If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!A bowl of white granulated sugar. The background has been erased. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) When Did You Learn How to Cure Hiccups? I was late into adulthood, probably my 40s, before I found a simple, reliable cure for hiccups. Eat a teaspoon of dry, white sugar. How Many Ways Are There to Cure Hiccups? Growing up, I’d heard of and tried lots of ways to cure hiccups. Put your fingers in your ears Have someone scare you Have someone tickle you Sip water Stick your tongue out and pull on it Breathe into a paper bag Hold... (Read More ...)

None - This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions. As a matter of courtesy we request that the content provider be credited and notified in any public or private usage of this image. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Did You Have Sugar Cubes or Shots? I had sugar cubes when they were rolling out the polio vaccine, in 1962 or 1963, in eighth or ninth grade. I was happy to take the sugar cube. It was so much more pleasant than a shot. It never occurred to me to ask: Why is it ok to eat medicine when all my other serious medicine came in shots? Why couldn’t I eat sugar... (Read More ...)

Where Is Your Smallpox Vaccination Scar? 1802 caricature of Jenner vaccinating patients who feared it would make them sprout cowlike appendages. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I must have been eight or nine when it was time to get my smallpox vaccination. My mother was familiar with the scar a vaccination typically leaves. Looking ahead to the day when I would be wearing sleeveless summer or formal dresses, she asked the doctor to give me the vaccination on my thigh instead of my upper arm. Taken aback, perhaps concerned with whether I would be protected, he haughtily retorted, “I’ll give it to... (Read More ...)

When Did Women Stop Wearing Surgical Masks in the Maternity Ward? I was having lunch recently at a Cracker Barrel (love the country vegetable plate!). A framed newspaper article hung next to my table. It was from 1942. Newborn In the article, there was a photo of three sisters who were in the maternity ward at the same time. They had had their babies within five days of each other. They were wearing surgical masks. When did women stop wearing surgical masks when they had babies? Click here to read a 1944 article in The Journal of Pediatrics, “The role of the surgical mask in the prevention of... (Read More ...)

Butter. Ice water. Aloe Vera. When was the last time you treated a burn with butter?  Aloe Vera - Image by Toni Villaró via Flickr Do you remember when your Mom put butter on a burn to keep the air away from it to stop the burning? Well, it turns out that butter can cause infections, but, more importantly, the grease keeps the heat in the burn and that can cause more damage. What Should You Do? While ice water used to be the preferred approach after butter was found not to help, the current advice is to use cool, not cold water. Ice water, or worse, ice, is thought to damage the sensitive, burned... (Read More ...)