enfermedades

i have been collecting some natural remedies/healthy-body advice while we´ve been traveling and i have decided to post them here ... it has been very helpful for me to know these various things, especially in areas where things like ice or antibiotics or drugstore-medicines are not readily available everywhere:

burns --- toothpaste! im sure i have told this to many people who will read this, since ive been raving about it since the first time i went to honduras, but it is just amazing. if you happen to burn yourself, maybe with hot oil all over your hand like i did, put toothpaste all over the burn. i keep reapplying it (without washing it) as much as i can, probably sleep with it on and perhaps use some the next day. every time ive done this the burn has healed completely, with no swelling and no pain and no scarring!

urinary tract infection --- aloe vera and very hot baths. having one of these infections in the jungle is no fun, but i discovered that direct application of aloe vera is very soothing, and sitting in hot water (in a pot of hot water, for example) is extremely helpful if you arent going to be able to get to antibiotics for a few hours/days. also, avoiding taking a cold shower right after sitting on something hot or sweating a lot in hot weather is a good preventative measure.

upset stomach/stomach pains --- sodium bicarbonate with orange juice and lime. very helpful! but i would not recommend this or any other lime-heavy drink before or after drinking milk. bleccch.

walking in the hot, hot sun for many hours --- gatorade or powerade! this might be obvious to some people, but i always thought that gatorade was like any other soda ... its not! it works wonders, the label is completely true. clearly drinking water is a very good idea, but if youre really feeling faint or extremely tired, gatorade will fix you up.

weird fungus-like skin problems from humidity or wearing the same clothes too many times --- lavender oil. nancy actually told me this before i left, it works really well!

i also saw someone put gasoline on a cut to avoid infections ... but i would not recommend that. that was more upsetting in terms of the lack of medical facilities, not in terms of how to deal with a cut. also, i will post more pictures soon!