Don’t take heating pad to bed

Q. You wrote about a home remedy for a nighttime cough that called for putting a heating pad under the butt. As a doctor, I must say: Don’t do this! Nasty burns can result.

A. Thank you for the reminder. Many other readers also warned about going to bed with a heating pad. Some pointed out that newer heating pads turn themselves off after half an hour.

There are certainly other remedies for nighttime coughs. Some of them, such as smearing Vicks VapoRub on the soles of the feet, might not meet medical approval, but they should not be harmful.

Q. I solved my acid-reflux problem with an answer that had been in your column a few years ago: almonds. I had just had a bad experience with a medication called Dexilant. It made my acid reflux 10 times worse.

I stopped the medication and started eating almonds. I experimented with raw, roasted and roasted with salt to see what worked best for me. I found almonds roasted with salt did the trick.

Someone had written in that they ate almonds before a meal to prevent heartburn. I got to the point I only needed the almonds after a tomato-based meal.

I do get heartburn occasionally. Depending on where I am, I’ll take Tums or almonds. I hope this information will help some of your readers, because it was a huge help for me.

A. We appreciate your story. Other readers have suggested that about half a dozen almonds are enough to ward off heartburn.

Q. I have been afflicted with hand psoriasis for several years. My dermatologist has prescribed a $1,000 UV light that is less than effective. She also has given me a prescription steroid ointment that I apply and then wear vinyl exam gloves overnight.

A few weeks ago, I had an intense craving for pico de gallo. After eating it for four days, I read your article about psoriasis and cilantro. Looking at my hands, I could see that the psoriasis had significantly improved. .

A friend suggested infusing the cilantro in extra-virgin olive oil and using it that way. After three topical applications, the infused oil works marvelously.

A. Pico de gallo is an uncooked salsa. We heard years ago from a psoriasis sufferer that eating salsa brought him relief. We did not think to ask him if his salsa contained cilantro.

The idea of infusing oil with cilantro and using it as a salve is new to us. We’re glad to hear about another way to use cilantro against psoriasis. 2014 King Features Syndicate, Inc.