J. J. Virgin

A natural cures approach to life doesn’t mean you should never take treatment for ailments. Antibiotics are necessary for treating severe bacterial infections, but they’re often overused and frequently cause more harm than good: Antibiotics don’t just target the bad bacteria. They also wipe out many of the beneficial bacteria that improve digestion and produce nutrients, such as B vitamins, that your body needs to survive.

Eating junk foods isn’t simply a matter of “garbage in, garbage out.” The natural cures approach encourages you to think about the effect this food has on your body. Junk food is bad for your body and your health because of the long-term and possibly irreversible damage it can do to your body as it passes through your system.

Vitamins are organic compounds or groups of organic compounds that your body needs but either can’t make or may not make in sufficient quantities. So, you need to consume them. The table below presents the essential vitamins, along with a couple other key compounds, that play a role similar to that of vitamins.

Homeopathy is based on the law of familiars or treating like with like — using a substance that causes certain symptoms in a healthy person to alleviate those same symptoms in someone who’s ill. For example, coffee keeps most people awake, but for some people who have trouble sleeping, a homeopathic preparation of coffee helps them sleep.

The natural cures approach to healing and wellness relies primarily on nutrition, nutritional supplements, and herbs to give the body what it needs to achieve optimal health and to prevent and fight illness. This cheat sheet brings you up to speed on the fundamentals of natural medicine, recommends which foods to eliminate and add to your diet, and provides protocols you can follow to maintain healthy digestion, prevent or cure leaky gut syndrome, and fight off infection.

For as long as humans have walked the earth, plants have been used to treat a host of common ailments, from allergies to headaches to heart disease and even cancer. In fact, many modern medicines have been developed by extracting the active ingredients of various plants. The table lists more than 100 of the most common and helpful herbs still in use today.

Pneumonia, an inflammation of the lungs, is a common lung infection. Whether the infection is viral or bacterial, it causes cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. Other symptoms may include headache, excessive fatigue, loss of appetite, and confusion (especially in older adults). Pneumonia is a major cause of death worldwide and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

If you have a temperature above 99.5 degrees F (37.5 degrees C), associated perhaps with chills and shivering, you have a fever. With the exception of high fevers (above 102 degrees F [38.9 degrees C]), the best course of action is to let the fever run its course so that your immune system can fight what’s ailing you.

Some spas feature a eucalyptus steam room or sauna to help patrons with respiratory issues clear their lungs. If your local spa doesn’t offer this feature, gather the supplies you need to create your own mini eucalyptus steam room: eucalyptus and tea tree oil, hot water, a heat‐resistant bowl, and a towel large enough to fit over your head and the bowl.