As a culture, we are beginning to value natural remedies to ailments and common sense in place of medical opinion. Public opinion on holistic medicine and healing is divided and frequently shifts, but the more we learn about the healing power of the natural lifestyle, the more we come to realize that depending on prescription medications and Western medical advice is limited in its usefulness.

There are many herbal remedies that can get rid of or reduce health problems. Natural remedies can also be very useful for alleviating specific ailments. Herbs such as turmeric and cinnamon are natural anti-inflammatories, which can reduce aches, pains and some infection symptoms in the body. Drinking tea of any variety (green, black, oolong, white and herbal) has incredible health benefits. Working peppermint and ginger into the diet can serve as a digestive aid for stomach problems.

It has been said that the best doctors are diet, sunshine, air, exercise, rest and water. These may seem incredibly obvious, but when we examine our busy, on-the-go lifestyles for how much of them we actually incorporate into our lives, we tend to discover that we often ignore these common sense remedies that can cure some of our most basic health problems, such as lack of energy, mental disorders, weight problems and other bodily malfunctions.

The list of edible natural remedies is extensive, but natural remedies are not just for ingestion. Plant and herbal derivatives can be found in aromatherapy, cleansing, hygiene, first aid and cleaning products, and are beginning to be found in many of our other common household products as well.

In turning toward natural remedies for healing, consider the ingredients in the items around your house. This can include beauty products, cleaning supplies and even storage containers. Beauty products may contain parabens and other chemicals dangerous to our bodies. Cleaning supplies contain a host of dangerous toxins that can interfere with our bodily systems if absorbed. And containers made of plastics or even some metals can transfer toxins that confuse our hormones and naturally occurring chemicals. For safety’s sake, do away with these items and replace them with organic ones.