Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner Lists Home Remedies You Probably Already Have Around Your House

By Dr. Thomas Polucki

Just for fun, take a look around the house and see how many of these home remedies you have handy.

A is for aloe. Aloe is the natural fire extinguisher inside and out. The jelly can provide instant relief to a burn and aloe’s mucopolysaccharides do the same thing in the digestive tract, knocking down inflammation on contact.

B is for banana, the most popular fruit in America. Eat them on the green side for all their potassium with less sugar than when ripe for an excellent exercise recovery or eat them ripe to reduce hangover headaches. The peel can be used to treat warts, sometimes.

C is for coconut oil. A perfect saturated fat, coconut oil and butter are the only oils you should cook with because all other oils turn into dangerous chemicals at high heat. Coconut oil can also help regulate blood sugar, keeping those unwanted pounds off. Coconut oil as a mouthwash can help prevent gum disease.

D is for dandelions. Those pesky weeds are great in salads but the root has powerful medicine when steeped as a tea. Some studies show good results with certain cancers, so you may want to think twice before spraying your dandelions with weed killer.

E is for Echinacea, which grows in our eastern and central states. Most of us will need to buy the tincture for its immune-enhancing qualities.

F is for fennel and fennel is for indigestion. A standard spice in Eastern foods, like most spices, fennel has well-documented medicinal value.

G is for garlic, a favorite of mine. I helped document the antibiotic properties of allicin, the active ingredient in garlic, more than 25 years ago, and since then, researchers have further documented garlic’s healing properties.

H is for honey. Depending on what plants the bees were working, honeys from around the world have many medicinal properties, and probably best-known is Manuka honey from bees working the tea tree Melaleuca.

Otherwise it’s best to buy local unprocessed honey for allergies.

I is for iodine found in kelp. Okay, probably not in most people’s cupboard, but it should be. Kelp may help regulate thyroid, energy and weight management.

J is for juicing. I prefer the Vitamix, a very powerful blender, to get the beneficial fiber along with the juice. But if you are going to juice, make sure it is mostly vegetables with just one serving of fruit as a sweetener.

K is for kale. Available year round in most places, kale is a true superfood. It’s an acquired taste. I like to throw kale in the Vitamix to unlock more of kale’s nutrition.

L is for lemons, and ideal source of Vitamin C that has an acid-neutralizing effect in the stomach, without all the sugar found in oranges.

M is for mushrooms, a great source of vegetable protein. Many exotic blends have medicinal values.

N is for nuts. Soak raw nuts overnight to neutralize the anti-nutrient phytic acid. A handful of raw sprouted almonds is a perfect high energy snack to take the edge off the mid-afternoon sugar drop.

O is for olive oil. As long as you don’t fry with it, olive oil is an excellent fat and may even be good for your skin.

P is for pomegranates, which may have many health benefits, but most intriguing to me is the stabilizing effect of beneficial testosterone.

Q is for quercetin. Apples and onions are a good source of quercetin; quercetin can ease irritated breathing.

R is for red wine. Three ounces of wine a day seems to be the perfect amount to get the benefit without the damage. Can you enjoy only half a small glass of red wine a day?

S is for sea salt. Unlike table salt, sea salt may actually help maintain healthy blood pressure and electrolytes. Add a pinch to your filtered water, especially during a workout.

T is for turmeric. You have to cook the turmeric in water and either cream or coconut oil to unlock the curcuminoids. the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory medicines currently known to science. Curcuminoids often outperform prescription medicine without any of the side effects.

U is for YOU. You are the most magnificent pharmacy, able to cure almost any disease before it is even detectable by the most sophisticated diagnostic tools. In fact, you cure cancer all day, every day, until something goes wrong inside and you can’t.

The key is staying as healthy as possible, to avoid disease and live your life with high energy, pain-free. Some chiropractors continue their education past treating low back pain and are uniquely qualified to help you navigate the gap between an immediate medical emergency and high energy health.

V is for vinegar. Vinegar is an amazing non-toxic household cleaner, especially in the bathroom. A vinegar shower can take the burn out of a sunburn, the sting out of a bee sting and might even cure a wart.

And by the way, apple cider vinegar is a drug store in itself. If you battle with indigestion or heartburn, try a couple of tablespoons before you subscribe to a lifetime prescription of antacids.

W is for walnuts, which are good for your heart and brain health.

X is for xanthophyll, chlorophyll’s yellow cousin. Found in yellow vegetables, xanthophyll has powerful antioxidant properties.

Y is for yogurt. Greek is better with no added sweeteners or artificial ingredients. The live-active cultures of lactobacillus acidophilus and bulgaricus commonly found in yogurt help restore bacterial balance in the digestive tract.

Z is for z end, my friend. If you have a good household cure starting with z, post it in response to this article.

I am always here to support you in finding answers to your health challenges.

Answer a few important questions about your biggest health challenge and you may qualify for a complimentary consultation that would cost more than $200 in comparable doctors’ offices. Visit http://www.drpolucki.com/consultation/.

About Santa Clarita Chiropractor Dr. Thomas Polucki

Dr. Thomas Polucki is a Board-Certified Doctor of Chiropractic, Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner, Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor and Certified Upper Cervical Chiropractor.

Dr. Polucki provides Functional Medicine services in most cities via remote labs and Internet consultations. He sees patients by appointment at 25050 Peachland Ave., Suite 105, Newhall, Calif., 91321. Visit http://www.drpolucki.com for more information or call 661-753-9340 to schedule an appointment.

Dr. Polucki also hosts the “Dr. Polucki Family Health Hour” on AM 1220 KHTS radio in Santa Clarita, California Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon. Click here to listen to the podcasts.

The information in this article is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease.