Grandmother Knows Best: Home and Natural Remedies

Katheryne Taylor has shared some tried and true home remedies. Some excellent information for health. Thank you Katheryne! 🙂

Sometimes home and natural remedies are based on old wives’ tales and are really just silly. On the other hand, there are times when it’s a great idea to use those remedies that your grandmother might have used when she was a child. Now, there’s more scientific evidence than ever to back up the efficacy of some natural and home remedies for conditions like asthma, morning sickness, and even depression. Here are a few natural remedies to try at home:

Remedies for Allergies and Asthma
One of the best remedies for allergies and asthma is to cut out dairy, according to Deborah Francis of the National College of Natural Medicine in Portland, OR. The reason for this is that dairy often produces extra mucus in the body, which can be a problem for asthma and allergy sufferers. If you suffer from asthma, try going dairy-free for a while to see if it helps, and if you’re an allergy sufferer, cutting out dairy just during your worst allergy seasons might be beneficial, too.

Remedies for Morning Sickness
Ah, morning sickness. It’s one of the classic signs of early pregnancy, and it’s seriously annoying. It can go on all day, and it hits some women worse than others. Luckily, there are lots of excellent natural, home remedies for morning sickness. If your grandmother were from India, she might recommend sucking on some candied ginger to help calm tummy troubles like morning sickness, and recent studies have actually shown that ginger can help reduce morning sickness as well as prescription medications! You can usually find candied ginger in health food stores or in natural foods sections of your favorite grocery store.

Remedies for Depression
While severe depression can be serious enough to warrant medication and treatment from a therapist, minor cases of the blues pop up frequently and can often be treated naturally at home. There are all sorts of natural ways to treat depression, including some of the following:

Fish Oil: Fish oil supplements are full of helpful Omega-3 fatty acids, which seem to be able to help balance levels of certain hormones in the brain and to help the brain use its serotonin – the main feel-good hormone – more efficiently. Increase your intake of fatty acids like these by boosting your consumption of fish, nuts, and vegetables like avocado, but also take a fish oil supplement, which you can find at any old grocery store on the block!

St. John’s Wort: This grandmotherly remedy for depression has been around for ages. According to Natural Health it also helps your body use serotonin more effectively, and it’s been used for years to treat moderate or mild depression. This herb has actually been shown to be as effective as prescription antidepressants for treating problems like these.

Vitamin D: Grandma always said that the remedy for a case of the blues was some fresh air and sunshine, and now we know why – Vitamin D! This essential vitamin is produced naturally in the body when the skin is exposed to sunlight. While scientists aren’t exactly sure how Vitamin D fights depression, it’s clear that it does help. Especially in the winter when skin exposure to sunlight is rare, it’s a good idea to take a Vitamin D supplement, since it’s hard to get enough from your food.

Keep in mind that with any herbal-based natural remedies, it’s vital that you talk with your doctor before using them, especially if you’re taking other medications like antidepressants. Even though these remedies are natural, they still have powerful effects on the body, and they can interfere with your other medications. If your doctor isn’t one to get behind natural remedies at all, consider switching practitioners or seeing a qualified naturopath alongside your regular physician.

Natural remedies don’t always work for everyone, but they’re certainly worth trying before you dump a ton of prescription chemicals into your body. Sometimes, grandma’s home remedies really are the best solution, although next time grandma tells you to blow cigarette smoke in your baby’s ear when she has an ear infection, you might want to skip the harmful smoke and go with any source of heat, like a warm rag laid over the hurting ear, instead!

Katheryne Taylor is a social media advocate with CreditDonkey, the credit card cash back website. She helps families compare offers to find the rewards right for them. Did your grandmother share a remedy? Leave a comment below. 🙂

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Tammy Embrich -- Full time work from home, writer, blogger, YouTube content creator, and LOVES playing with makeup. She is the proud grandmother of 2 wonderful grand blessings. You can visit Tammy at MakeUp Products Online .
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Tammy

Tammy Embrich -- Full time work from home, writer, blogger, YouTube content creator, and LOVES playing with makeup. She is the proud grandmother of 2 wonderful grand blessings. You can visit Tammy at <a href="https://www.makeupproductsonline.com"><strong>MakeUp Products Online </strong></a>.

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