Growing up, we used remedios caseros (home remedies) all of the time. I remember when I was about 11 or 12 I spilled a large mug of hot chocolate on my leg. Through the sweats I was wearing, my skin was badly burned and skin came off as my pants were removed. It was horrible. My mom didn’t rush me into a doctor, she created a salve that I kept on my leg for several days made of slippery elm and other gooey gross stuff. Guess what? My leg healed and I hardly have a scar. That was the first time that I realized how powerful remedios caseros are.
When I had my children, I always called my mom with questions when the kids had problems. I remember my son would have horrible gas pains and we used Yerba Buena tea to relieve. I would make a glass full and after it had cooled fill his bottle with it. It was almost immediately that he felt better. To this day, if my kids have a slight ear infection, we use garlic oil to help relieve the pain and heal the ear. I used to take my kids to the doctor several times a year with double ear infections, but after using the garlic oil, they haven’t had to be on antibiotics once.
I don’t know if it is a Latin thing or not, but if we have an illness in the house, the first person we contact isn’t the doctor. It’s Mama or Abuelita. They have already been through so many of the sicknesses and found ways to resolve them without modern medicine. Sometimes something you have around the house will work better than anything a doctor could prescribe.
I strongly believe that yerbas (herbs) can solve so many issues that are ailing you. While I don’t think that you should skip the doctor if you are sick, I don’t believe that every illness requires a doctor. A great resource is Consumer Reports (en Espanol) for different ideas and researched methods/products to stay healthy. Sometimes changing your diet and exercise could make all the difference in your overall health.
Please join the LATISM twitter party:
Hostess: @ergreekgoddess
Date: Thursday, February 23, 2012
Time: 9:00pm – 11:00pm EST
Topic: Latinos and Health
Hashcode: @LATISM
Guest: Dr. Jose Luis Mosquera M.D. – Specialist in Latino Health for over 20 years and medical expert for Consumer Reports
What do you think?
Do you use remedios caseros or do you believe a doctor should be seen for all illnesses? Please leave me a comment with your thoughts!
Disclosure: LATISM sponsored campaign to support healthy living in the Latino community.
About Amber
