Both sets of my grandparents had part in raising my sister and myself and the one thing that they both had in common is that you did not run to the doctor for every little thing that ails you. With today's health insurance costs being higher and more unattainable than before, its probably time to return to proven methods of natural home remedies or the more current term homeopathy cures.

If Mema Harris did not know how to read the symptoms and create a natural home remedy for the family her next stop was the local drugstore in Diboll, Texas where she would query the pharmacist on duty about a rash on our arm or why there was a discharge in our urine, etc. The pharmacist almost always had an over the counter cure that worked.

During one visit my legs were covered in red whelps it was an allergic reaction but she had never seen it before. It turned out that I was allergic to chiggers or what they called red bugs in East Texas. He grabbed a bottle and told Mema for me to take two pills a day and they were chewable. They were sulphur tablets Red bugs hate sulphur so when the chemical is discharged through your dermis pores it will keep them away for most of the day. The cost of this medical procedure was $2.00.

Nightly before going to sleep Mema would cover our chests with mentholated rub, put some under our noses and had us eat a about a teaspoon full of the Vick's type substance. It would help us breath easier and get a good nights sleep. I later read on the instructions label that you are not supposed to ingest the medicine orally, but hey it didn't make us sick or kill us!

Occasionally during the summer months we would drive along the railroad tracks near the farm and dig up Sassafras roots to make iced tea. She probably did not know the claimed health benefits of Sassafras tea except that it was very flavorful and thirst quenching. Mema would boil the roots on the stove and let them steep for about an hour. She would brew up a Gallon at a time and add one cup of sugar to the pot and dissolved before pouring over ice.

Little did she know that she had such a great home remedy in her special tea. Sassafras claims to serve as a diuretic when battling the flu or colds, as well as helping in the fight against arthritis and other rheumatic health conditions. Other remedies from this wonderful tea drink is being a natural blood thinner (get out of the way coumadin) plus helping in purifying your blood. Its also an excellent antioxidant to get rid of those nasty toxins we take in on a daily basis. Do you have bronchitis? Then this special iced or hot tea is for you as well.

Of course there is no replacement for the intake of copious amounts of filtered water to help lubricate and hydrate your system and of course helping flush out the contaminants we ingest from fast food, processed meats and cheeses, plus whatever our pores take in from our local environment.

If you still have the pleasure of your grandparents company these days ask them how their mothers and fathers applied their natural home remedies to daily life. You might be surprised and save a bunch of money in the process.