Chronic illness is draining.

Physically, emotionally and financially.

People are often unable to hold down a full-time job.

The medical bills pile up.

After a series of unsuccessful treatments, they start to think about alternative medicine.

However, paying for holistic healthcare may be difficult.

Because insurance plans typically don’t cover the cost of treatments.

So you’re left with out-of-pocket expenses.

5 Low Cost Holistic Health Remedies

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Staring at the out-of-pocket costs, you may decide not to pursue natural remedies.

You may write off holistic healthcare altogether.

But there’s another option. You can do your own research. A lot of it.

Then you can work with your own doctor to get healthy again.

You can also use healing methods that are free. Or very low cost.

Keep reading and I’ll tell you about them.

Why Oil Pulling Is Good for You

Oil pulling is natural healing method has been used in India for ages.

It’s so easy to do.

You put 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of oil in your mouth and swish it around for 10 to 15 minutes.

However, it is difficult to do pulling for that amount of time. So just do your best.

Start with pulling for a minute or two and try to work up to longer sessions.

Many people use organic coconut oil for oil pulling. But you can use olive oil, grapeseed oil, sesame oil or another edible oil.

Some holistic health experts believe that oil pulling helps restore your health by gently detoxing your body, and boosting your natural immunity.

But this theory is yet unproven by science. However, there is evidence that oil pulling does reduce plaque.

Holistic dentists believe that an unhealthy mouth will lead to an unhealthy body.

Oil pulling is probably not for you if you have amalgam fillings.

Read what this holistic dental practice has to say about it.

My homeopathy teacher also used to caution against doing too much pulling too fast.

He was right.

I started with 20 minutes a day and it made my well-controlled joint pain so much worse.

So start slowly and gradually work up.

Stop if you develop new symptoms.

EFT Tapping Therapy

Emotional Freedom Technique is another natural healing method.

It’s totally free, and it’s easy to do.

Emotional Freedom Technique is often called tapping or EFT tapping.

This is because you take your fingers and tap on certain meridians, located on the upper body.

Tapping is backed by science. It’s been proven to reduce or eliminate the effects of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

So what’s the catch?

There doesn’t appear to be one.

Tapping can be done in the privacy of your home. It seems to work immediately. The effects seem to be long-lasting, if not permanent. You can read more about tapping here, in one of my earlier blog posts.

Earthing Going Barefoot for Your Health

About 16 years ago, my health was terrible.

I could barely move. My back pain was intense.

My stress level was off the charts. My diet was filled with junk food.

Even though I knew a lot about natural health I didn’t put it into practice.

Modern medicine offered no solution.

Although I was an avid homeopathic remedy user, I realized I was using the remedies allopathically.

I was taking little white pellets as if they were pills, and expecting them to do all the work.

So I made some major lifestyle changes.

First, I upgraded my diet. All real food and no junk.

I took various herbal remedies, in addition to homeopathy.

Plus I tried various other healing methods.

One of them was earthing.

This involves putting your body in contact with the ground.

The theory behind earthing is that the earth is negatively charged.

Touching it or walking on it counters the positively charged free radicals, which damage your DNA.

Rubber soled shoes create a barrier between you and the earth.

Also, today, relatively few people garden. Working with the earth is another opportunity for contact.

I wear rubber soled shoes. I don’t garden.

So I decided to do some “earthing.” In the middle of winter I bundled up. I put my bare feet to the ground, and kept them there for 30 minutes. I did this once a day, for about six months.

My overall health began to improve. But it would be impossible for me to give earthing all the credit. Or even a lot of the credit. Because I was doing so many other healthy things at the same time, including homeopathy.

Earthing is supported by a small number of studies. Natural health advocate Dr. Andrew Weil, MD notes that early research shows earthing seems to lead to better sleep, as well as less pain and anxiety. However, he also noted that more research is needed.

People with compromised health problems who are prone to foot infections will need to check with their doctor before going barefoot.

But earthing mats that you can use indoors might be another option.

Resistance Stretching for Better Health

There’s a special type of stretching you may want to try. It’s called resistance stretching, and you can do it at home.

It involves contracting your muscles during stretches. It sounds counter intuitive. But apparently it works.

This is another healing method I used when I was at my very worst. It seemed to help a little. But I don’t believe I gave it a fair trial. Because I did it while eating pro-inflammatory foods, such as ice cream.

A bad diet overrode any natural remedy or healing method I hoped would work.

Once I cleaned up my diet, I began to recover.

I need to get back to resistance stretching now, while my inflammation is under control. I think I’d see a big difference.

You can learn more about resistance stretching by reading a book called, The Genius of Flexibility. For those of us who are Christian it contains a little bit of material that may be interpreted as New Age. I suggest you skip that and just focus on the exercises.

Do Acupressure Mats Really Work?

One of my happy finds is an acupressure mat. This is a two piece mat with raised spikes, that allows you to enjoy the benefits of acupressure/acupuncture at home.

Acupressure mats are very cost efficient. You buy them once and you can use them whenever you like. it really does seem to help with pain.

Although I’m confident professional acupuncture sessions with a skilled practitioner would be more effective, this might be a good option for someone who is low on funds, and can’t afford these sessions, but still wants the benefits of energy medicine.

I’m not aware of any studies showing acupressure mats relieve pain or alleviate other health problems. But they offer a low-cost way to potentially feel better. You can see the kind of acupressure mat I own below. I like it because it comes with a pillow that you can also use to stimulate meridian points on the bottom of your feet.

For More Reading

Dr. Andrew Weil on Earthing

You may be interested in an earlier post on How To Save Money on Natural Healthcare.

I’ve also created an online course designed for people who can’t afford to pay to see a naturopathic practitioner or pay for homeopathy sessions. It includes information on a wide range of healing methods, some of which you’ve probably never heard of. It’s meant to be used while working with your doctor, so you can potentially benefit from a holistic healing plan covered by insurance. For more information click on the image below.

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