PEOPLE who have been on many types of medications to control their illness often suffer from several side-effects. Other than those mentioned in the leaflet that accompanies all medications, there are those that you can observe for yourself.
When the doctors were trying out different medications and “cocktails” to arrest my son’s intractable seizures, his breath smelt like his medicines. It was quite vile. Poor baby! He was only a few months old then.
It was the same for my late parents. Even their sweat smelt like medicine. It didn’t have the natural body smell. They lost their appetite because they had that metallic taste in their mouth, and sometimes they complained that their saliva tasted sour.
While dad could drink and eat anything he wanted to improve his taste buds, it was quite torturous for mum. As a haemodialysis patient, the amount of water she could drink was limited and she couldn’t eat anything she wanted, especially sweets and such to get rid of that taste.
It is no surprise then that people turn to home remedies. When you’re on a long and arduous passage of illness and a whole host of medication, you start to yearn for something else. This search for alternative solutions is gaining popularity. More and more information on certain herbs, spices, fruits and essential oils are flooding the Internet these days. In the past, it was always a folklore passed from one generation to the next and you just took it from trusted people. That’s why traditional concoctions like jamu, makjun and sinseh packets are ever popular.
All these items have a big place in home remedies. Many of these work well for minor issues that plague you but are not serious enough to see your doctor. Heartburn, scalding, sunburn, bites, stings, bruises, sore throat, common cold, flu, urinary tract infection and a whole lot more.
You must have heard of the wonders of coconut oil, turmeric, honey, cinnamon, cranberries, okra, peppermint, ginger and more. Recipes for concoctions abound and you hear of successful anecdotal accounts. It sure sounds like good health through nature’s bounty is within our reach — right there in our kitchen, backyard, herb garden, market and grocery store.
However, you must remember a few caveats — do not entirely ditch doctor’s prescriptions and recommendations. While you try the home remedies, be wary of totally replacing medicines that have been prescribed for you.
Let’s have a look at some of the age-old home remedies that work for many people but not everyone. Bear in mind that certain home remedies may not be suitable and can be downright dangerous for people with certain illness or on certain medications. If you’re not sure, it’s always a good idea to check with your doctor first.
Take honey. There are many different types of honey; each one seems better than the next. There are so many things to consider like UMF or MGO ratings that indicate antibacterial strength, the colour, texture and viscosity, among others. Honey has so many uses medicinally as well as in cooking.
This natural sweetener is certainly better than that “spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down”. But honey is not for everyone, especially not for infants and toddlers younger than a year old. There is a risk of them getting a rare but serious kind of food poisoning called infant botulism, where the spores are commonly found in honey. It is okay for breastfeeding mothers to take honey for herself but not to feed it to her baby.
Turmeric is the other wonder spice that is enjoying great popularity at the moment. There have been studies that seem to vouch for its success with arthritis, knee pain, rashes and cancer treatment. But be careful not to overdo it. Taking too much turmeric has been known to cause digestive problems.
Ginger has been known to help with nausea, stomach aches and diarrhoea. There are a few other benefits that come from taking ginger but it’s not necessarily good for everyone. Some people have been known to get heartburn and gas because of it, and it may affect certain medications you’re on. So, talk to your doctor about this and consume ginger with care.
Garlic is the other favourite item and you can consume it in many forms — raw, juiced, in capsules or cooked. It is believed to decrease your risk for certain cancers, lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. Taking too much garlic, however, may cause you to experience stomach upsets, bloating, gas, skin rash, bad breath and body odour.
Cinnamon transcends all cultures as a favourite spice that comes with health benefits, especially for diabetics. A word of caution with cinnamon is that sometimes cinnamon is paired with sugar — in pastries, cereals and even drinks. While cinnamon may be good to fight diabetes, sugar is not. So choose and consume wisely. Consuming too much cinnamon may be bad for your liver.
The bottom line to all this is to be sensible about what you take for yourself and what you give to your loved ones. Understand the illness, the limitations and discuss what works for the situation.
I, Caregiver
Putri Juneita Johari volunteers for the Special Children Society of Ampang. You can reach her at juneitajohari
@yahoo.com
The article above was brought to you by AmMetLife Insurance Bhd