The Effectiveness of Home Remedies
Natural homemade remedies have been commonly used to fight cold, upset stomachs, and toothaches for centuries. It was reported by the 2007 report from the National Center for Health Statistics that about 4 out of 10 adults have used a natural remedy instead of over-the-counter drugs or prescribed drugs. However, when using home remedies, it is important to check with your doctors to make sure it will not interact with or affect any of the over-the-counter or prescription medications you may be taking. Herbal and vitamin supplements do not have to meet the safety standards by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so the manufacturers who produce the products don’t have to conduct clinical trials or follow manufacturing laws like over-the-counter and prescription drugs must do.
From a study done in Germany regarding the use of home remedies and their effectiveness, it was found that respondents who used home remedies and had minor health complaints experienced predominantly positive results. 97% of the respondents said they felt better and the symptoms of their health conditions decreased slightly after continuously using home remedies. The patients who were concerned with its role on their health were showing more positive results since they were able to use medical knowledge on the home remedies used.
A common remedy used at home are probiotics or live bacterial cultures. They can be found in fermented foods and dairy products like yogurt. Yogurt contains various strains of probiotics that are part of the normal intestinal environment. These organisms are considered to be friendly bacteria that will defend against bad bacteria that could occur in a person’s intestinal tract. Even though antibiotics are used to help fight some bacterial infections, they can also disrupt the balance of bacteria in the intestines. If the good bacteria are eliminated, then the other bad bacteria will be able to grow exponentially, attacking the intestine and causing diarrhea. In the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that 42% of the 12,000 men and women who were taking the antibiotics and probiotics were less likely to develop diarrhea. Depending on the type of probiotic consumed, it can affect your intestinal tract in a different way.
Primrose oil is another remedy that is commonly used for eczema, which is an itchy, rashlike skin condition. The condition is usually triggered by having an allergy to a certain food, stress, or animals. Even though there is no cure for eczema, there are treatments that include medications, moisturizers, or ointments. However, people have also been using primrose oil to calm the itching of eczema. Primrose to known to be rich in essential fatty acids, which helps the body develop and grow faster, but when using it on irritated skin, it can be found that it is not enough to help stop the itching. After numerous years, researchers still haven't found that primrose oil can benefit those with eczema and advise to not use it. Instead, it is suggested to continue to use cream moisturizers that were prescribed by your dermatologist.
When using home remedies, it is important to consult your doctor before using them to ensure that it will not cause any additional problems with pre-existing health conditions. Additionally, users of home remedies should research the benefits of using specific remedies and whether they will help since every remedy is different in its effectiveness. Overall, there are many pros and cons with it.
References:
https://www.livescience.com/25898-natural-remedies-truth.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4062891/
