Can home remedies be effective?

Some say they will work if you believe in them.

Others say that just getting to the doctor is a hassle.

So, home remedies are an excellent alternative.

When it comes to finding unconventional answers to ailments, moms seem to know best.

Erin Barringer is the president of the Mom's Club of West Hartford.

She sent out an email soliciting ideas.

After the first response, the moms were hooked.
"Other moms were very quick to reply and share their remedies as well, so it was a nice dialogue between us via e-mail," Erin explains.

Here is a short list of some interesting home remedies.

Try peppermint foot cream for bad breath or body odor.

Use Preparation H for under eye puffiness.

Try taping banana peels to feet for wart removal.

Use caffeinated coffee grounds smooth out cellulite.

They sound strange, but could these remedies produce real results?

One doctor weighs in.

"The power of positive thinking and the power of suggestion is pertinent for all of these things," says Dr. AJ Smalley.

Believe it or not, many home remedies have some medical merit.

It turns out peppermint may be absorbed topically, although skin on the foot is probably too thick, the thinner the better. Perhaps under your arms or some place like that and peppermint i guess would work for bad breath."

Yes, the face is an unlikely place for preparation H, but it does contain astringent which can cause skin to tighten. "So it makes sense that if you had loose skin under your eyelids that an astringent would cause some contraction," Dr. Smally explains.

Duct tape is a known wart remover, but Dr. Smally says bananas may work too. "I would imagine if you tape down a piece of a banana peel it would do a similar thing. It's just that it would smell bad."

But, as for coffee as a cellulite treatment? Dr. Smally says, "Caffeine is used in a lot of over the counter preparations. There's no evidence that it works but it might be cheaper to use your own coffee than to buy the product."

Dr. Smally says overall there are much better treatments available for all the ailments mentioned, but giving these home remedies a try can not hurt.