How to Finally Get Rid of Those Pesky Mice

This is why I rarely ever drink soda (although I did have a half a can of Dr. Pepper at the end of season soccer party--now that was a real reason to celebrate!). I wonder if this works for gophers, too.

From Mercola.com:

How to Use Soft Drinks To Kill Mice and Rats

If you have a problem with mice or rats, one way to get rid of them is with soda pop.

Mice and rats lack the ability to burp. You can use this to your advantage. Simply pour Pepsi or Coke into a shallow dish, and place the dish near where the mice or rats are entering your home. The rodents will drink the sweet soft drink and later, when they can't burp, they will die.

Right next to walls usually works best for any type of bait or traps, as does under sinks, where they may like to hide out, or underneath your stove.

As the carbonation only lasts just so long, you will need to keep that in mind and refill your dish accordingly. Try putting a new dish down each night before bed.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Let's get one thing PERFECTLY clear. I am no fan of ANY artificial sweetener. I wrote an entire book about them called Sweet Deception. Unfortunately that book is currently out of print. I am getting the copyright back and will be reprinting it soon as it is the best book I have ever written and clearly documents the challenges with ALL artificial sweeteners, especially Splenda.

I am absolutely convinced that if you HAVE to drink soda, soda with sugar, even high fructose corn syrup, is safer for you than diet soda, but if you have been reading this newsletter for awhile you know that I don't believe anyone should be drinking soda. There is simply no excuse, none at all. It is one of the easiest and most important diet changes anyone can make.

However, soda provides some benefits. In fact, they have dozens of useful purposes, such as:

Cleaning your dirty toilet bowl
Removing rust spots from chrome
Getting gum out of your hair
Getting rid of skunk odor
Cleaning grout

According to some, you can even use it to shell hard-boiled eggs; if you soak hard boiled eggs in Coke, the shells will supposedly dissolve, eliminating the need to actually have to peel them.
If you are actually drinking soda as a beverage, you are putting your health at risk every time you do so. Drinking just one soda a day can increase your risk of being obese by an amazing 60 percent. And it will increase your risk of diabetes by 85 percent! Soda drinkers even have a higher throat cancer risk.

From a nutritional standpoint, soda has pretty much nothing to offer except bad news -- including the ridiculous new “healthy” sodas that have hit the stores recently. Some of the major components of a can of soda include:

Phosphoric Acid: This can interfere with your body's ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of your teeth and bones.

Sugar: It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar, usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup, the number one source of calories in the U.S.

Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and possibly some forms of cancer.

If you thought diet sodas might be a better option, think again. They are filled with unnatural, artificial chemicals, and are actually even worse the regular soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame (Equal) alone, including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilepsy/seizures. On top of all that, they won’t even help you lose weight; in fact, they will double your risk of obesity by stimulating your appetite, increasing your carbohydrate cravings, and activating your body’s fat storage mechanisms.

Nutritionally speaking, soda is one of the main reasons why many people suffer health problems. Aside from the negative effects of the soda itself, drinking a lot of soda is likely to leave you with little appetite for vegetables, protein and other food that your body needs.

And remember that a glass of fresh clean water with a squeeze of lemon or lime makes a great soda alternative any day. It won’t, however, kill the rats in your kitchen. Soda is much better suited for that particular purpose.