Natural Remedies For Minor Ailments

As much as we try to steer clear of severe lifestyle conditions, we are often inflicted with minor ailments, such as headaches, coughs or colds, that can impact our daily functioning. India has an abundance of natural ingredients that can be extremely handy when it comes to creating home remedies for minor health issues. For example, something as simple as a hot cup of turmeric milk can help relieve your symptoms when you are sick. Some home remedies for simple illnesses have been passed down through family members for generations.

What you need to know:

• hich illnesses can be termed “simple”?
• Natural home remedies for minor illnesses
• Viral flu
• Indigestion
• Joint pain
• Cold and cough 
• Headache and migraine 

Which illnesses can be termed “simple”?

Minor ailments are health conditions that do not typically require a doctor’s intervention and can be self-diagnosed and resolved by identifying the symptoms. Some examples of simple illnesses are back pain, heartburn, insect bites, nasal congestion, colds, coughs, sore throats, and some infections, which usually get better independently without antibiotics.

Here are some minor illnesses that can be managed with home remedies:

• Cold and coughs, including a blocked nose
• Sunburn and minor burns
• Head lice
• Conjunctivitis and cold sores
• Hay fever and allergies (rashes and stings)

Natural home remedies for minor illnesses 

Here are five home remedies for simple illnesses that you can incorporate to get better without relying on antibiotics:

Viral flu

Very common among kids and adults, seasonal viral fever is nothing more than our body’s immunity having a little difficulty adjusting to weather changes. But this can be treated at home without pills and tonics. Natural home remedies enable you to carry out daily tasks without making you feel dizzy, nauseous or tired.

Remedy:

Boil 20 basil leaves in water and add 3-4 garlic cloves. Let the water reduce to half its quantity. Drink this water 3-4 times daily to ensure it’s warm. Basil has antibacterial and inflammatory properties that help strengthen your immune system and fight the viral flu. Due to its hot nature, garlic helps reduce your body’s temperature.

Indigestion 

Also known as dyspepsia, indigestion is a health condition characterized by a burning sensation or pain in your upper abdomen. You can also experience specific symptoms, including bloating, nausea, gas and burping after eating or drinking. Indigestion is also a widespread problem today that is caused mainly due to poor eating habits, which can lead to constipation and indigestion.

Remedy:

Soak a handful of raisins in a cup of water and leave overnight. In the morning, drink the water and eat the raisins. Raisins are known to add high fiber to our colon, thereby flushing out unwanted waste. This yummy dry fruit is also rich in vitamins A, C, and E, making it perfect for your stomach’s health.

Joint pain

Pain in a joint (where two or more bones meet together) is discomfort that affects joints throughout your entire body. For example, a hip joint connects your thigh bone to your pelvis. It can be felt in your hands, feet, knees and spine. While pain in your joints can be persistent, they can also come and go. You can also feel your joints to be stiffer and sore. Joint pain can also restrict your ability to perform daily chores like walking up the stairs, bending down, or carrying a heavy bag. As a result, treatment for joint pain is typically focused on you getting back to performing daily activities and living your life to the fullest.

Remedy:

Alternating between hot and cold therapy can be beneficial for joint pains. Hot therapy helps reduce joint pain and increases blood flow while relaxing muscles. Cold therapy reduces inflammation. Wrap the hot and the cold compresses in a towel (to avoid direct skin contact) and wrap it around the area with the pain. Use the hot compress for 2-3 minutes and the cold compress for about a minute. Aim for 20 minutes of cold and hot therapy 2-3 times a day to feel the difference.

Additionally, make a mixture containing two tablespoons of olive oil, 5-10 drops of peppermint and 5-10 drops of eucalyptus oil. Massage this oil on the aching area until it seeps into the skin. The oil blend will act as a lubricant and improve the blood circulation of the affected area, thereby reducing joint pain.

Cold and cough

Cold and cough are seasonal and can occur frequently, so taking antibiotics or medications for this is not always a good idea. Here are two effective home remedies that you can use to feel better and build up your immunity:

Remedy

Boil some water and add lots of ginger, basil and turmeric. When the quantity has reduced to about half, drink the water. You must do this twice daily – first thing in the morning and before bed at night. Do this regularly for a week, and you will start seeing a difference. All three herbs used are high in nutrition and are anti-allergic. You could also periodically have a warm cup of milk with turmeric daily to control your cold and cough. These remedies will help improve immunity and reduce your chances of infection. It can work well for all family members.  

Headache and migraine 

Migraines can be quite severe and painful. They can start with a throbbing pain on one side of your head that could worsen with movement. While severe migraines need to be treated with medication, early symptoms can be managed with some home remedies that will help reduce their intensity.

Remedy

Not only is ginger great for colds and coughs, but it can also help with severe headaches. Ginger stimulates digestion and helps deal with nausea, a common symptom during migraines.

Another quick relief recipe is cinnamon paste. Make a thick paste with some cinnamon powder and water, apply it on your forehead for 30 minutes and wash it off with warm water. This will give you almost instant relief from migraine.

While these home remedies for simple illnesses are affordable and easy to use, it’s important to remember that if any symptom persists and the illness becomes severe, consult a health professional for proper treatment and medication immediately. While natural home remedies can help you manage these simple illnesses, you should opt for OTC (Over-the-counter) antibiotics to take care of such ailments easily. 

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hen it comes to minor ailments like a cold, cough, headaches etc. people have now begun to realise the importance of home remedies. India has an abundance of natural ingredients that can be extremely handy when it comes to creating home remedies for the minor health issues. A hot cup of turmeric milk, for example, can make you feel quite good when you’re feeling a little under the weather. That comfort feels nostalgic and can also provide you and your family members almost instant relief to a problem. Some of these “cures” have been handed down through family members for generations.

Here are 5 such simple home remedies you can concoct to manage simple ailments without having to indulge too much in medication:-

1. Viral Flu

Very common among kids and adults is the seasonal viral fever. This fever is nothing more than our body’s immunity having a little difficulty while trying to adjust to the change in climate. With India’s various climate changes through the year, families have to deal with viral fevers quite often. But this can easily be treated at home without pills and tonics. What’s more, the natural way will not make you feel heavy or drowsy letting you get well quite comfortably.

The Remedy:

Boil 20 basil leaves in water and add 3-4 garlic cloves to it. Let the water reduce to half its quantity. Drink this water 3-4 times a day and ensure it’s warm. Basil has antibacterial and inflammatory properties that help build your immune system and fight the viral flu. Garlic, due to its hot nature helps reduce your body’s temperature.

2. Indigestion

This is also a very common problem today that’s caused mainly due to poor eating habits. We tend to ignore the signs our stomach gives leading to constipation and indigestion.

The Remedy:

Soak a handful of raisins in a cup of water and leave overnight. In the morning, drink the water and eat the raisins. In the morning, drink the water and eat the raisins. Raisins are known to add high fibre to our colon thereby flushing out unwanted waste. The fibre helps to add moisture to the bowels promoting good bowel movements. This yummy dry fruit is also rich in vitamins A, C, and E making it perfect for your stomach’s health.

3. Joint Pain

Joint pain can be really stressful and painful and limit your everyday routine. No matter what age you might be, joint pain can cause many disruptions. However, these home remedies can be of huge help and you will see the relief in a few days itself.

The Remedy:

Alternating between hot and cold therapy can be beneficial for joint pains. To elaborate, hot therapy helps reduce pain and increase in blood flow while relaxing your muscles. Cold therapy reduces inflammation. Wrap both the hot and the cold compresses in a towel (to avoid direct skin contact) and wrap it around the area with the pain. The Hot compress should be used for 2-3 minutes and a cold compress for about one minute. Overall target a total of 20 minutes 2-3 times a day to feel the difference.

 Additionally, make a mixture containing 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 5-10 drops of peppermint essentials oil and 5-10 drops of eucalyptus oil. Massage this oil on the area that’s aching till it seeps into the skin and sit back and relax for a bit. The oil blend acts as a lubricant and improves the blood circulation of the affected area, thereby reducing the pain.

4. Cold and Cough

Cold and cough is something very seasonal and can occur quite frequently, so taking antibiotics or heavy pills for this is not always a good idea. Here are 2 really effective home remedies that you can use to not help you feel better and build up your immunity.

The Remedy:

Boil some water and add lots of ginger, basil and turmeric. When the quantity has reduced to about half, drink the water. This needs to be done twice a day – first thing in the morning and before bed at night. Do this regularly for a week and you will start seeing a difference. All the three herbs used are high on nutrition and are anti-allergic in nature. You could also regularly have a warm cup of milk with turmeric every day to keep your cold and cough in check. These remedies will help improve immunity and reduce your chances of infection. It’ll work well for all members of your family, age no bar.

5. Headaches/Migraine

Migraines can be quite severe and painful. They can start with a throbbing pain on one side of your head that could get worse with movement. While severe migraines need to be treated with medication, milder ones and early symptoms can always be taken care of with some home remedies that will help reduce some of the discomforts.

The Remedy:

Not only is ginger great for colds and coughs but it can also help when dealing with severe headaches. Ginger stimulates digestion and helps deal with nausea which is common during migraines.

Another quick relief recipe is cinnamon paste. Make a thick paste with some cinnamon powder and water, apply it on your forehead for 30 minutes and wash it off with warm water. This will give you almost instant relief from the pain that comes with a migraine.

While these home remedies are simple, affordable and easy to use, it’s important to remember that should any symptom continue to prevail and the illness becomes severe, consult a professional for the right treatment and medication. That being said, natural antibiotics do tend to be a much stronger option as compared to the synthetic variety that could have side-effects.