Home remedies.

[daveT]

I want to know why your not scrubbing yourself with soap and water.

EDIT: Deleted this paragraph.

EDIT to add: There's stuff sold in the store called underwear. You should buy several of these, wear them, and change them every day. If you don't know how to use them, look at the pretty pictures.

[tarheeljks]

my grandmother used to boil tea and have me inhale the fumes in the steam to clear up bad sinus congestion.

[sarahbellum]

Almost forgot to make a real contribution...

A spoonful of sugar really does make the hiccups go away.

[Irieguy]

Okay, the reason for the flame is because I was surprised to see this type of thing in this forum (or really any forum on a site like 2+2). But there actually is a very good reason why instead of talking about home remedies, the members of a community that have learned about scientific method should help the other members of a community understand the role of science in public health.

It is unfortunate that in 2007 you will still read stories in the community newspaper about a child or young adult who perishes due to untimely medical attention. There is a long list of common ailments that can be easily treated if medical attention is sought promptly, but can be fatal if symptoms are ignored for too long. This list affects both children and adults:

meningitis
encephalopathy
myocardial infarction
stroke
pericarditis
pyelonephritis (kidney infection)
streptococcal pharyngitis (leading to potential cardiac and kidney complications in children if untreated)

Any emergency room physician will see patients every day who are seriously ill because they have been trying a home remedy for serious health condition.

It doesn't matter whether or not you want to eat a loaf of bread and drink a gallon of milk everyday for your heart burn. The problem is when your uncle describes a similar symptom to you and you excitedly tell him about your milk cure... when in actuality he's having an early heart attack and could have his heart muscles spared if he gets to a doctor in time, but could die if he drinks milk for 2 days.

Or the mother of the child with a fever you advise to try a home remedy when the infant actually has meningitis and needs prompt treatment with antibiotics.

My point isn't to be melodramatic here, these things happen everyday.

Our social responsibility is to comment intelligently and utilize science when discussing the physiologic signs of disease.

In Dave's particular case, if his doctor has diagnosed him with reflux esophagitis, there is almost no chance that he will do better with a home remedy than he would with one of the dozens of available treatments. And if H-2 blockers cause side effects, he can try a proton-pump inhibitor... one of the best-tolerated classes of medicines on the market.

Am I wrong here?

This is not Nam. There are rules.

Irieguy

[daveT]

Little did I know that you were a doctor. And yes, we all need to use common sense as well.

You see, that we are talking about things like nausea, headaches, etc, not threatening illnesses like diabetes, malaria, and trichinosis. That was the sole intention of this thread. Perhaps my symptoms are more severe, but any doctor would probably prefer to hear that I am using milk rather than a bottle that explicitly tells you to take no more that 4 pills a day for two weeks.

Yes, I read these stories as well. I also have read about people dying of voodoo treatments because they were afraid of seeing a doctor.

I knew one person who used to work for 1800 dentist. His job was to refer people to dentists, but he usually had to here the effects of people's home remedies. This part of the job was so stressful, that the the office perk was two free message sessions per week.

Story:

One woman was afraid of the dentist and had braces. It was time to take them off, and she decided to take them off herself. She ended up twisting the screw the wrong way, and shattered all of her teeth.

Another guy had a string in his mouth that was bothering him. He took a pair of scissors and cut the string. The pain was so severe that he instantly passed out. It turns out that he cut a nerve. How you let your mouth get like this is beyond my comprehension.

So, yes, your caveat is appreciated, to use common sense with this stuff.

[MortalWombat]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
DO NOT put vinegar on a burn. My parents did that to me when I was a kid, and it was one of the few times I cried for two days straight.

[/ QUOTE ]

Weird. So what were the other times you cried for 2 days straight?

[/ QUOTE ]When they wouldn't just leave Britney alone.

[diddyeinstein]

Please no more dental horror stories, those made me cringe.

My girlfriend just told me last night that zinc is supposed to help offset the coming of the common cold.

My favorite home remedy is applying glass cleaner to fire ant bites. You have to do this pretty quickly after you get bit, but the basic glass cleaner solution neutralizes the acidity of the bite, which means no itching.

[KotOD]

daveT:

My grandfather swore by a shot of vinegar and a clove of garlic for acid reflux. He claims that he was able to go off of medication.

[KotOD]

[ QUOTE ]
davet,

When i was young my mom used to give us honey mixed with bourbon for coughs. It was very nasty.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does your mom have a clinic?

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
Please no more dental horror stories, those made me cringe.

My girlfriend just told me last night that zinc is supposed to help offset the coming of the common cold.

My favorite home remedy is applying glass cleaner to fire ant bites. You have to do this pretty quickly after you get bit, but the basic glass cleaner solution neutralizes the acidity of the bite, which means no itching.

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't the glass cleaner itself an acid?