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| allergy. Salicylates are chemicals found in most fruits and vegetables (notably strawberries and tomatoes) and also form the basis of aspirin. The rash often appears around the mouth very soon after eating salicylate-rich foods and can be persistent. The condition often seems to develop in the elderly who have been told to take daily doses of aspirin in an attempt to counter the risk of heart disorders. A low-salicylate diet is important (lists of high-salicylate foods are available in many popular books on nutrition) as is avoiding salicylate-containing drugs. |
| Other drugs, including some antibiotics, can have a similar effect, so always check with your practitioner if skin rashes follow a new prescription. |
| Contact irritants are equally numerous; insect stings, especially bee stings and bee products, cosmetics, perfumes, and a large number of common garden plants can cause urticaria (see pp. 4749). |
| Join Pain and Stiffness |
| Arthritis, one of the most common causes of joint pain and stiffness, is not really a first aid problem because the condition tends to be chronic, persistent, and long-term. It is generally treated internally using anti-inflammatories (see Herbs to Relieve Arthritis by C. J. Puotinen, Keats, 1996) although emergency short-term relief for osteoarthritis can be achieved by using rosemary oil externally. Mix 1 teaspoon of rosemary oil with 1 tablespoon of almond oil and massage into aching joints. Eating a daily bowl of cucumber soup can also help in the long term. |
| For joints that feel hot and swollen, use an ice pack (or package of frozen peas) to cool the affected area and then massage gently with a mixture of 1 teaspoon of infused St. John's wort oil with 20 drops of essential oil of lavender. |
| General stiffness, following gardening or sports, can be helped by a hot bath to which 5 drops each of rosemary, thyme, and juniper essential oils have been added. Use strained infusions (2 teaspoons to a cup of water) of rosemary and thyme if you don't have the essential oils. Local stiffness can also be helped by a |
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