Remedios Caseros

Two weeks ago I was feeling so sick, however, as many of you know; I am a workaholic. I was driving home with bluish lips, wheezing, and a fever after a full week of work. Let me tell you by the next day... I called my Mami! She advised the usual: lots of rest, Vaporub (who hasn't used this to cure everything from a cold, allergies, burns, cuts ... etc...?), and chicken soup. Dragging myself out of bed and debating whether to give in to Nyquil and other meds … I decided to go with what I grew up with. 

By the following day I was wishing that I had not been stubborn about seeing a doctor because my fever had risen to 105 and I was so dizzy I couldn’t function. I found out I had acute pneumonia and was given emergency antibiotic shots and fluids. There are so many occasion where I am a BIG advocate of holistic health and going with our Remedios Caseros however, I learned a valuable lesson that weekend: you have to go to the doctor if your fever persists because your body is fighting an infection that your remedios may not combat as quickly as your body needs.

I still recommend teas, vitamins (especially Vitamin C and Zinc), Echinacea, chicken soup, and lots of water. I also would advise anyone (especially with little ones) to see a doctor when your symptoms have persisted past a couple of days because even though medicine isn’t what we grew up with (well  ... most of us anyway...). Medicine has come so far in being non-invasive and most doctors are very wary of giving little ones antibiotics.

It is second nature for us to “tough it out”, but as I learned these past couple of weeks, it can really hurt your body. There is no reason why you can’t do your holistic options as well as the headache meds, antibiotics, and other medicine that will make sure you are at least comfortable.

As Latinos we have tons of remedios handed to us from our families and friends but it is important to take advantage of the abundance of doctors and medicines that will help us get better quicker (and less contagious faster). What are some of your favorite home remedies? (Mine is chamomile tea for headaches  )