Our modern world and medical establishment has taught us that the pharmacist will help you find a quick fix for every ailment, instead of addressing our approach to diet and lifestyle. We’ve gotten so accustomed to finding a quick pharmacological fix to any problem, regardless of the side-effects they are having on our bodies and how they are confusing the delicate biological balance of our bodies, that we often don’t realize there are natural solutions out there for many ailments, and many studies show they are just as effective as pharmaceutical drugs. Here are 10 ways to lessen your dependency on products sold by Big Pharma and help you to spend less time at the doctor’s office.

1. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is one of the most powerful foods you can add to your diet. In addition to being a strong anti-fungal, the overwhelming health benefits of coconut oil now include weight loss, metabolism, improved thyroid function, etc., many confirmed by human studies. Read more about coconut oil here:

10 Proven Health Benefits of Coconut Oil (No. 3 is Best)
Top 25 Reasons to Use Coconut Oil
The 50 Latest Coconut Oil Benefits Backed by Science

2. Superfoods

Super-nutritious and life giving foods have been around since the beginning of time. From nutrient-rich seeds such as chia and hemp, to algae packed with protein, superfoods are finally starting to get the attention that they deserve, and for a good reason. They offer healthy fats, protein, fiber and lots of minerals and vitamins, making an ideal addition to your meals. Read more about superfoods here:

7 Super Seeds that Will Change Your Health
Change Your Life With These Top Superfoods
Superfoods with Strongest Immunity-boosting Power

3. Apple Cider Vinegar

The question is not what apple cider vinegar can do, but what it CAN’T do. As a folk remedy, it has been credited with curing everything from the flu to warts or sunburn to dandruff. However, it also can help reverse serious illness, and aid in internal and external health, as well as help to keep the body alkalinized. Read more about ideas on how you can use apple cider vinegar here:

8 Reasons Apple Cider Vinegar Is One Of The Best Health Tonics Available
9 Amazing Uses For Apple Cider Vinegar
25 Uses for Apple Cider Vinegar

4. Probiotics and Probiotic-Rich Foods

Billions of beneficial bacteria live in the human gut, and the cutting edge of medical research is placing more and more emphasis on the health of these tiny allies. These bacteria are a huge part of what keeps the body in balance in order to maintain overall good health, and an out-of-balance or unhealthy gut flora is even considered to the be the root of anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, we live in sterilized environments. We eat shelf-friendly, lifeless foods that have been pasteurized and denatured. We ingest antibiotics by consuming dairy and meats, and doctors often over-prescribe antibiotic medications, pushed by doctors and patients that demand a quick fix for every illness. As a result, the gut biome is suffering, which makes it more difficult for people to fight off bad bacteria and creates a variety of health issues. Only when the good and bad bacteria in the digestive system are balanced can the body and the immune support system function normally.

Read more about the benefits of probiotics and how you can create your own probiotic-rich foods:

3 Easy Ways to Make Probiotic-rich Fermented Foods
Simplifying Probiotics – A Path To Improving Your Gut Health
7 Ways Probiotics Detoxify Your Body
Two Easy-to-Make Probiotic Drinks That Heal the Gut

5. Hydrogen Peroxide

You can think of hydrogen peroxide as being water that is equipped with an additional oxygen atom. Its uses go beyond disinfecting a cut on your finger or scrape after a fall. Some of the most popular hydrogen peroxide uses involve disinfecting, bleaching and oxidizing. Learn more about hydrogen peroxide here:

77 Therapeutic and Household for Hydrogen Peroxide
20 Benefits and Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide

6. Baking Soda

Baking soda is likely the most inexpensive health remedy in the world. It is effective at combating everything from colds to digestive ailments, and maintaining a proper pH balance. It acts as a beneficial deodorant and skin and oral care ingredient. If it’s one thing you want in your home pharmacy, it’s baking soda. Here’s some ideas on how you can use it:

8 Exceptional Health Benefits of Baking Soda

7. Herbs

Herbal remedies have been used as cures for common ailments and to deal with household pests for centuries. They can alleviate many types of ills naturally and economically, in place of expensive medications that contain harmful chemicals and cause dependency. Modern medicine may not always be the best answer to the body’s ailments. Learn more about healing herbs here:

The 48 Most Essential Healing Herbs
15 Herbal Teas for Every Ailment
Simple Herbal Remedies for 4 Very Common Problems

8. Essential Oils

More scientists are starting to recognize what naturopaths have known for years: essential oils have powerful disease-preventing and fighting abilities. Learn more about essential oils here:

Treating the Pineal Gland with Essential Oils
Oil of Oregano Uses: Fight Super Bacteria, Prevent Cancer
The Miracle of Tea Tree Oil: 80 Amazing Uses for Survival
Essential Oils Can Stop Cancer In Its Tracks

9. Sunlight

Sunlight is well-known to provide us with vitamin D, but it also helps manage pain, helps us stay alert, burns fat, improves heart health, and more…

Science: Sunlight Could Reduce Death Rate From All Causes
5 Amazing Properties of Sunlight You’ve Never Heard About
Before Antibiotics Ever Existed, Sunlight Was Used To Treat Diseases With Great Success

10. Exercise and Meditation

Clinical research has proven that meditation has positive effects on an individual’s overall health, physical and spiritual well-being, and many physicians now recommend it to their patients to treat and prevent illness and disease. Couple it with regular exercise, and you have two of the most important factors for optimal health. There are countless ways to get your exercise. In addition to your favorite sport, practices such as yoga and tai chi can help improve your lifestyle and are accessible to people with conditions such as arthritis or chronic back pain that limit mobility. Here are some articles that discuss the health benefits of these practices:

Modern Science Confirms Yoga’s Many Health Benefits
The Health Benefits of Tai Chi
How Meditation Affects Different Regions of the Brain and Body
Meditation – The Rise of Futuristic Medicine From An Ageless Practice

Unless you’ve made it a point to stay away from products made by pharmaceutical companies, you’re probably like many of us. We continue to rely on old habits of taking an advil when we have a headache, drinking some pepto for a gassy belly, etc, even when living a healthy lifestyle. Hope you feel inspired to start making new habits to more naturally maintain your health and treat the body’s ailments.About the Author

Anna Hunt is writer, yoga instructor, mother of three, and lover of healthy food. She’s the founder of Awareness Junkie, an online community paving the way for better health and personal transformation. She’s also the co-editor at Waking Times, where she writes about optimal health and wellness. Anna spent 6 years in Costa Rica as a teacher of Hatha and therapeutic yoga. She now teaches at Asheville Yoga Center and is pursuing her Yoga Therapy certification. During her free time, you’ll find her on the mat or in the kitchen, creating new kid-friendly superfood recipes.

This article is offered under Creative Commons license. It’s okay to republish it anywhere as long as attribution bio is included and all links remain intact.

http://www.wakingtimes.com/2015/07/01/these-10-things-can-make-your-life-pharmaceutical-free/