Whenever I burn myself, I use my grandmother鈥檚 old remedy to help relieve the pain and cool the wound: bicarbonate of soda, mixed with a little water and applied directly to the affected area. It works, but how?
鈥� The usual method of dealing with burns is to cool the affected skin. Bicarbonate of soda has two key properties which aid this process. One is that the powder forms a paste which holds water in place for a while, allowing it to take heat away from the skin. The second is that bicarbonate of soda dissolves endothermically in water, so the process of dissolving absorbs further heat from the skin.
Furthermore, bicarbonate of soda is a mild antiseptic.
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Chris Sugden, London, UK
鈥� This week I burned my thumb while cooking the family oven chips and, because the burn was only small and minor, I forwent the normal first aid and tested the action of bicarbonate of soda paste. It does not work as a burn remedy. The burn remained painful and hot and after trying this remedy for 10 minutes I reverted to standard first aid. Because the normal first aid had been delayed, greater tissue damage resulted. More fool me.
鈥淔olk remedies for burns come from the day before cold taps in houses. To use these remedies now only delays recovery and can be dangerous鈥�
For mild to moderate burns always, always, always place the affected area of skin under running cold water for between 10 and 20 minutes, starting immediately after the injury occurs. Never mind if you have supper to serve, you should treat it straight away. This will minimise both tissue damage and pain, and the faster you do it the quicker you will stop the damage. It really does work.
Folk remedies for burns, including bicarbonate of soda paste and others such as egg white, are merely a means of keeping a fluid in contact with the burn to cool it, and come from the days before cold running water was installed in houses. To use these remedies now only delays recovery and in many situations is dangerous.
Michael Perry, Yeovil, Somerset, UK