Home Remedies for Overall Health

Today’s modern age, the practice of getting in the car, and going to the doctor for every minor inconvenience is increasingly becoming questioned. It is first, and most importantly, a very expensive endeavour, and can lead to unhealthy and even a harmful dependency on Western medicine and scientific beliefs.

Before the onset of Western medicine, human beings sought the remedies, cures and benefits from items and resources around us, in the natural world. Be it chewing on mint for its specific benefits, or infusing ginger in milk or tea before bed. It seems that these practices have become overlooked in favour of medication and prescriptions that are actually counterproductive and harmful to our bodies in the long-run.

The rise of self-care, ‘me time’, prioritising what goes into your body, and the treatment of the mind and soul are intermittent trends and lifestyles promoted to us via the various channels we consume on a daily basis. Influencer culture has also emphasised on the importance of honing organic, natural solutions to health-related dilemmas we may be challenged with daily. The onset of homoeopathic remedies is also crucial to this ongoing narrative.

Below are 12 natural remedies that can be used to improve overall physical health, and in the process, gradually wean oneself off of western cures.

A. Boosting Immunity

When it comes to taking care of our immune systems, it should not only be reserved for when we are sick and fighting off infection. A similar analogy to ‘take of your money, and your money will take care of you’– constant maintenance of your immune system, and prioritising its health can decrease risk of infection, and related ailments.

Some natural ingredients and combinations that assist in boosting your immune system include increasing your intake of natural ingredients, fruits, vegetables, and everyday snacks:

1. Increase Vitamin C intake: an orange a day keeps the doctor away? Incorporate a citrus fruit or element into your diet at least thrice a week.

2. Incorporate Beta-Carotene into meals and supplements: Instead of spending sums of money at the doctor for vitamin and mineral supplements, be a bit more mindful with your meal preparation for the week. Vegetables such as carrots, kale, spinach, sweet potato, and even apricots contain Carotene, which, when converted to Vitamin A, possesses many anti-inflammatory and preventative properties. Make a concerted effort to incorporate them into your daily diet.

3. Take natural probiotics: In order to preserve and protect gut health, it is always a good idea to be consistent with a probiotic. Yoghurt, home-made kimchi, or kombucha are some viable options.

B. Improving Digestion

Have you ever heard of the concept of ‘flushing the system’? Or after a particularly non-ideal day of eating, you decide to detox the body by drinking copious amounts of water? Well, it actually works!

Sometimes it is not only food related, but inherent and underlying health conditions that cause us to feel constantly bloated and uncomfortable after eating. Try and implement the following systems to improve this occurrence:

4. Drink peppermint tea after every meal: Not only cooling to the system, the mint also assists with muscle relaxation, improving an upset stomach, and irritable bowel syndrome.

5. Increase fibre in one’s diet: Chances are that your food is not digesting, or discomfort is prevalent because you are not incorporating enough fibre in your daily intake of food. Soluble fibres such as oats, apples and citrus fruits can assist immensely.

6. Try out fermented foods: Although this may sound slightly strange, and even bizarre to recommend food that is not fresh, food items that have been fermented and that are preserved over time contain microorganisms that actually benefit one’s gut. Items such as sourdough bread, sauerkraut and miso can serve as both delicious and nutritious ingredients to incorporate into your weekly meal preparation.

C. Reducing Stress and Anxiety

Cue the stress medication, anxiety prescription, beta blockers, and ‘happy pills’ that can be purchased off the shelf at your local pharmacy. Not only are these medications expensive, but in the long-term, can possess harmful side effects, and stimulate dependency, even addition.

It is crucial that we implement natural treatments that not only serve additional benefits, but allow us to facilitate a balance in our intake of supplements and remedies to varying ailments in our daily routines:

7. Exercise: This is free. You do not need a gym membership or fancy equipment. Go for a jog or walk in the morning. Stretch before and after bed every day. Ride your bicycle, or go for a swim. Incorporate some kind of movement every day. Studies show that regular exercise can control anxiety symptoms and management.

8. Increase intake of ‘brain’ foods: Chamomile tea, a turmeric latte, and even some dark chocolate can stimulate a calm and settlement of nerves at any time of the day.

9. Aromatherapy: Smelling specific scents can help ease panic and imminent spikes in stress levels. Again, you do not need any fancy equipment or have to purchase specific oils. Invest in a once-off reed diffuser, a candle, or scent sachet that possesses a calming and soothing scent that can indirectly assist in the background.

D. Prompting Skin Health

As some of my skincare ladies out there will know, it is an expensive, and sometimes painful endeavour to be forking out sums of money to our skin care products every few months.

Whilst they make up part of our essentials, and assist us immensely in ways like no other, there are some natural measures which can be taken to minimise the weight and importance we place on these products. You would even be surprised to find out that some of the products are made using the ingredients in your kitchen cabinet!

10. Virgin coconut oil: A cooking staple for some, and a skincare product for others. Coconut oil can assist in removing make-up, especially those stubborn bits of mascara that refuse to go away, and rejuvenates the skin, making it soft and glowy.

11. Aloe vera: Another natural ingredient that hydrates and boosts the skin. Aloe vera is excellent in that it does not clog the pores, and promotes active cell growth.

12. Drink more water: Fact or fiction? It is plausible that water possesses many benefits for our overall health and well-being. Increasing your consumption of water can indeed assist with healthy and nourished skin.

It goes without saying that natural home remedies possess many benefits, and should be our first point of call before getting prescribed medication from the doctor. It is cost-effective, beneficial to various functions in our bodies– so you will actually be killing two birds with one stone– and minimises one’s chances of allergic reactions and side effects that are possible with over-the counter medication.

It is also important to note that the above solutions should also always be conducted in conjunction with the advice of a health professional, where their benefits and rewards are likely to emerge in the long-term, through consistency and commitment.