Whooping Cough Remedies - Natural Herbal Home Remedy for Whooping Cough Treatment

Whooping Cough is a highly infectious bacterial infection tends to occur in epidemics every few years. Thick, sticky mucus give rise to a spasmodic cough and the difficulty in inhaling with this gives the characteristic whooping sound.

Whooping Cough is mostly seen in children and in babies it can be serious, so get professional help as soon as possible. Symptoms can linger on for several weeks, so continue to help breathing by the measures listed below.

Home remedies for Whooping Cough
Whooping Cough Treatment using Aromatherapy and Essential Oils
Relief for the condition is most dramatic with steam; either use inhalations or with infants simply hold them near steam, such as a basin filled with piping hot water or near a hot bath (make sure they do not touch very hot water). Very good oils to add to the steam are Cypress , Lavender and Tea Tree.

Herbalism - Herbal Remedies for Whooping Cough
Start to give herbal teas at the first sign of coughing and do not wait for the respiratory distress that can set in with the whoop. Use steam to free the mucus. In young babies, diluted teas should be strong enough and older children may need infusions for cough. Look at these herbs, and use a blend of the most appropriate:

CHAMOMILF. (Chamomilla recutita): helps to calm the person down, reduces catarrh and accompanying nausea.

COLTSFOOT (Tussilago farfara): one of the best cough remedies, helping to ease the spasmodic nature of the cough.

LAVENDER (Lavandula vera): a relaxing expectorant, soothing the cough and breathing and also generally calming.

THYME (Thymus vulgaris): highly antiseptic, soothing the dry cough that may herald the start of the problem.

WHITE HOREHOUND (Marrubium vulgare): good expectorant, loosening the sticky mucus and reducing spasm.

An alternative treatment that can work wonders as whooping cough remedy is to chop or crush two cloves of garlic into 15 ml (1 tbsp) of honey and leave for a couple of hours, or even overnight. Give up to 5 ml (1 tsp) either neat or diluted in a little warm water, 4 times a day.

Homeopathy and Whooping Cough Treatment
Ideally seek qualified advice for this cough, but a remedy often used for the characteristic rapid paroxysmal cough is Drosera. Often the bout of coughing can result in vomiting. If children have been in contact with whooping cough, it can be worth trying this remedy as a prophylactic: give 3 doses of 30c dilution in a 24-hour period.

Naturopathy - Whooping Cough Natural Home Cures
Keep the fluid intake high, especially if there is vomiting with the coughing bouts; also give only small amounts of light food. Avoid dairy products in order to lessen mucus production, and give easily digested foods. For older children, supplementing diet with 500 mg Vitamin C daily for a couple of weeks will help to boost the immune system - reduce or stop if diarrhoea develops.

Try to keep the diet light, wholesome and low in dairy foods for quite a while after the initial symptoms have eased, as any build-up in mucus can cause more problems for several weeks.

Varicose Veins - Natural Herbal Home Remedy for Varicose Veins Treatment

Swollen veins most often occur in the lower legs, but can happen elsewhere. The veins in the legs contain one-way valves that allow blood to flow back up towards the heart. If the cell muscles weaken, for example after prolonged standing or the valves start to work less efficiently from other causes such as pregnancy, obesity or poor nutrition then blood collects in the veins and they swell.

Home remedies for Varicose Veins
Aromatherapy - All the natural therapies are likely to recommend both periods of rest, especially with the feet raised above the level of the thigh to let gravity assist venous return, and exercise to improve muscle tone.

Massage above the area of varicose veins in an upwards direction towards the heart, will reduce the congestion. Essential oils of prime use here are Cypress , Chamomile and perhaps Juniper; use diluted at 2 per cent in vegetable oil.

Homeopathy - CARBO VEG: for a sluggish circulation leading to blueness of the skin, cold extremities and painful varicose veins.

HAMAMEUS: for swollen, congested veins with a purplish blotching under the skin and tired, aching legs; may also have piles.

PULSATILEA: for painful veins, blue in colour; may be associated with pregnancy; pains in legs eased with walking about and in cool, fresh air.

Naturopathy - Use hot and cold bathing of legs or spray cool water up the legs at the end of a shower. Walk more: also look at yoga and swimming as good forms of exercise. Reduce alcohol intake; if very overweight try to lose weight steadily.

A supplement of Vitamin E together with Lecithin granules daily can ease the swelling and pains by improving the elasticity of the blood vessels. Another helpful substance is Vitamin C in treating varicose veins. In the long term just take plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and keep fats to a lower level.

Urinary Incontinence Home Remedies and Treatment

Urinary Incontinence is the inability to control the bladder and prevent dribbling of urine, or bed-wetting is something that can affect people at both ends of life in particular. Children may get into problems with involuntary bed-wetting through something simple such as a chill or shock or from a deeper upsetting worry or just because they sleep too deeply.

Home remedies for Urinary Incontinence
Urinary Incontinence Treatment using Aromatherapy and Essential Oils
Alongside any self-help measures such as pelvic floor exerciser, an excellent essential oil to use in Urinary Incontinence is Cypress which is astringent, toning up the tissues and encouraging efficient excretion of fluid. Use it in the bath, about 6 drops or make a compress with 2 drops in a small bowl of warm water and wring out a small towel in die liquid, placing it over the low abdomen. For daily use it may be easier to use diluted oil, 2 per cent dilution, and massage a little into the lower abdomen each day. Oil that may help in this way is Pine, but use 1 per cent of this only. In either case do not use daily for more than 10 days at a time.

Herbalism - Herbal Remedies for Urinary Incontinence
Probably the foremost herb for urinary incontinence treatment is Horsetail (Equisetum arvense), which is quite a strong diuretic, but more significantly contains appreciable amounts of silica. This has an astringent and toning effect on the bladder tissues, encouraging it to empty efficiently and regain some of the lost muscle tone. Horsetail is perhaps best taken as the fresh juice, available in some countries, take 10 ml (2 tsp) twice a day, otherwise a decoction may be taken. If emotional upset is a part of the problem, then also taking St John's Wort may help a good deal.

Homeopathy Natural Cure and Remedy for Urinary Incontinence
Several possibilities exist within homeopathy for treating urinary incontinence, some suggestions with a brief snapshot of the symptoms picture for each home remedy are given below.

Argent Nit: with incontinence at night in particular. This remedy is useful for older people who may easily get anxious and hence become incontinent, the urine may burn a little when passed.

PULSATIILA: this remedy is often appropriate for shy, sensitive people who are prone to crying. It is helpful if they experience bed-wetting at night, whether children or older people; there may be an easy tendency to dribble in the daytime too, with difficulty in retaining urine.

Urinary Incontinence Home Remedy in Naturopathy
One of the first things to look in Urinary Incontinence is the muscle tone within the pelvic basin generally. Exercises such as alternately tightening and relaxing the buttocks can help to regain control of the bladder and urethra. Another exercise that may be useful is to try and stop in midstream while actually urinating and hold for a couple of seconds before restarting to pass water. If done regularly, this can be a great aid in tightening and strengthening the muscles of the bladder.

Another approach to treatment of Urinary Incontinence is to employ hot and cold water applications to the lower abdomen and back. This can be via alternating hot/cold compresses, around 3-4 minutes hot and 1 minute cold, repeated once or twice.

A simpler method is to have a fairly warm bath followed by a short splash of cool water around the waist and bladder, or else when finishing a shower turn the temperature down to cool and use on this area for a minute. These methods will help to stimulate pelvic circulation, which in turn will encourage better muscular control and thus helps in treating Urinary Incontinence.

Thrush - Natural Herbal Home Remedy for Thrush Treatment

Thrush is the common name for a fungal infection of the mucous membranes by the yeast Candida albicans. It can affect the mouth and this is sometimes seen in tiny babies or around the anus or on the penis, but most commonly it is a vaginal infection. A number of things can trigger an attack of thrush. One of the major causes id often a course of antibiotics, which seriously destroy our helpful, defensive bacteria.

Home remedies for Thrush
Aromatherapy - One of the most significant natural anti-fungal agents is essential oil of Tea Tree. This is available in pessary form in some countries, but the oil can be used in the bath or in more concentrated form in a hand- basin of water; use 6 drops in warm water and bathe the vaginal area with it. Although Tea Tree oil is much more soothing than most anti-fungal drugs, do use it well diluted at first in case of any irritation. Other useful oils to use in this way are Lavender and Myrrh, and they could be blended with Tea Tree to help speed up healing.

Herbalism - Herbalists will probably give much of the advice discussed under Naturopathy below, and are equally likely to recommend the above oils for local use; other herbs that have healing, soothing and anti- fungal effects include Marigold (Calendula officinalis) and Cone Flower (Echinacea angustifolia or E. purpurea). These are best used in tincture form; dilute at the rate of 5 ml (1 tsp) to 600 ml of warm water, and use as a local wash. For oral thrush in babies apply a little with a cotton bud and in adults use 5 ml (1 tsp) of the tincture little water as a mouthwash. A powerful anti-fungal remedy for thrush is garlic, and if thrush recurs frequently, taking fresh garlic or garlic capsules daily can help to combat general yeast infection. It can also be used locally, although may irritate the vaginal membranes.

OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSES OF THRUSH
Quite often a vicious circle can be set up by an infection: cystitis - treated by antibiotics - leading to thrush. Other factors can be the contraceptive pill, frequent digestive infections, a diet high in sugars, or generally being over- stressed and run-down. Conventional treatment involves the use of anti- fungal creams, or peccaries; both of these treatments may be irritating to the membranes, and self- help measures can often be the best route to avoid repetition of the infection.

Homeopathy - Treatment will focus on internal remedies, backed up by local self- help measures. Practitioners may even prescribe homeopathic doses of Candida itself, but some other possible remedies are:

MERC SOL: for reddish patches, especially if oral thrush when there may be blisters on the mucous membranes, with thick, slimy discharge and some mould-like odor.

NAT MUR : for white spots, less of a discharge but more painful irritation; in oral thrush there may be painful blisters on the lips or tongue. Drier and more inflamed symptoms make this more suitable as a remedy than Mere sol.

SULPHUR : for an itching and burning sensation, and a thick, white discharge in some odor. In oral thrush, Sulphur may be indicated when there is a foul taste.

Naturopathy - A diet in fresh vegetables and low in refiners sugars, helps to prevent recurrent thrush.

Tonsillitis Remedies - Natural Herbal Home Remedy for Tonsillitis Treatment

Inflammation and infection of the tonsils most often occurs in children or younger adults, it is used to be the fashion to remove the tonsils but unless they become chronically badly infected and act as a focus for other infections, it is now considered better to keep them. They act as an early warning sign of lowered vitality, and if this first line of defence is lost, then more deep-seated conditions can occur in later life.

Home remedies for Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis Treatment using Aromatherapy and Essential Oils
Essential oils are not for internal use, unless under qualified treatment, and are rather unpleasant for local treatment. In tonsillitis they are best used as supportive treatment, using steam inhalations of Benzoin, Eucalyptus or Thyme to ease inflammation and fight general infection.

Herbalism - Herbal Remedies for Tonsillitis
All the herbs mentioned under Sore Throats for gargling are excellent here too, especially Myrrh (Commiphora molmol). Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and Sage (Salvia officinalis). For repeated bouts of tonsillitis take garlic daily, either capsules or fresh. Another essential herb to use for chronic tonsillitis is Cone Flower (Echinacea angustifolia or E. purpurea); this boosts the immune system and may be taken in tablets or else as a tincture (see page 14), 20 drop twice daily.

Homeopathy and Tonsillitis Treatment
Remedies applicable to tonsillitis include:

ACONITE: for sudden onset of inflammation, with hot, red and burning tonsils and thirst for cold drinks.

HEPAR SULPH: for pain on swallowing, as if something is stuck in the throat, tonsils swollen and discharging yellow pus.

LYCOPODIUM: for chronic swelling of the tonsils, which look as if they are pitted with small white discharging ulcers; cold drinks make the sensation worse.

Naturopathy - Tonsillitis Natural home cures
The tonsils actions, in trapping and removing infective bacteria that would otherwise cause deeper problems, means that they are more easily infected themselves. This can produce an infection of the adenoids too, with nasal congestion.

Where these symptoms occur, it is helpful to cut out dairy projects for a while. In any case, take plenty of fluids, especially fruit juices. Freshly-squeezed lemon juice, with a little honey, is a local antiseptic. Repeated attacks of tonsillitis are often a sign of lowered health in general, and may need professional treatment.