Salicylic acid products are applied topically in a variety of forms. There are salicylic acid gels, salicylic acid creams, salicylic acid peels…etc. Read my article on this amazing natural acid to find out more about its applications, and how it has been rescuing flagging social lives for many years.

Apple cider vinegar, or cider vinegar, is most often thought of as a cooking agent to add zest to otherwise underwhelming dishes, but cider vinegar uses go far beyond the palette. Cider vinegar has long been used as a natural treatment by the contentious and curious for a variety of common maladies, such as obesity, dandruff, warts, cleaning, sunburns…etc. Cider vinegar is also being researched as a method to reduce glucose levels in diabetics and, because of its blood thinning qualities, as a supplement for those with hypertension.

Though cider vinegar isn’t as dynamic as its white counterpart when it comes to cleaning, it does have some specific uses that are very effective. I use cider vinegar undiluted to clean my linoleum floors, and it gives them a subtle apple fragrance and an obscene sparkle. Read my latest article to learn how to capitalize on cider vinegar’s many uses, as well as what to look for in a quality product.

Sodium Bicarbonate, or baking soda, is about as versatile in the home as Michael Phelps is in water. Instead of masking smells with imitation lilac or romantic-yet-unnatural scents like “ocean breeze”, use baking soda. Baking soda neutralizes acids (the root cause of reek) and is super absorbant - it will eat the stink. These qualities, as well as its soft crystalline structure, make it perfect for scouring and scrubbing a plethora of surfaces and appliances. Unlike the cleaning products you’ll find on store shelves, baking soda is completely harmless. You can eat it of course, and brush your teeth with it, and I add a pinch to my coffee to keep my stomach from dissolving itself. Baking soda’s uses are many, and the benefits are too. It’s cheap, effective, and environmentally friendly - and when you use it, the god of war smiles upon you.

So I won’t get a massage because I’m afraid it would make me feel so good that I would have to have massages on a regular basis forever afterward. But that’s just my crazy talking. You should read my latest article, and then go get yourself a nice massage.

Not only was I a very poor college student, but I was one living in the small and yet overpoweringly smelly dorms, one with asthma, seasonal allergies, allergies to fragrances found in many harsh cleaning products, sensitive skin prone to acne, rashes and sunburn, and I even had braces. Okay, so the braces don’t have anything to do with vinegar, but I thought you should know anyways. And what did I use to cook, to clean, to treat mild burns and to make miniature volcanos in my dorm room? That’s right, I used vinegar.  And so should you. Read about it here, in my article.

Garlic’s many uses actually range beyond cooking and internal medicine, and it isn’t even necessary to eat garlic to get some of its benefits. For instance, some people swear by garlic for repelling mosquitoes and other unwanted insects. Others apply it directly to wounds or fungal infections like athlete’s foot, to take advantage of garlic’s natural antimicrobial properties. But if you simply use garlic the usual way–in your dinner–it could be a small, easy step toward preventing heart disease, colds and flu, and maybe even cancer. And since garlic tastes so good and has almost no side effects beyond a slightly funky smell, why wouldn’t you throw some into your spaghetti sauce?

The problem with leaving fish out of your diet, no matter how valid the reason, is that oily fish is the most concentrated source of omega-3 fatty acids in the natural world, and omega-3 acids can do amazing things for our health. For example, water-locked, fish-eating Japan has a far lower rate of heart disease than cheeseburger-chowing America, partly because we tend to be deficient in omega-3 and they don’t. And the benefits of fish oil aren’t limited to the cardiovascular system. It may also reduce the symptoms of inflammatory disorders like arthritis, and some research suggests that it can improve brain function, even preventing Alzheimer’s disease or regulating out-of-whack moods. For those who–for whatever reason–prefer not to eat much fish, the good news is that it’s possible to get the benefits of fish oil from a supplement instead of a fillet.