Do Old Time Remedies Really Work?

As an educated man, I sometimes cringe when my grandmother trots out some of her old time remedies for ailments and sores, because I don't believe they really do anything. I could be wrong, and after all, there is a reason that people did some of the things that they did back in those days, but there is no scientific evidence to back up those remedies, and some of them actually seem quite dangerous. I guess it all depends on who you ask.

One of the old time remedies that actually works is gargling salt water for a sore throat, and I have used this on a number of occasions. My grandmother told me about this when my throat was sore, and I could not believe how much better it felt. There again, however, there is an actual explainable reason that this method works, which is that the salt dries out and eventually kills off the bacteria in your throat that cause the infection. There have been times where that was all I did, and did not take any medication at all, and it eventually got rid of the problem.

On the other hand, one of the old time remedies that my grandmother swears by that I am absolutely terrified to try and categorically refuse to do so is use bleach to whiten your teeth. I remember a few years ago, I told her that I wanted to go and get my teeth cleaned, but was concerned because it had been a while since I had it done and I was worried it would be painful. My grandmother informed me that I should just use bleach, as that will get them even whiter than if I went to the dentist. I informed her that bleach was toxic, but this did little to dissuade her from her position.

Another one of her favorite old time remedies was using baking soda to treat a rash. As a little boy, I had a very severe rash under my arm and she mixed baking soda with water into a paste, and then brushed it over the rash generously! I screamed out in pain, and then rushed into the bathroom and turned on the shower and ran it under the cold water for about 10 minutes before it finally stopped burning, and the rash was worse than before when I came out!

I do not trust old time remedies for the most part, because as I said, there is not scientific proof in most cases that these things work. I have learned the hard way on a couple of them, and I think from now on, I will just avoid them entirely!

You Know They Are the Best Home Remedies When Your Doctor Recommends Them

People generally tend to mistrust home remedies. They look upon them as unscientific, superstitious or even harmful. They don't feel this way for no reason, of course. There are any number of home remedies out there that make no sense whatsoever. But you can't say that of everything. Even the doctors believe in some of the best home remedies. They will sometimes recommend that you try those out first before you choose to medicate yourself. Let's take a look, shall we?

Let's start off with two of the best home remedies the natural world has to offer - honey and salt.

Most of us know that honey can be great for anything to do with a scratchy feeling in the throat - be it for reasons of sore throat or an oncoming cough. Many doctors believe now that honey can be great for cuts and scrapes. Honey has helped in this way for the longest time. Apparently, it contains a natural protein called defensin-1 that makes it antibacterial. To use it in this way, what we need to do is to dab a bit of warm honey on the injury you're concerned with, and then to dress it up in gauze bandage.

Salt can be great for sore throats too. Has been for as long as humans have existed. It can be of considerable help in a modern-day affliction too - sinusitis. If your sinuses are just clogged up and your head feels heavy, what you need do is to make a briny mixture that has more concentrated salt than your bodily fluids do. Prepare a strong salt solution and put it in a squeeze bottle to flush your sinuses out. It can be one of the best home remedies possible for unpleasantly clogged sinuses.

Did you ever notice that most antacids tend to be mint flavored? It turned out that way because through the ages, mint has been a great defense against stomachaches and indigestion. Mint has the ability to calm the muscles of the stressed-out digestive tract. An eased digestive tract allows food to pass far more easily, and it aids in digestion. Peppermint leaf tea should be great - unless you have regular trouble with acid reflux.

You wouldn't normally think to do anything with meat tenderizer - after all it’s a powerful enzyme that can practically dissolve meat. But used carefully, it can be a great way to take care of bee stings and mosquito bites. It works because the chief enzyme in meat tenderizer - papain - does more than just break down flesh. It also breaks down poisons. It makes short work of the poisons in beestings.

When your Regular Remedies for Heartburn won't Work

So your stomach supposedly has all this dangerous acid boiling away inside. What keeps it from affecting the delicate food pipe that's just an inch away, leading up to your mouth? Well, it does happen in some people: ones for whom the mechanisms designed into the digestive system fail, inexplicably. People get heartburn when this happens. With most people, the drugs called PPI's make the body cut down on the amount of stomach acid it makes so that nothing backs up into your food pipe. What are you supposed to do if you happen to be one among the people who complain that these standard drugs just don't work for them? These remedies for heartburn that won't yield to normal medication should help.

Even if you feel you've tried every way of taking the standard remedies for heartburn that you've been prescribed, you have to understand that doctors discover that with lots of people, it all comes down to timing it correctly. PPI drugs are usually supposed to be taken about an hour before breakfast. In some people, the problem is stubborn enough that they need a second dose near bedtime. You need to make sure that you completely understand the exact dosage recommendations your doctor gives you.

Even if your drugs do seem to be working, heartburn can be a stubborn enough problem that you should need to aid them. One of the first things that  doctor will tell you that you need to pay attention to, is that even if you are taking your drugs just the right way, you need to stay away from large meals within four hours of going to bed. Usually, for most people, that will mean that they need to stay away from large meals at night altogether. Large meals are trouble in themselves; go to bed before your stomach has a chance to completely process all the food, and you've got a problem that even the best drugs can't handle. If you must go to bed soon after a large meal, make sure that you don't lie on a flat bed. Elevate your upper body like they do on a hospital bed.

People who are overweight happen to suffer from heartburn three times as much as people who are thin. Sometimes, even shedding 5 pounds can make all the difference. These may not be direct remedies for heartburn; but they certainly help your standard remedies in working correctly.

And finally, the best way to combat stubborn heartburn is usually to understand the way the disease works in your case. You may know someone who has always had heartburn but who manages to eat spicy food without triggering the symptoms. That doesn't mean that's the way it is with you. You need to study your own situation long and hard and avoid the things that trigger your specific symptoms. Whatever foods aggravate your symptoms, you need to make sure you remove them from your diet.