With the growth of medicine and the pharmaceutical industry, most conditions, illnesses, or disorders are being treated with an array of carefully vetted, scientifically verified medicine. But sometimes, they simply do not work. And the medication can cause lasting side effects, even for seemingly small problems.
The growth in natural remedies has increased over the past two decades, as vitamins and supplements and even herbs have been sought to reduce symptoms of everything from anxiety to digestive disorders to colic in newborns. Here is a quick overview of those three conditions and how they are being treated with natural remedies.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in America. They affect 40 million US adults, which amounts to 18% of the population. Anxiety disorders can range from being anxious in a social situation to full-blown panic attacks, where the victim feels like they are having a heart attack. Anxiety can also lead to insomnia.
There are many herbs that can be included as natural remedies for insomnia and anxiety. One is called Chamomile and is often found in decaf tea that can be drank late at night. Like other herbs such as Valerian and Passionflower, Chamomile is known for both its fragrance and soothing effect.
Another area natural remedies have made an impact in is digestive diseases. Digestive diseases affect between 60 and 70 million people. It is a major strain on our healthcare system: 51 million visits to healthcare providers (which including the ER) between 2009 and 2010 came with diseases of the digestive system as the main diagnosis.
Some of the progress for digestive diseases has come from simply removing the offending substance if the individual as food allergies, such as allergies to milk or gluten. While certain herbs like Milk Thistle and Turmeric are reputed to be helpful, probiotics have also gained steam.
Colic is a condition a newborn baby may fall into. It involves a great deal of crying with no discernible cause. The crying may be more high pitched than usual and the baby may pull their legs up to their chest as if in a great deal of pain.
Researchers have not been able to find the cause of colic, although they have looked into a number of avenues such as lactose intolerance, allergies, changes in bacteria in the child’s digestive system, and anxious parents. But there have been some attempts to find natural remedies for colic as well.
Some natural remedies for colic have to do with introducing the baby to a new stimulus. For some, this can mean running the vacuum, as white noise can help distract the baby from any internal distress. For others, it can mean putting the baby in some sort of seat with a low level vibration. This can be soothing.
Natural remedies are helpful when medication is not an option or not preferred. It helps to do research first to find options that are safe and effective.
