5 Holistic Remedies That Nurses Swear By

There is a well-known rivalry between the holistic and medical fields, and it’s often the case that neither takes the other seriously. Medical doctors and nurses often don’t see holistic medicine as effective, while many healers don’t see the benefits of modern medical treatments to be worth the risks. Each thinks the other is dangerous or unnecessary, in their own way.

No matter which side of the fence you are on regarding this issue, there are a few things that strike a balance between the two. Nurses are more hands-on than doctors and spend more time with patients, so they are often aware of effective alternatives to harsh medication. Here are five holistic remedies for common problems that are nurse approved.

Nausea

Nausea can come about a number of ways: an illness, bad food, pregnancy, or even sheer nerves. If you don’t suspect anything serious, or if you are pregnant and unable to take more risky medications, you actually have a few options that most nurses would agree do the job.

Ginger is an ancient remedy for an angry belly, and while it’s strong, slightly spicy flavor isn’t for everyone, it can be consumed in a number of ways. Pickled or fresh sliced, ginger tea, and ginger infused water are all options. A hearty pinch of powdered ginger in a smoothie or sauce can help, but won’t be as potent as fresh or steeped.

Sugar is another common remedy for an upset tummy. Ever remember your mom or grandma offering you sprite or 7up when you had the flu? Sugary syrup might only have mild effects on a severely upset stomach, but it does calm it down. Stay away from corn syrup, though, which is an ingredient common in most soda pops today. A pop made with real syrup, or a simple syrup (which is really easy to make yourself, and can be infused with ginger for double the effect) will do the trick.

Sore Throat

While a severely sore throat may be a sign of a serious viral or bacterial infection, it’s more common for individuals to suffer a sore throat from a simple cold, or an overextension of the vocal chords. When it comes to the more mild version of a sore throat, is actual medicine really necessary?

Many nurses and practitioners will tell you to drink lemon tea with a big spoonful of honey. It really does soothe a sore throat, and it’s a lot safer than pain medication or a combined cold medicine that may have extra ingredients that don’t apply to your symptoms. If your sore throat is more severe, try gargling this mixture: one cup apple cider vinegar, one cup sage tea, two teaspoons of sea salt, ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Diaper Rash

There are a lot of fairly natural creams available for mild to moderate diaper rash, and many of them work very well. If you’re not comfortable with using any of these, or if your baby has extremely sensitive or reactive skin, a nurse might recommend petroleum jelly or coconut oil. If the diaper rash is more severe, you can make your own cream by mixing petroleum jelly, zinc oxide, lanolin ointment, and aluminum acetate (that last one may sound scary, but it’s simply a salt that is used to treat all sorts of topical irritations.) If the rash is yeast-based, you can use acidophilus to fight the yeast.

If the rash is causing severe discomfort, soaking baby’s bottom in a warm oatmeal or baking soda bath can help soothe it. You can use 2 tablespoons of baking soda or a half cup of oats ground into a fine flour in a baby tub, small basin, or large sink.

Anxiety

Most people experience anxiety at some point in their life. Whether it’s mild or severe, it’s not pleasant. There are many medications that do a great job nixing anxiety, but not everyone is comfortable with the side effects, and some can’t take them them at all because of drug interactions or past drug abuse.

There are several herbs that are rumored to calm nerves, but a nurse would probably recommend kava kava, or kava root. Studies have shown that it significantly reduces anxiety when used regularly, and there is evidence that it can work just as well as benzodiazepines, without the side effects. Breathing exercises and even meditation are often recommended as well.

Warts

There are several remedies for warts, and one of them is duct tape. Yes, you heard that right: duct tape. A nurse will tell you that duct tape is actually a more effective cure than cryotherapy administered by a doctor.

Cover the wart with duct tape for six days, then give it twelve hours off. During this twelve hours you’ll want to soak the wart in warm water and scrub it gently with a pumice stone. Then keep it covered with tape for six more days, and repeat the process for two months.

While there is no replacement for medical treatment, there are a lot of natural remedies that can help out in your time of need, and can often be safer than the alternatives. If you have any of your own remedies, please tell us in the comments how and why they work for you.