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#1
10-08-2007, 11:55 PM
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Re: Home remedies.
davet,
When i was young my mom used to give us honey mixed with bourbon for coughs. It was very nasty. A very small amount would make us gag and not want any more. I recently read that cough medicines aren't very good for you so maybe my mom was onto something there. Another home remedy that comes to mind is for poison ivy. My bf always insists that bleach will make poison ivy disappear. I usually roll my eyes at this suggestion but I allow him to put the stinky bleach on anyway because I get desperate. (Actually it seems to help [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]) Another one of his weird ideas is that vinegar will turn a bad sunburn into a tan. I know I know, it's ridiculous. But it does cool off the skin. 
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#4
10-09-2007, 02:29 AM
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Re: Home remedies.
Are there any for carpal/tunnel syndrome?
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#5
10-09-2007, 02:21 PM
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Re: Home remedies.
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
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#6
10-09-2007, 03:48 PM
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Re: Home remedies.
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.
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#7
10-11-2007, 08:45 AM
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Re: Home remedies.
[ QUOTE ]
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. [/ QUOTE ] I'm a doctor. I am not pleased that you guzzle milk to soothe your stomach. Based on your symptoms, you may very well have a stomach ulcer. Yes, milk soothes the discomfort, but it comes back multiple times through the day, so obviously the problem is not being addressed. These ulcers, if not treated properly, can erode into arteries and cause massive bleeding (and sometimes death). Milk will not prevent any of these problems, but it may make you feel a little better in the interim. So, as I doctor, you need to go see a doctor. You may need tests, possibly an endoscopy, and you should be treated for the specific problem that you have. Plus, did you know that nausea and abdominal discomfort are a frequent symptom of heart attacks, especially in women? There's nothing wrong with home remedies for things that go away quickly, but it is a potentially disastrous mistake to keep being your own doctor. You know the saying that the man who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client - well it is much worse to be your own doctor, especially when you have no training.
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#8
10-11-2007, 05:43 PM
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Re: Home remedies.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] 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. [/ QUOTE ] I'm a doctor. I am not pleased that you guzzle milk to soothe your stomach. Based on your symptoms, you may very well have a stomach ulcer. Yes, milk soothes the discomfort, but it comes back multiple times through the day, so obviously the problem is not being addressed. These ulcers, if not treated properly, can erode into arteries and cause massive bleeding (and sometimes death). Milk will not prevent any of these problems, but it may make you feel a little better in the interim. [/ QUOTE ] This is fascinating. I went to the hospital about one year ago for stomach flu/ food poison. I told the doctor about my acid problem because I thought this would be important to tell about because I was spouting pure acid. (sorry guys) And yes, it is called acid for a reason, believe me. I am not trying to be a smart-ass. I am being serious. I told the doctor about my heartburn and what I do to prevent it, and I also told the doctor that I was highly concerned about this because before my "explosion," I had serious heartburn. So, was I not properly diagnosed/ treated? I would hate to lay another law-suit on Hollywood Pres, but screw 'em for charging me 5k. What is the proper procedure for diagnosing this problem? And why would a responsible doctor allow someone to check out after my condition if there should be further concerns?
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#9
10-11-2007, 06:46 PM
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Re: Home remedies.
The truth is, I'm a lung doctor, and its been a while since I dealt with primary care for acid problems.
As I remember, there is a blood test for H. pylori (a bacteria that causes ulcers). The test only indicates exposure (which is very common, but then again, so are ulcers). A check for anemia would also be standard. Triple therapy (two weeks of a proton pump inhibitor and two antibiotics - I think Biaxin was one) was extremely effective in curing the ulcers. If symptoms persisted after treatment, or if the patient was high risk before treatment (anemic, complaining of bloody or tarry stool) then an endoscopy (camera in the stomach) is the next step. Again, I'm not a GI expert, but this was the standard about 5 years ago when I last dealt with this stuff.
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