The cost of health care is becoming more and more of a concern as more companies are offering reduced health insurance premiums with an HSA (Health Savings Account) and as more people are unemployed/underemployed without health insurance at all. Several people have sent emails requesting information about how to reduce their medical costs and a few people had suggestions. For example:
Earthclinic.com offers users folk remedies for a variety of ailments. It is a comprehensive resource with remedies for everything from acid reflux and Alzheimer's to wrinkles and yeast infections. Yes, many of these remedies were probably used by your great grandparents and many of them may help. However, please be cautious and use common sense when trying them as not many of these types of cures have been methodically tested. (Albeit they haven't been tested because testing is generally funded by pharmaceutical companies and what pharmaceutical company would want to pay for tests that may ultimately cause them to lose money.) When deciding which remedies to try, please consider the consequences if things go wrong and research to try to understand the scientific basis of the claim.
For example, it is commonly acknowledged that the slime found under the bark of the Willow Tree can be ingested to treat a variety of aches and pains. This makes sense as the slime found under the bark of the Willow Tree contains acetylsalicyclic acid ~ the main ingredient in aspirin. So... if you want to suck on the bark of the Willow Tree to treat your premature arthritis, you probably won't do any harm. If you have your child slurp it down to treat a headache, you could kill them if their headache is a symptom of Reye's syndrome.
Another common folk remedy is to ingest colloidal silver, a natural antibiotic, to avoid having to get a prescription for antibiotics. In fact, proponents of colloidal silver use claim that it is an effective treatment against ear infections, infectious diseases, parasites, chronic fatigue, acne, warts, hemorrhoids, etc. It is true that silver is antibiotic and studies have shown colloidal silver to be effective. In fact, colloidal silver is the main ingredient of the burn cream used in hospital burn units. Making it yourself or using more than your natural health practitioner recommends, however, can lead to serious and permanent side effects. Go ahead and experiment. Just be aware that you may spend the rest of your life as a smurf if you aren't careful about process and dosage.
Folk remedies can be a good thing. But... be sure you know what you are doing.
More medical savings ideas will come later! :-)
Comments?
Earthclinic.com offers users folk remedies for a variety of ailments. It is a comprehensive resource with remedies for everything from acid reflux and Alzheimer's to wrinkles and yeast infections. Yes, many of these remedies were probably used by your great grandparents and many of them may help. However, please be cautious and use common sense when trying them as not many of these types of cures have been methodically tested. (Albeit they haven't been tested because testing is generally funded by pharmaceutical companies and what pharmaceutical company would want to pay for tests that may ultimately cause them to lose money.) When deciding which remedies to try, please consider the consequences if things go wrong and research to try to understand the scientific basis of the claim.
For example, it is commonly acknowledged that the slime found under the bark of the Willow Tree can be ingested to treat a variety of aches and pains. This makes sense as the slime found under the bark of the Willow Tree contains acetylsalicyclic acid ~ the main ingredient in aspirin. So... if you want to suck on the bark of the Willow Tree to treat your premature arthritis, you probably won't do any harm. If you have your child slurp it down to treat a headache, you could kill them if their headache is a symptom of Reye's syndrome.
Another common folk remedy is to ingest colloidal silver, a natural antibiotic, to avoid having to get a prescription for antibiotics. In fact, proponents of colloidal silver use claim that it is an effective treatment against ear infections, infectious diseases, parasites, chronic fatigue, acne, warts, hemorrhoids, etc. It is true that silver is antibiotic and studies have shown colloidal silver to be effective. In fact, colloidal silver is the main ingredient of the burn cream used in hospital burn units. Making it yourself or using more than your natural health practitioner recommends, however, can lead to serious and permanent side effects. Go ahead and experiment. Just be aware that you may spend the rest of your life as a smurf if you aren't careful about process and dosage.
Folk remedies can be a good thing. But... be sure you know what you are doing.
More medical savings ideas will come later! :-)
Comments?
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