Home Remedies vs. Hospital Visits by Silayan Casino

Have you been sick recently? Did you catch a cold, or the flu? Feeling under the weather is nothing new, for most of us. We usually have a choice of going to the doctor or following some home remedies to get healthy on our own. Depending on our symptoms, being sick can affect how active we are while trying to recover.

What are home remedies?

Home remedies are things you can do at home to treat yourself instead of going to a doctor or hospital. Many people, especially in western countries, dislike ingesting unfamiliar pills and spending time and money going to see a doctor. To avoid this, they simply take an aspirin, pain reliever, or other OTC (over-the-counter) medication to get rid of common symptoms. For a cold, you might take large doses of vitamin C, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water and hot drinks like citrus or ginger tea to stay hydrated, and just take it easy. That means, avoiding strenuous activities, too.

Home remedies can also refer to what to do when something happens to you, like when you burn yourself or get a cut on your finger. Well, according to basic home remedy instructions, when you get a burn, you should NOT put ice on it. Instead, you should put the burned part of your body under cold running water. This will relieve the burning sensation. After drying your skin, you could also apply some cool, fresh aloe vera (from the plant) to your burn multiple times throughout the day or some burn ointment on the affected area, like Neosporin (an ointment to soothe: burns, bites, some cuts, small scrapes, etc). These days, papaw ointment (papaya extract) is becoming more popular in some countries around the world.

If you get a simple cut, first rinse the wound under cold water to clean it. Then dab it dry and apply hard pressure until the bleeding stops. Once the bleeding has stopped, apply an antiseptic ointment around the edges of the wound, not directly on top of the open skin because this will irritate it. Next, cover the cut with a bandage to protect it from infection. Removing the bandage at night allows it to air and form a dry crust on the skin. This is a healthy sign that your cut is on the mend.

Often, our bodies become worn out if we do too many activities and don’t rest or eat nutritiously. In that case, it would be best to listen to your body by slowing down to give yourself a chance to regain your strength. Have you been feeling worn out lately from many late nights studying or working long hours at your part-time job? Try getting a good, solid night’s sleep or two. I bet it will do your body a world of good. Many of us take our health for granted. We neglect exercising, stretching, or having some kind of fitness routine. When your body’s not up to exercising, the best thing you can do for it, is rest. Whether you believe it or not, our bodies are not invincible. They need to be taken care of.  How are you taking care of your body this Fall?