How to Survive All Over the World

CULTURE	I have recently come to realize that some of my favorite stories from my mission are about the silly suspicions that have about their own health. So, I asked several of my friends to share some medicinal wive's tales from various cultures, so that we can all enjoy the wisdom from other countries' tradition. And remember that no matter how outlandish some of these may seem, my sources affirm that the people wholeheartedly believe in their veracity. BELIEF	CONTRIBUTOR
Argentina	If you have something in your eye or if you want to clean them, apply olive oil, or in some cases cooking oil.	Jonathan W.
Cambodia	For common cold like symptoms, take Tiger Balm (literal translation, similar to our Vick's Vapor rub) and rub it all over your neck/back/chest. Then, take a quarter or bottle cap and scrape the balm into your skin, scraping between your ribs on your chest and back until your skin gets those   tiny spots of blood typical of road rash. "Bad" cases will get a scraping on your neck too. It releases the evil spirits (literal translation is "Bad wind") from your system and you'll be cured. This is done in many countries of Asia.	Mike K.
	If you take a water bottle with water in it, and shake it up, you "break" the water. If you give them the water, they won't drink it because it will make them sick.
	Cambodians think long American noses are beautiful because they all have short flat noses, so mothers will pinch their babies' nose and pull on it, because that will make it longer over time.
Chile	If you have a cold you need to put your feet in a hot bucket of water, you need to keep putting in hot water for the next ten minutes, not a minute longer! When you take your feet out the water still needs to be hot. You then dry your feet and put them in warm, fluffy socks and put on warm PJ’s, a hat, and scarf, and then get into bed with a hot water bottle and not talk or move all night. If you take your feet out when the water is cold you'll die that night (not a joke).	Alex L.
	Whenever you feel ill, at all, you must use honey for everything! So when you have a cold, take a whole lemon and squeeze every last bit of juice out of it and then mix with honey (half and half) and the drink it.
	If your eyes are tired then put honey on the bottom and top eye lids (not advised).
	If you ever experience extreme changes in weather, you will get terribly sick.
	If you go outside during the winter with wet hair you would get a splitting headache that would lay you up for weeks (if not kill you).
China	When giving a foot massage, light a candle in a glass and then suctioned it onto the foot to stimulate blood flow/ draw toxins from the body.	Traci G.
	When eating, never ever stick your chopsticks straight up in the rice.
Germany	If you go outside in the cold, you will get sick.	Natalie H.
Japan	If you have a cold, wrap negi (long green onions) around your neck.	Julie H.
	If you have a wound, put umeboshi (pickled plum) on it for faster healing.
Mexico	If you are hot and sweating and you drink a cold drink, you will get a cold.	Benn P.
	If you get a cold, you need to cut a half an onion into strips, boil it in half a liter of milk, and then fish the onion out of the milk, putting it on one side of a plate and topping it with pure honey. The plate should be set on something, making it sit unevenly in such a way that the juices from the milk/onion/honey concoction drains to the other end of the plate, and when you have a good bit of it, you drink that clear-ish onion milk liquid that forms. Then, that night, in your hammock, you need to wrap up with 2-3 blankets, and sweat the sickness out while you sleep.
Mexico (Texas)	Pin a bag of water above your door to keep flies and mosquitos away.	Brian S.
Mexico (Utah)	If you drink something warm then go out into the cold, your jaw will be frozen in an odd position.	Levi B.
Navajo	If you cut your child's hair as a baby, he or she will grow up with a stutter.	Kaitlin N.
Panama	If you do ironing at any point during the day, you CANNOT get wet later that day or you will get “torqueado” (torqued?) which essentially consists of permanent facial or bodily disfigurement.	Jeph H.
Paraguay	Do not cut a baby’s hair until he says his first word. After all, he has to have some motivation to speak. You cannot eat while you drink mate (tea), or your belly will swell up and explode. That is why you drink it before eating anything in the morning and several hours between breakfast and lunch. You cannot shower after drinking mate. If you do, your skin will burn.	Matt P.
Philippines	After cutting hair, bury it in the back yard to make hair grow more quickly	Serena L.
	Urinate on a jellyfish wound to help it heal.
Russia	If you sit on something cold (rock, bench, or whatever) you immediately become sterile.	Dan B.
Spain	Agua Agria, or "bitter water," tastes like water with coins in it, but it is legendary for its ability to extend peoples' lives.	Adam D.
Taiwan	The food you eat is directly tied to your inner Qi. Certain foods will make your Qi too hot and you will start having bad effects; other foods counter those hot ones. For instance, eating mangos makes your fire rise and then you get zits. But if you eat bitter foods (like a root called Huanglian), then your fire will die down and you won't have zits.	Christian R.
U.S.	If you crave sugar while you’re pregnant you'll have a girl; if you crave salt you'll have a boy.	Preston T.
	When crying, if the first tear comes from the right eye, it is a tear of joy; from the left, it is a tear of sadness.	Internetz
	If you have a lot of heartburn during a pregnancy, then your baby will have a lot of hair.	Aubrey H.
	It is acceptable to smoke weed when pregnant if you wrap it in rice paper so it's natural.