Oats
Among all nutraceuticals (foods with medicinal properties) oatmeal and oat bran are the most potent. Packed with soluble fiber, they create a gel-like substance in the digestive system that bonds with cholesterol molecules and prevents them from entering the blood stream. Harvard University conducted a study that analyzed over 60 trials and found that even small amounts of soluble fiber added to a daily diet could reduce cholesterol by 5 points. Other good sources besides oats are kidney beans, apples, and pears.

Red Yeast Rice
This yeast that grows on rice contains compounds that inhibit the body’s production of cholesterol. Studies have found that people who took this in supplement form were able to drop their bad cholesterol by 23% without making any other changes to their lifestyle at all. When combined with healthier changes to diet and exercise, they were able to drop it by 42%. It’s also less likely to cause the painful muscle disease myopathy than typical cholesterol lowering statin drugs.

Macadamia Nuts
Even with 76% total fat by their weight, it’s mostly monounsaturated fat. This is beneficial in helping to lower bad cholesterol (LDL) without harming levels of good cholesterol (HDL). All nuts are high in antioxidants like omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin E, but macadamia nuts are the highest in monounsaturated fats. Studies from the University of Hawaii concluded that total cholesterol of those who added macadamia nuts to their diets for a month was 10 points lower than those who did not.

Green Tea
Loaded with some of the most potent antioxidants called polyphenols, green tea can lower bad cholesterol and keep it from forming plaque in blood vessels. In some studies, drinking 5 cups of green tea daily lowered cholesterol by 9 points compared to those who didn’t drink any. Black tea also contains these antioxidants, but nowhere near the concentration of green tea. 3-5 cups a day is optimal for best results.

Sunburn
Not only your skin, but your entire body can be dried by a sunburn, so be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. There are some great remedies in your kitchen for dealing with the pain. If your eyelids are burned, soak tea bags in cool water and apply them to decrease pain and swelling. Wrap some dry oatmeal in gauze and run water through it for a few minutes. Remove the oatmeal and soak a cloth in the liquid leftover and apply every few hours.

Heat exhaustion
Unlike the winter months, summer weather predictions are usually pretty accurate. Keep this in mind, and plan ahead for extreme temperatures. Limit consumption of both caffeine and alcohol, as they both speed up the dehydration process. If someone is already suffering from heat exhaustion, either splash them with cool water or apply cool towels rather than submerging them in water. This will allow the water to evaporate and absorb more quickly and have a better cooling effect.

Mosquito bites
Mosquitoes can spread a number of diseases, so the first thing you should do once you’ve been bitten is to clean and disinfect the area where it appears with soap and hot water. To help prevent or reduce the inflammation caused by a bite, wet the affected area and rub an aspirin over the bite as soon as you can after it appears. Dissolve baking soda or Epsom salts in water, dip a cloth into that water and place it on the skin of the affected area for 15-20 minutes to help alleviate the itching.

Bee stings
The most important thing to do in order to avoid pain and swelling from a bee or wasp sting is to act fast, no matter what treatment you choose. Just like mosquitoes and flies, bees often are carriers for some nasty bacteria. Clean the area first, and then scrape the stinger away so that it doesn’t continue to pump venom into your skin. Apply a paste made of powdered activated charcoal to draw the poison out. Mud is an acceptable substitute, as not everyone keeps activated charcoal lying around.