While conventional medicine is always an option for those seeking a cure to sickness, there’s another route that skirts science and moves towards the all-natural.
Alternative medicine may be a hokey path to those looking for something more scientific and substantial, but it also offers an opportunity to approach healing holistically and without the dangers of intrusive chemicals.
Skin allergies: Sea therapy
The Greeks called it thalassotherapy: finding healing in everything the sea and saltwater has to offer. Surrounding yourself with sea air and seawater is therapeutic not just on a physical level, as it can also be calming to the mind. Soaking up saltwater can help improve your immune system function—it also helps combat psoriasis—and boost hydration.
The common cold: Soothing tea
If you’ve got the beginnings of a cold—a scratchy throat, a headache, or the sniffles—taking in some hot, salabat-based tea can do wonders for your sinuses. Consider mixing in some cinnamon sticks, cloves, rose hip, and honey to your regular blend of ginger tea to clear the pathways leading up to your sinuses. Rose hip is a tea known to level out imbalances between yin and yang energy (colds bring out fiery energy, and anything soothing can cool it down).
Everyday headaches: Essential oils
It could be a regular bout with migraine or a stress headache that leaves your temples throbbing—when your head is aching, there’s little else you can do with your day. Before popping a pill, though, consider the relief that aromatherapy can bring. Just a few drops of lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus essential oil rubbed onto your temples, neck, and shoulders can bring a world of difference to how you’re feeling. If you’ve got more time on your hands, consider soaking in a warm bath with a few drops of these fragrant, natural oils.
Heartburn: Apple cider vinegar
If you’ve had a full meal (something that commonly happens as the holiday season approaches), it’s usual to feel acidic in the belly area, even all the way up your throat. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and a glass of water may help treat the excess acid in your stomach, despite the solution being acidic itself. A word of caution, though: those who suffer from stomach ulcers should stay away from this remedy as it would cause them more harm than good.
Writer: CHINGGAY LABRADOR
ILLUSTRATION PATRICIA ESPINO
