4 Natural Remedies You Should Borrow from Your Grandmother

Cold plunges are nothing new for our grandparents. They've been icing things that hurt for centuries.

If medicines are leaving you with one too many side effects of upset stomachs or headaches, you may want to try an old-world natural remedy.   A Woman’s World article recently highlighted a few tried and true one that your grandmother may still practice.

Ice your achy hands in a bowl of ice water for 1 minute. If you can’t quite make yourself jump into a cold pool or ice bath for all over benefits. You can start with your hands. Submerge them in ice-col water while opening and closing them for 60 seconds. It’s been used in Sweden and and Iceland for hundreds of years.   Cold water blocks pain pathways to the brain in under a minute. stretching loosens tight muscles

For sore hips, often the hip flexor just needs a good, consistent stretch.  Try the chair  stretch that improves mobility.  Sit straight on a chair, cross one leg over the other to form a figure 4.  Lean forward until you feel a stretch, hold for 10 seconds.

Achy back?  Go for a walk.  Folks in Ireland report the lowest cases of chronic back pain in Europe.   Researchers say it’s because they traditionally enjoy leisure walks.  The Spine Journal found a 20-minute walk cuts pain in half.   Walking boosts levels of pain-relieving serotonin, realigns the spine and loosen tight muscles.

Rub achy feet with olive oil.  Some do the the olive oil shots first thing in the morning for health benefits, but Italian and Greek grandmas are famous for keeping a bottle on hand for massaging throbbing feet.   A study in the Journal of Rheumatology backs the age-old tradition.   Rubbing feet 1 minute three times a day with extra-virgin olive oil can ease pain better than some prescriptions.  It has to do with the oil’s anti-inflammatory properties blocking pain-triggering enzymes.