Washing carefully before shaving and using a product such as Hydroglide or Razor Rash Relief helps soften hair for easier shaving and prevent post-shaving irritation. After shaving, 1 percent hydrocortisone cream also may reduce inflammation.
Question: : For about 20 years, I suffered with annual bouts of poison ivy, even though I knew how to identify it and never touched the stuff. Finally, I found a homeopathic remedy that has made my life much better every summer. It's called Rhus tox. I take two pills under my tongue twice daily for a week in March, then again for a week in April.
It's an infinitesimally small dose (because it's homeopathic) of poison-ivy extract, and it works like an oral vaccine. You take it before the leaves come out, so the timing depends on your climate. The hardest part is remembering to take it in the spring.
If I am exposed to poison ivy in the course of heavy weeding in my garden, I may get one or two small poison-ivy blisters. They don't spread, and they go away quickly.
I used to need steroid shots, prednisone pills and cortisone creams a couple of times a summer. Tecnu soap helps, but the Rhus tox has been a godsend.
As a nurse practitioner, I knew homeopathic medicine would be diluted enough to be safe. I doubted it would be effective, but it has been very helpful for me.
Answer: : We appreciate your testimonial. The efficacy of homeopathy, like that of home remedies, can't be explained scientifically. As you noted, it should be safe. Avoiding poison ivy whenever possible is always the most effective solution.
Question:: I have suffered from foul-smelling armpits as far back as I can remember. I have tried every deodorant on the market to no avail, as well as vinegar, baking soda, milk of magnesia and alcohol.
I decided to try Listerine, as I'd seen it in some comments on your Web site. I was worried that I would smell before the day's end, but I was actually fresh when I got home. That just doesn't happen, trust me. Listerine is the way to go!
Answer:: This old-fashioned mouthwash has no antiperspirant activity, but perhaps the alcohol and herbal oils (thymol, eucalyptol, menthol, methyl salicylate) kill germs and fungi well enough to prevent an unpleasant smell for hours.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site at PeoplesPharmacy.com.
