that all medicine is 75% placebo and wouldn't hardly ever order a test. Managed to pretty much nail every complaint without a lot of fol-de-rol. He retired and the docs who took over his practice are young pups who I'm pretty sure are running to their class notes and textbooks in between patients and who can't seem to diagnose without some hundred dollar blood test or other. I don't go to doctors often, but I sure miss that guy. My kids all miss him too.
Helen, scotch is good medicine in a pinch when you can't get single barrel bourbon or Irish. What kinda southerner was your pa anyhow?
posted on July 26, 2008 07:53:11 PM new
My family owned a liquor store for over 25 years. My dad, who was a first generation Russian-American had many loyal old time customers. He would always quip that a bottle a day was all you needed to get through life.
Many of his customers apparently thought so too, as they limped through the store after a stroke, or pulled their oxygen tanks behind them while shopping.
My dad lived until he was 88. However, we inevitably lost our best customers.
Prof, I used to have a doctor like you mentioned that could diagnose a problem without the folderol. I avoid the newer variety like the plague.
You ask, "Helen, scotch is good medicine in a pinch when you can't get single barrel bourbon or Irish. What kinda southerner was your pa anyhow?" My grandpa wasn't a connoisseur of liquor. He was born in this country and I believe that he was of German descent because whenever my grandma got mad at him she called him a god damn German and threatened to whack him upside the head. I believe that his good health might be attributed to his good humor, hard work on his farm, good food and as I mentioned before, a little nip of scotch every now and then.
posted on July 28, 2008 08:00:24 PM new
My BFF dad was our family doctor who was an early proponent of suggestion and hypnotism in medicine. He passed a penny over my hand warts and declared they would be gone in 3 days, which they were. As a teenager, I suffered plantars warts ( which I believe are ingrown corns on the sole of the foot?) I had a number of acid treatments by a podiatrist but the most successful treatment came from my cardiologist uncle: oil the area and wear sweat socks, they will work themselves out and to change the pairs of shoes I normally wore.
