Reader uses soy sauce to treat burns

Q. My husband and I recently combined forces in a spectacular kitchen accident. He was heating water in a French press coffee pot in the microwave, and unknowingly heated it too much. As he picked up the pot and walked away from the microwave, the superheated water erupted into his face.

In running to see what had happened, I slipped in the water, and hit the tile floor on my shoulder. Fortunately, I quickly remembered reading about soy sauce for burns in one of your columns, and he quickly applied a liberal amount to his face. Subsequently, only his eyelids (which were not coated in soy sauce) blistered and peeled, but the remainder of his face suffered no long-term effects. Within a couple of days, it looked no worse than a mild sunburn.

Unfortunately, only surgery and therapy will cure the broken shoulder, but how wonderful to see the amazing results of soy sauce on his burns. Thanks for including this info in your column!

A. We first heard about using soy sauce on burns from Blair in Eugene, Ore. He has been using it for decades to treat minor household burns.

Since then, others have reported success using soy sauce to ease the pain and damage from minor burns. Your story is one of the most dramatic.

First aid for burns begins with immediate cold water. Severe burns require medical attention. We are certainly glad the soy-sauce remedy worked for your husband.

Q. I started taking cinnamon to regulate my blood sugar. (I do not have diabetes, but I want to keep it that way.)

A very surprising side effect was that my hot flashes have subsided tremendously. Have you heard of this?

A. We could find no published research in the U.S. on the use of cinnamon to ease hot flashes. This spice seems to be part of a traditional treatment in China and Japan, however, and is being studied at the University of Minnesota.

Some readers report benefit from French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol). One woman wrote, “At 48, I went off the pill due to migraines, and within two months menopause began. I was having hot flashes all day. I could deal with those, but not with the loss of sleep caused by hot flashes all night long. I read about Pycnogenol, bought some and became hot-flash free within days.”

For more information about other natural ways to control blood sugar and menopausal symptoms, you may be interested in “Best Choices From The People’s Pharmacy.” It is available in libraries, bookstores and online at www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Q. I have a cure for warts. As crazy as it sounds, it absolutely works. Rub the wart on the yellow exterior of a banana skin several times a day.

I had a wart on my index finger, and after trying various medications, I heard about this on the radio. I thought, “What can it hurt?” Sure enough, the wart disappeared, never to return.

A. This is a variation on a wart remedy we’ve heard before. The one we’ve encountered several times calls for a piece of banana peel to be taped to the wart, with the fleshy white inside of the skin in contact with the wart. The peel is to be applied overnight and left off during the day.

XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Best Choices From The People’s Pharmacy” (Rodale Books).

2008 King Features Syndicate Inc.