While the majority of people go and visit the doctor should they become ill, there is another alternative that you can try and which will cost next to nothing if anything at all.
Home and natural remedies are becoming very popular and the kitchen and garden is a great place to start.
Besides costing next to nothing, the additional benefits of treating yourself with home remedies include all natural substances, so therefore there is less chance of side effects.
Almost all minor illnesses and ailments can be helped with natural and home remedies and indeed many people swear they are more effective than more traditional treatments and have helped where traditional; treatments have failed.
Natural cures and home based remedies work on a simple theory; the theory behind them is taking and making use of the natural substances and chemicals that can be found in plants and herbs.
Here are some of the natural substances that can be used and the most common illnesses and problems that they can be used for: Allergies There is a huge amount of people who suffer from an allergy of some kind; this can be due to the environment such as pollen or a reaction to something.
For allergies of the nasal passages then five drops of castor oil taken in some juice or water daily can help to relieve the stuffiness and soreness.
A fresh lime squeezed into a glass of lukewarm water with a little honey drunk first thing every morning makes a great all round deterrent for allergy sufferers.
The common cold Although there is no cure as such for the common cold, the symptoms it brings can be greatly eased.
Garlic is an excellent remedy that can be used many different ways.
Garlic cloves can be used to make a soup which should be eaten once a day at the onset of a cold, garlic oil can also be combined with the juice of an onion and mixed with a little lukewarm water and should be taken two or three times a day.
Improving digestion If you grow spinach then blend it with some juice and drink this twice daily to maintain an excellent digestive tract and to ease or stop constipation.
Spinach is excellent for cleansing, reconstructing and regenerating the intestinal tract.
Cough If you have a persistent cough then there is no better home remedy than a raw onion.
The onion will have to be chopped finely and the resulting juice from it mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey, let the mixture sit for four to five hours then start taking it twice a day.
Earaches If you have children then you will know that earache can be very troublesome.
In order to ease the pain of earache put a few drops of garlic oil in the ear or a couple of drops of basil leaf oil.