Theres a saying that we have a name for alternative medicine that actually works: medicine.

And sure, you dont want to mess around with unproven treatments when your health is at stake.

But home remedies arent necessarily an alternative to pharmaceutical or surgical treatments.

They are oftenpartof proper medical care.

So lets go forth and explore the world of home remedies.

Id like to draw out a map of the landscape, with all its attractions and pitfalls.

If you have a cold, for example, theresno medication that can make the virus go away.

Our immune system has to do that.

So what can we do?

Support our bodys ability to do that.

In medicine, theyll talk about supportive care when you have a condition with no specific antidote.

In a hospital, that may mean things like IV fluids, supplemental oxygen, and blood transfusions.

Supportive care is great, and these things are the bedrock of home remedies.

These are arguably part of supportive care, but Id like to zoom in a little more on these.

These solid self-care tasks make up a lot of our best home remedies.

Its important to know which OTC medications are helpful, though, and for what purposes.

You cant always trust the package to tell you clearly what it’s crucial that you know.

Cough and cold medicines arent appropriate for toddlers, for example.

Some OTC drugs may interact with other medications youre taking, or could be inappropriate for some medical conditions.

And many stores carry homeopathic drugs mixed in with the real ones.

Homeopathy is an outdated pseudo-medical practice that got grandfathered into the FDA regulations.

The result: products with no active ingredients can be sold as if they were medicines.

A truly depressing number of childrens OTC medications fall into this category.

In many cases, they contain no active ingredient and are simply a waste of money.

But in others, they contain enough of a harmful active ingredient to allegedly cause permanentinjuryordeath.

For example: putting toothpaste on acne.

It might dry out the pimple, but it might also irritate your skin and make the redness worse.

Or putting butter on a burn: Youre introducing extra crud into a wound, and for what reason?

Just get that burn under some running water to cool it down and keep it clean.

And in some cases, they can be seriously harmful, causing complications or drug interactions.

Well call out some of the worst of this bunch, so you know to stay away from them.

They dont earn a get-out-of-side-effects-free pass just because theyre natural.

Do you really know the dosage youre getting?

Are you educated about the potential for side effects?

They may waste your money and your timeand in many illnesses, time is crucial.

When to see a doctor

So how do we know when a home remedy is appropriate?

The big, obvious answer is: you’re able to ask a doctor.

Home remedies arent about rejecting medical care, but about doing things we can andshoulddo ourselves.

And even if the reason is cost or time, you still dont need to go it alone.

Many health insurance plans have a free nurseline you’re free to call for quick advice.

Telehealth appointments with a doctor are often substantially cheaper and quicker than making an office appointment.