The Y Files

Interesting use for vegetable oil. And potential spin-off topic for the Animal Science blog - uses for household items in the animal world.

I add a bit of vegetable oil to my pets' dinners when their coats are dry, itchy, and flaky. Makes them nice and glossy!

I give my Weimaraner a shot glass of oil about once a week, on her dry food. She has a really glossy coat.....

If her ears get dirty, I use Q-Tips (very carefully!) with corn oil if her ears get dirty....

Interesting tips, i only can remember Tom Hanks using a Household utensil " Honey it's legal now!"

I've been using Colgate for my burn and its effective since childhood. Can try using vinegar on your newly scalded skin as well.

You may do this on small burns if you wish, but in 4 years of first aid classes every instructor has told me to never put anything on burns which may require hospital treatment except ice wrapped in cloth. The reason cited: when you get to the hospital burn unit the first thing that the doctors will do is scrub off any foreign matter - toothpaste, neosporin, etc.

How true!!!!

If you accidentally chop your finger off, a packet of frozen peas may seem like a good idea. However, prolonged contact with ice will kill the tissue beyond repair. Improvise to use a mix of ice and water. Infection is a major hazard, but trying to clear infection is better than excising dead tissue. Open the bag of peas and fill with tap water. The lost finger, deposited therein, has a better chance of being stitched back.

In the case of burns, prolonged (and immediate) pouring of cool water is the best thing. Too cold and the blood vessels contract, limiting heat dispersal. A few degrees above freezing is best. In a bad situation, I once only had contaminated water to hand (bad phrase). Nearby was a bottle of strong bleach. Yep, poured some in and plunged the hand. Hurt like ****, but the cooling offset the agony of bleach. Full recovery with no lasting scar (blister the size of a tennis ball). Without the bleach, I'd have been like Fungus the Bogeyman. If infection is seen as possible, like said, the medics will get out a wire brush. You seriously don't want to go there.

Old wives tales about lard is rubbish. It's like basting a joint of pork. Smells pretty much the same too.

I have been using water to treat my own burns (and of others) for more than 40 years, after a neighbour (a family Doctor) told us this was the best way to treat any burn, even one needing medical treatment eventually.

I remember in the 70's, my sister in law got her 2 children and my two step children of the time, all sun burnt one day. The oldest was 7 years old, they could almost glow in the dark it seemed!!!

I got 4 of them in the (thankfully) very large old fashioned bath in our house, filled it with water and told them to play. The oldest child of theirs refused completely to bath with the "Babies". One child screamed all night that he was uncomfortable - him! Four slept and showed no sun burn the next day at all....

In the early 80's in Spain, I went Schnorkelling with Johnson & Johnson sun factor 25 waterproof on my back, but it wasn't (waterproof that is!). I had a dull red back from top to bottom, elbow to elbow. We only had a shower so I put a T-Shirt and my wife kept it sopping wet all evening by pouring water over it (mental HISS!!). The next morning I was white again WHERE THE T-SHIRT HAD BEEN and still red where it was not!!!!!

In reality, how often are we too far away from water NOT to use the water as a first line of treatment, even if we also need to see a Doctor as well.......seldom?

Fatty treatments ARE ALWAYS WRONG, there is NEVER a reason to use them at any time........

It seems I have to spell out every single stage...
Cold water until the burn remains cool is undoubtedly the best treatment. Curiously, the NHS website recommends "between ten minutes and half-an-hour" and I agree that this is far too short for a significant burn*, as the objective is not just to cool the initial burn but to suppress any adverse side-effects of immune reactions (and the daft beggars who wrote the NHS site even allow up to a twenty-minute delay rather than saying "as soon as possible"). But there comes the time when it is impractical to keep the burn under water.

This is where topical treatments become relevant. And it is here that controversy arises.

In accordance with your shouting, fatty coatings are generally frowned on - but (unless you know different) there does not appear to be any evidence whatever that they are counter-indicated when the skin is still intact; if anything such evidence as there is points to adding fats after initial moisturisation as being helpful under these conditions. However, it is also obvious that use of unpasteurised fats can give rise to infection if the skin is broken subsequently; in my view this is most probably the basis for the medical objection.

*plus, they are so scared of inexpert treatment causing hypothermia that they recommend against near-icy-cold water- which is generally accepted to be the best instantaneous short-term treatment.

P.S. Now you know that you should have worn a full shirt or wrapped your arms in the towels...

I have still not understood from you when a "fatty" treatment is advisable, over and above a possible water treatment......

I think in fact you and I both know that there is basically never a time in a westernised country at least, when a "fatty" treatment is advisable, as water is and will always be best, and always available!!! Go jump in a lake/river/stream/neighbour's bath if the tap in your house is dry!!!

If you are in the middle of the Sahara desert with severely limited water supplies, there may be a a good reason to use fat, especially if you just had a pee and none is left!!!.....but other than then, water is ALWAYS best.

By the way, experience has shown me that in general, the water treatment needs to be continued till the affected part does not smart any more, or while treating with water, get someone to drive you to a clinic or hospital. This depends upon the severity of the burn, common sense is needed to allow a decision to be made....

Just using water alone can easily take up to 2 hours for the pain to subside, depending upon the gravity of the burn. Err on the side of too long, rather that too short a water treatment. In this particular case LENGTH DOES MATTER!!

One must use common sense with regard to water temperature, where ice will help a burnt finger or hand quickly, it should naturally not be used when treating your back from sunburn!!

A tiny modicum of medical knowledge should suffice in order to enable you to use a neutral -middle of the road- temperature neither too hot or too cold....particularly where children are concerned.....

I personally find as an adult that slightly warmer than tepid to be sufficient...... Children may need a degree or so warmer than that.....and an adult should be present to make sure that the water does not cool off and chill the child(ren)....

As with any medical treatment anywhere, common sense is the most important commodity. If you haven't got at least a modicum of that, its probably better to go straight to a doctor.....each one needs to decide for himself on that point......

This information is based on the opinion of an "Old School" Doctor and has been proven over many, many years by myself as well, though the Doctor's information was the basis for everything, I would not even try and pretend that it all was my own idea....my own idea is just that it works exceedingly well........

Yes, you've said that before, and I've indicated that I mostly agree, although I'm surprised to find that we disagree about initial treatment. It is best that treatment applied when the subsurface is still above 110^OF from the original source of the burn (steam, hot surface, or flame) should cool the affected region as rapidly as possible. After that, and for sunburn, we are agreed that tepid water is optimal for suppressing any adverse effects of your immune response.

But I am completely unable to comprehend that you don't consider what to do when treatment using water-cooling is finished. Are you assuming that there is never a time when the initial treatment has stopped but further action is appropriate? Or was that horse so high that you could not bring yourself to respond to the points that were being made?

You ask how to handle a burn after using water treatment till the pain has gone, there is no need for any further treatment, unless the burn was so severe and quite large that you needed a hospital casualty ward. then please ask the doctor!

I have burnt myself several times quite severely and after the pain has gone = water treatment finished, there was no other treatment required as the skin looked quite normal and no blisters. After about a week to 10 days, the skin falls off and new, dry painless skin is seen......after a day or two, the "edge" between old and new disappears....

So to answer your question, there is NEVER any need to use fat or any other old wives remedies.....water is a complete fix on its own, at least in the examples I have known and treated.....But I do not pretend that I have seen all burn types either.

The only difficulty being when to decide or not as to whether extra hospital treatment is required or not. I would say in the case of a child, its a good idea. But for myself, I do not seem to have ever burnt myself badly enough ever to say afterwards "I should have gone for treatment!" Lucky I guess or the water treatment is even better than I think it is!!! I also have no scars except for a burn I got as a young teenager, when making fishing leads, that our friendly neighbour Doctor told me what I should have done!!! But it was too late (several painful hours later.....!) It is on my shin and looks a bit like Africa!! Its almost completely faded away now thank God!!

But guest, you show a remarkable lack of common politeness in what you write to me, (to us all here!) which is the reason that many CR4 members call guests "Trolls"...... as you hide behind a name used by 1000s here and on other blogs......probably because you have not got the character to handle a full CR4 identity.

I have up to now ignored your rudeness and pettiness, but slowly you are getting too rude. Either smarten up or leave us please. Or we will get the sprays out!

I am simply leaving as my comments/findings, in spite of being used many times over many years with remarkable effect, are obviously too much for you to swallow.

At a guess you are a relatively immature (not necessarily young) UK resident, probably having had no lessons in common manners when young.....Mother worked? Father left? who knows? Who the f**k cares, certainly not I any more. I tried to be friendly, you could not meet me halfway, that's a problem you must live with, not I.....

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee troll.....

I really must learn not to respond in kind. So I apologise (after several posts) for finally reacting to being called a caveman, being shouted at, and then having the meat of any statements ignored. It's a lame apology, but then I don't care to back down completely under what I feel as an onslaught of bullying.

Now that is out of the way, I am not saying that I have evidence that fat works better than other treatments - only that it has been rejected without real consideration, rather like many 19th century clinicians rejected cooling. It may be unfair, but the way I see it is that, having hit upon a good first-stage treatment, you write as if nothing else need be considered. Actually, I'm sure you know that MEBO is a post-treatment that is pretty-much regarded as proved. However, this is not always accessible or convenient. Other than MEBO, once cooling is done the priority for small area burns is maintaining moisture levels and providing protection. Personally, I am quite sceptical about much of the way bandages are used, as these so often get caught up in new tissue. To my mind, it is high time that a comparative study of domestically available post-treatments was carried out - and I believe that for moderate trauma it should include breathable covering using suitable fats and oils (with or without bandages).

Finally, you are right that I don't care to declare my identity - but then neither apparently do you. The only difference is that at this point I'm not pretending to one.

If it is a bad burn, use saline water if you can. It will feel like ice water to the burn victim. But it is a relief from the pain.

I use white vinegar every time for sunburns... If you spritz or use cotton pad, apply the day of the sunburn, it will be tanned the next day, and not blister and peel. Left untreated sunburn can burn for 3 days and then blister and peel. I think it works by neutralizing or altering the PH of the skin after burning...

Lavender oil works real well also, takes the pain away. My sisters kids (2 1/2) swear by the stuff.

Better still put factor 30 sunblock on before exposure - especially with kids.

Gee, thought we did that first. Personally I use spf 80 (in the winter I can hide by standing in front of the porcelain) once I darken up I rarely need it.

When they come to the desert from Seattle we dip them and they still burn. Lavender oil stops the inflammation so they are not fussy and can sleep.

I can remember my Dad finding a lawn mower in the trash and not having any motor oil went into the kitchen and grabbed some Wesson. The mower needed a new plug and a good going over. To my amazement, she ran for years on the Wesson. The fun part was you new that Dad was cutting the lawn when the garage smelt like a movie theater.

Is Wesson a US cooking oil? If yes, why would it smell like a Movie theatre?

Perhaps the odor of the wesson in the mower was reminiscent of the odor of pop corn at the local giga-plex...

My favorite snack! POP CORN

Wesson Corn Oil Pop Perfect Popcorn.
Save on Wesson Corn Oil!
BizRate.com/PopcornMakers

Our 18 year old kitty has, among other issues, a little trouble pooping.

I mix a little veg oil with her food and this helps.

I use a lot of household items to make simple flying models. The thin foam cups can be used to make good propellor blades.

Another usage for "Wesson" cooking oil.

I have heard that you call your Pussy "Cooking Fat".....or something near to that......

Cats and cooking oil: any non-toxic oil will do the job - insects like to breathe

Dawn kills fleas - yes, but any detergent should do the job

Bounce no doubt the antistatic agents will help the dogs fur to dry out, the deodorants desensitize you, and the perfume hide any residue - but you will have to put up with the nasal irritation

Gatorade: I guess that at least half of headaches are caused by dehydration or by lack of sugars. Any rapidly absorbed combination of fluid, electrolyte and carbohydrates should have the same effect.

Toothpaste and burns: not heard about that one - maybe the chalk paste will act as a draw for inflammatory fluid

Peppermint oil expectorant - yes partly because it's a vehicle for menthol, so it's as effective (or otherwise) as any vapour rub

Tooth paste is a fair application for burns but combining Vaseline intensive lotion with baking and mix it to a paste consistency is one of the superior methods for immediate relief and often leaves no scaring even of severe burns.

The best method for burns, whether from something hot or just sunbathing, is quite simple, keep the affected part wet with tepid water. If it is a nose or face, use towels, paper are good, soaked in water and keep them soaked.

If you remove the affected part and it still stings, you need to put it back in the water. If it stings under water still, add some ice or colder water....

For sunburn, a bath is good, but do not let it get too cold, hypothermia is not a good idea......

This REALLY REALLY works, it has been tested by me and may family for over 40 years, on children with sunburn and myself with soldering iron burns and sunburn......

I have only skipped over it, but if anyone wants more details, just ask.....

By the way, if it was a severe burn, after the treatment with water, which may take 2 hours to finally lose the pain, the skin looks completely normal, then a few weeks later, the skin drops off and there is dry good skin underneath.....

Good answer, why do you not have a CR4 logon?

I just received these last week:

• Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

• Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil.It will stay fresh much longer and not mold!

• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.
  

• Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef.It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking.
  

• To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up.
  

• For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting.
  

• Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic.

• Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm!
  

• Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy.... No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
  

• Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

• Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

• Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

• Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go, cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

• Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.
  

• No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away....
  

• Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants,sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. (is that true Kris?)

• Flexible vacuumTo get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

• Reducing Static ClingPin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... tada! ... static is gone.
  

• Measuring CupsBefore you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out!
  

• Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the window's fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
  

• Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.
  

• Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs.It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair. (is that true Kris?)
  

• Goodbye Fruit FliesTo get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
  

• Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home," can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it worksand you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
  

• INFO ABOUT CLOTHES DRYERS The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it.... The lint filter is made of a mesh material ... I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well ... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that's what burns out the heating unit. You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free ... that nice fragrance too. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box .. well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time, (and to keep your electric bill lower), is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush, (or other brush), at least every six months.

I have been told that, if a cat is making a nuisance of itself in your garden, (killing the birds, crapping everywhere,) that the best solution is not to frighten it off but to get close enough to douse it in a water solution of epsom salts.

Apparently the cat licks itself dry before evacuating in its own home (hopefully) rather than yours. I do have a water pistol as the cats appear nervous and full of guilt.

Also household ammonia is supposed useful for deterring dogs from marking territory.

Any experience of this out there?