Q. My father had a second-degree burn over the entire top of his foot, caused by spilling coffee. I applied soy sauce, followed by soaking in ice water.
By the next morning the pain was largely gone, but the doctor who saw him predicted that it would turn black. When that had not happened two weeks later, he asked me what I had done to get such a result.
A. Soy sauce works very well for minor burns, but a severe burn deserves immediate medical attention. We are glad, though, that your father healed so well.
Another reader shared a somewhat similar story: “Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my husband helped me remove a 23 pound turkey from the oven. The disposable aluminum pan began to leak boiling turkey fat down my husband’s hand and wrist.
“He was severely burned, with immediate blisters and intense pain. I went to your website, searched ‘Burn’ and read about using yellow mustard to relieve a burn. We applied cold yellow mustard and miraculously, within 3 to 5 minutes, my husband was pain free. He remained pain free even after the blisters burst. Amazing!”
Others tell us that cold yellow mustard can help a minor burn, after liberal applications of cold water. Nevertheless, we repeat: a serious burn, like your husband’s, calls for immediate medical attention!
