Old Fashioned Home Remedies for Everyday Problems

Given the rising cost of health care these days and the media's outburst of growing concern about the safety of modern medicines, people are turning more and more to the home remedies of yesteryears. It might surprise many people to know that many modern medicines are actually based on home remedies that our grandparents used.

Interest in natural home cures has grown tremendously in recent years and there are literally hundreds of pages of home remedy information to be found on the internet. But which remedies actually work and which ones are just folk lore? Modern medical experts have looked into this very question and have found that many commonly used long time home remedies are quite beneficial for the symptoms they claim to treat.

Here are just a few home remedies for common ailments that can be made from ordinary items normally found in the average household kitchen:

A great cure for the common cold is grandma's homemade chicken soup. Believe it or not, chicken soup really is good for you. A favorite recipe passed down from my mother in law is one whole chicken or Cornish hen prepared with one whole onion peeled and stuffed inside the chicken cavity add 2 celery stalks chopped finely. Smear margarine or butter all over the chicken (for those that cannot have butter in their diet you can use chicken broth because this is just to keep the chicken tender while cooking), sprinkle the chicken with sage and a generous amount of pepper, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees until done, checking often and basting every 10-15 mins. Once the chicken is done, make a soup by tearing the chicken meat into pieces and adding to the broth that pools around the chicken, slice up the onion and add to mixture, eat while still warm. One cup of soup every four hours and you will be feeling better in no time.

Need scientific proof that this is remedy actually works? Chicken has an enzyme in it that promotes sleep and relaxation, the pepper and onion are excellent for promoting bronchial relief for stuffy noses and congestion, sage also helps promote bronchial health and is also commonly used to relieve sinus pressure and the broth is good for sensitive stomachs as well as relieving soreness in the throat. Accompany the soup with lots of apple juice which is also good for an infusion of vitamin C into the system and boosts the immune system, you know what they say, an apple a day...

Home remedies for relieving asthma symptoms used for generations include garlic and ginger teas which have been very effective for the relief of and prevention of asthma symptoms: mix 10-12 garlic gloves in 8-10 ounces of boiled milk and drink. Alternatively, mix ginger tea (ginger tea bags can be found at just about any grocery store in the health food or tea section) with two minced garlic gloves and drink warm. Teas are best taken early in the morning and right before bed to avoid onset of asthma symptoms. These are not a supplement for asthma treatments, if you experience an asthma attack, you should seek medical treatment as these remedies are meant to relieve symptoms before onset and help suppress them.

Home cures for constipation recommended by most physicians include drinking prune juice. Drink once ounce of prune juice per hour until symptoms are relieved. To stay regular, adding prunes to your morning breakfast is recommended, 2-5 prunes a day. For infant s over the age of 3 months constipation can be relieved by adding one teaspoon of prune juice to their morning cereal (not to be used if the infant is too young for solid foods). Other remedies recommended include adding fresh fruits to morning meals such as grapes and oranges, drinking plenty of water throughout the day and getting regular exercise. Avoid bananas and unrefined sugars as these foods actually increase constipation symptoms.

Home remedies for heartburn: ½ cup of water with ½ cup baking soda, drink entire mixture at once for immediate relief. Most over the counter medications for heartburn include baking soda as a main ingredient. It soaks up acid in the stomach and coats the lining of the stomach to relieve indigestion, the water is used to dilute the baking soda to make it tolerable to the body and coat the stomach lining evenly. Other sure fire cures for heartburn include chewing almonds immediately after a meal which promotes the flow of saliva and is good for digestion and chewing on ginger root for a few minutes before taking a meal to promote digestion. Avoiding fried foods, pickled or spicy foods also helps prevent heartburn symptoms. Also recommended by physicians is to avoid lying prone immediately after a meal, this prevents stomach acid from rising in the digestive tract causing heartburn. Wait at least an hour after meals before lying down.

Home remedies for head lice. Before all those medical companies came out with those great, toxic chemical cures for head lice, people used simple home treatments which have been scientifically proven to be quite effective including: washing your hair daily with vinegar, the antibiotic properties and cleansing effect of vinegar kills all the head lice and strips the hair of oil which the nits cling to, comb thoroughly three to four times a day, making sure to comb from the base of the scalp to the tips of the hair. Applying coconut oil to the scalp helps keep the scalp soft and dry which will help deter nit infestation. Most lice products found in the pharmacy today include as main ingredient tea tree oil. Simply add a few drops of tea tree oil to your regular shampoo and use at least once a day until all nits are gone. Another commonly used and effective home cure for head lice is to slather your head and hair in mayonnaise and leave in for two hours before combing it out thoroughly, do not wash for at least 24 hours. The mayonnaise contains natural chemicals which kill live lice and causes the nits to become dormant.

When using any of these cures make sure to follow lice removal instructions for the rest of your home to avoid repeat infestation. Always use treatments in the bathroom and rinse hair or comb hair into the bathtub or sink to avoid nits falling into carpet where they can lay dormant for months. Check suspected head lice patients scalp often to make sure nits are not remaining in the hair especially at the base of the scalp and nape of the neck. Treat all animals in the home for lice a well. Make sure to treat everyone in the home whether they show symptoms of head lice or not. Wash all bed sheets and pillows thoroughly and dry well in a dryer. Vacuum your house completely every day until head lice symptoms are gone, including carpets, upholstery and mattresses. Any stuffed animals in the home should be bagged up and sealed in plastic bags or ran through a complete cycle in a dryer to kill any nits that could be left on them.