3 Ailments You Can Treat Naturally at Home

When faced with different types of ailments, sickness, or disease, we have a choice on how to help our bodies get through it. It’s important to know when to turn to doctors and medicine, and when you have the ability to get through it with the help of at-home, natural remedies.

These remedies cut the cost of pricey health care costs when the issue isn’t too serious and can leave you feeling better about what you are putting into your body. Here are 3 ailments that you can help your body fight naturally at home.

Colds and Flu

Colds and flu are extremely common, especially in children. On average, children catch between 6 and 10 colds every year. During this time, their immune systems are developing and growing stronger. If you were to go to the doctor each and every time, the cost will stack up quickly.

However, if it is more severe, you may want to seek out medical attention. The CDC estimates that there have been as many as 710,000 flu-related hospitalizations since 2010. But for more minor situations, you might be able to turn to natural remedies. Here are a few ways to help your body fight off your cold or flu naturally.

When dealing with a cold or flu at home, there are a few essential parts:

Keep Hydrated

Keeping your body properly hydrated while you are fighting off a cold or flu is one of the most important parts. Be sure to drink a lot of water, alongside hot liquids. By drinking these hot liquids such as tea, you’ll relieve your nasal congestion and soothe any inflamed areas of your nose and throat.

Be sure not to consume too much alcohol during this time, however. Too much alcohol can inflame those membranes in your throat and nose, and leave you feeling worse.

Rest & Keep Warm

Fighting off a cold or flu takes a large tax on your body. Resting will give your body the energy it needs to heal up as fast as possible. Taking a hot shower can help you relax and moisturize your nasal passageways.

Eat Well

Making sure that your body is properly fueled during this rough time can play a huge part in the healing process. Different foods have different properties that can help in certain situations. Bananas can help soothe an upset stomach, blueberries are high in natural aspirin which can help fevers, aches, and pains, and mustard, horseradish, and chili peppers can help clear up mucus.

Insomnia

Insomnia is a disorder that prevents you from falling and/or staying asleep. This can lead to drowsiness throughout the day, and can greatly impact your life. If it’s severe and you’re dealing with things like sleep apnea or chronic insomnia for more than a month, then you may want to seek out medical attention. But if you’re not at that stage, there are a few things you can do to help yourself fall and stay asleep.

Dealing with insomnia naturally can be on the simpler side (as long as it isn’t a chronic condition). There are a few habits that you can change to help yourself fall asleep. For instance, practicing gratitude. As weird as it may sound, a 2013 study from the Journal of Psychosomatic Research showed that those who practiced gratitude throughout the day were able to fall asleep easily at night.

On top of practicing gratitude, you’ll want to monitor the light around you. Our bodies associate light with day time, and darkness with sleep. If you have a lot of light in your bedroom, you may want to consider a sleeping mask or black-out curtains. Keep in mind, this also includes electronic usage.

Having a bright screen on, with a lot of blue light, tells your body that it is time to be awake. Instead, turn on blue light filters on your electronics and make sure to turn them off an hour before bedtime. If none of these work, you may want to turn to melatonin.

Melatonin is the body’s natural sleep hormone. Ingesting some may help you fall asleep easier and stay asleep for a longer time. There are both natural and synthetic versions of this available.

Venous Diseases

While they may not be something that everyone thinks about, venous diseases affect 1 in 3 Americans. Furthermore, when looking at men and women over the age of 60, up to 60% suffer from varicose veins alone. While some laser treatments may take less than 45 minutes to fix things like spider veins, if you prefer to treat these issues naturally at home, there are plenty of ways to help your body.

One great thing you can do for your veins is to stay moving. This should come in two forms, intentionally exercising and actively moving throughout the day. By keeping active, you’re improving the circulation of blood around your body.

This, in turn, better helps the blood that has collected in your veins. On top of this, exercise can help lower your blood pressure which has a direct effect on your varicose veins. There are some great ways to do this. If you work at a desk for most of the day, make sure to get up and move frequently.

When making time for exercise, choose low-impact activities like yoga, walking, swimming, and cycling to help prevent damage to your joints and bones.

Outside of this, you may want to try options like compression stockings, a modified diet, or different vitamins and natural extracts. When it comes to compression stockings, a study conducted in 2018 found that those who used compression stockings with a pressure of 18 to 21 mmHg reported a reduction in pain and aching after just one week.

When it comes to modifying your diet, choosing foods that are low in carbs and rich in fiber will keep your body circulating well and functioning great, possibly even leading to weight loss. You may also want to consider eating more flavonoids such as garlic, onions, grapes, and parsley just to name a few.

Finally, with vitamins and extracts, vitamin K, ginkgo biloba, and Omega-3 supplements, alongside grape seed extract, butcher’s broom, and horse chestnut seed extract can all have positive effects on helping you combat your varicose veins.

In severe cases of any of these ailments, it’s important that you seek proper medical care and attention when necessary. However, if you have minor symptoms that you would prefer to treat naturally at home, perhaps give these remedies a try. You may end up saving a lot of money and stress.