Home remedies for heel spurs are often not necessary because a heel spur does not always cause any pain.  If you have pain in the foot and you have a heel spur, it may not be the spur itself that is causing the pain, but inflammation associated with plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia, a thick ligament that runs from the heel bone to the ball of the foot.  This problem can be caused by degeneration (wearing out) of the plantar fascia with age, or it may be related to stressing of the plantar fascia during sports or exercise such as running or doing a lot of walking. Heel spurs often go along with plantar fasciitis.  People who have had foot pain for some years are likely to have a heel spur, which is an extra hook of bone that forms on the heel bone.  Some people can feel it and for others it is visible on an X ray.  Sometimes the spur will form even when there is no foot pain. The pain is usually worse in the morning.  This is because the ligament contracts while we sleep.  When we get out of bed and start to walk ...

Hives are very common, affecting around 20% of the population at some time, so there are many people searching for home remedies for hives. Hives or urticaria come in many types and can have many causes.  Often, the cause is the key to the treatment.  In many cases, hives are a reaction to allergy.  This may be a food allergy or a reaction to a substance in the environment.  Common foods that may cause allergy include shellfish, nuts, eggs, wheat, soy.  Hives caused by food allergy form very quickly and are usually easily traced back to the allergen.  If you are not sure what you may be allergic to, you can have a test at the dermatologist's office. Hives occur when the capillaries in the epidermis below the skin leak fluid.  The fluid gathers to form a hive or wheal below the skin.  In most cases, the body will reabsorb the fluid after a certain length of time and the hives disappear naturally.  However, this can take several weeks.  Some people even have chronic hives which never seem to go away.  In any case, while hives are present they are red, inflamed and often intensely itchy, so many people seek out home ...

Mowing your lawn isn't just an ordinary chore that has to be done every weekend.  It's one of the most important ways to keep grass healthy and attractive.  Done correctly, mowing makes the lawn thicker, cuts down on weeds, and even fertilizes the grass.  Here are some pointers for getting the best results from mowing the lawn. Mowing helps grass divide and grow thicker, which in turn chokes out weeds.  Mow the grass frequently, taking no more than a third of the grass blade off at a time.  Depending on the type of grass in the lawn, the optimal height can range from half an inch to four inches high. Plan to mow more often in warm, humid conditions and during times of active growth.  When the weather is hot and dry, or when grass is in a phase of slow growth, you should reduce the frequency of mowing. Instead of raking up grass clippings, you can leave them on the lawn.  They make an excellent and free fertilizer.  However, if the clippings are too thick and don't break down quickly, they can contribute to the buildup of undecomposed organic matter over the soil.  This buildup is called thatch.  A thin layer of ...

It is always worth knowing about home remedies for poison ivy.  You or your kids may come across this nasty plant at any time, and if you do not take action, it spreads.  So what is poison ivy and what can you do about it? Poison ivy and its friend’s poison oak and poison sumac contain a substance called urushiol which is responsible for the allergic reaction that most people have when they touch one of these plants.  Not everybody is susceptible; a few people are genuinely immune to urushiol.  However, in most cases the immunity will not hold through prolonged or repeated exposure.  Even if you don't react to poison ivy the first time you encounter it, you may the second, third or tenth time. The usual response is a rash that looks like hives, forming on any part of the skin that has been in contact with urushiol.  This is a greasy substance that stays on the skin and is easily transferred either to another part of the body or to another person, especially if it gets on the hands.  The rash often does not develop immediately but may take a few hours to several days to appear. So the first ...

Desperately seeking a remedy for stomach flu is natural if you are suffering from this depressing disease, whose technical name is viral gastroenteritis.  It is not really flu at all, but stomach flu makes you feel just as bad as any other type of flu, while at the same time you have vomiting, diarrhea or both. The good news about stomach flu is that the body will cure it within a few days.  Exactly how fast you can expect it to clear up depends on how healthy you are in general, and how you act when you have it, whether you take enough rest, for example. You probably will not want to eat when you have stomach flu.  You can go with your feelings on this and avoid solid food for the first day or until you are beginning to feel better.  When you start eating, begin with food that is easy to digest such as a nutritious soup, toast, rice or bananas.  Some foods should be avoided until you are completely well again.  These include dairy products (except live yogurt), spicy foods, processed foods, caffeine and alcohol. It is vital to drink plenty of liquid such as water or fresh fruit juice ...