Sometimes there are no options than to try to treat your ailment yourself. Either it's too late at night or you can't make it to the hospital or you are not just ready for the stress that comes with the hospital. A quick home trick and can make you more comfortable or even get you quick relief. Here are some home remedies for the 5 common ailments we have.
Cough:
Have you had those nights when that cough wouldn’t just leave you and your throat is constantly itching? Honey is what you should find immediately so you can get the soothing relief you so desperately need. REMEMBER, it is not advisable to give honey to babies under 1 year to prevent any form of food poisoning. Honey is known to independently achieve this soothing feeling but some people recommend taking a hot mixture of a cup of warm water with 1 tbsp of raw honey, 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and 1 tbsp of fresh ginger extract. Take the hot drink 3 times a day and you will get quicker relief from cough
Cold:
Common cold symptoms include runny or congested nose, fever, cough, sneezing and sometimes a headache. It is recommended that if you should avoid fried food and sugar when you have a cold. Some people say that if you gargle salt water, it will help reduce the symptoms but here are some simple home remedies that have worked for me. Taking a lot of warm fluids to rehydrate yourself, enjoy a bowl of pepper soup, add lemon to your warm water when drinking and also take a lot of fruits rich in Vitamin C such as oranges, lemon, lime, pineapples and grapefruits. Vitamin C is known to boost the immune system
Constipation:
This is when you are having problems with bowel movement like straining to pass out stool. It can happen to anyone and has many causes like dehydration, side effects of some medication, lack of fiber in your diet, colon cancer or even pregnancy. To treat at home, avoid high fat and high carbohydrate foods, drink lots of water, prune juice is believed to help as well as Epsom salt dissolved in water. Eat vegetables and fruits rich in fiber too. Castor oil is also known to stimulate your intestines. It is advised that taking yoghurt everyday will help prevent constipation as the yoghurt with bacteria culture helps in the movement of food through your system
Diarrhoea:
Diarrhoea is caused by an infection of the bowel and some common symptoms include frequent passing of watery stool but usually clear up on its own within days but who wants to wait for days to pass. You will experience weakness of the body and sometimes dizziness as a result of the dehydration. If you do not have the time to wait for it to clear up, you can manage it better by staying hydrated. Avoid spicy food which may stimulate or encourage more stooling as well as hurt your bum. Take ORS - salt/sugar solution which encourages water to be pulled back into the system. The magic of Oral rehydration solution -ORS, is still amazing. Sometimes, drinking garri with sugar and salt mixture has helped but not for treating children. When choosing what to eat this period, stick to bland food that may not trigger more bowel movements like plain bread or pap
Headaches:
Little as it may sound and often taken for granted, headaches are one of the most common illnesses we face at home. It could be from a tough day at work, too much noise from our environment or from the generator and just having a lot on your mind. It can spoil your day or cause a lot of discomfort that we unknowingly ignore. How do you handle this little headache? Take a deep breath and relax your shoulders. You can try switching off everything at home and appreciating the silence in the house. If you have a lot on your mind, go for a walk and appreciate nature or people. Remove the head tie on your head or sometimes the wig or weavon. Have a shower, massage your head while doing that as also drink a lot of water
Life can be overwhelming but these are little things you can do to take better care of ourselves