Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [natural-remedies]

Use this tag for "natural" solutions to common problems such as healthcare conditions, but also everyday nuisances and problems. See also "folk remedies" or "home remedies".

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Is acid reflux ("heartburn") caused by having too little stomach acid?

According to a number of websites, "almost everything you have been told about heartburn, indigestion, and common stomach ailments are lies", and heartburn is actually caused by too little stomach acid. The truth about most stomach disorders is…
endolith
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Does flour or rice make an ant's stomach explode?

As I attempt to kill ants in my yard, I've been reading various claims about how to kill ants without common consumer chemical pesticides like DEET. One claim that I've heard repeatedly is that rice, corn meal or flour can make an ant's stomach…
Mark Rogers
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Does washing your hair with a coal-tar soap prevent hair loss and accommodate hair growth?

I have heard several people, including both a former dermatologist and a hair-dresser claim that coal-tar soap can help prevent hair-loss. The Herbs and Home Remedies site recommends it (combined with an egg yolk treatment). The commenter on a forum…
Vahan Lcf Harutyunyan
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Does soursop cure cancer?

I was linked a website about the effect soursop has in fighting cancer. The website heavily implies that soursop is an effective cancer treatment similar to chemo. source Chemotherapy is a widely known form of cancer treatment and is effective at…
Kit Sunde
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Are there any proven benefits to ingesting wheatgrass?

I have read statements such as "Fifteen pounds of wheatgrass is equivalent to 350 pounds of the choicest vegetables", of which I am obviously skeptical. Are there any independent studies from reputable sources about the benefits / risks of…
tofarr
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Does aromatherapy have proven efficacy in certain cases?

When answering this question on the possibility of using soap to cure leg cramp I began looking around for double blind studies related to aromatherapy. This lead me to the following examples: Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment…
going
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Are most humans infected with parasites that water fasting can eliminate?

So this is a new one for me... I came across a jaw dropping niche of health-woo today. Apparently tens of thousands of people (if not more) believe that almost all humans are infected with parasites that cause us all to crave sugary foods, and a…
WakeDemons3
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Does garlic repel mosquitoes?

I have heard claims that garlic repels mosquitoes. Specifically, this site claims that Eating a diet heavy in onions and garlic can make you unattractive to mosquitoes. Is there any evidence supporting that claim?
Kit Sunde
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Does drinking warm or hot water aid in digestion?

One of my brother-in-law's coworkers claims that drinking hot water (straight from the tap) aids in digestion. I've been able to find a debunking of cold water causing cancer, but can't find anything related to drinking hot water (at least nothing…
IDontExist
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Eating ice cream during tonsillitis?

Some people I know would never eat anything cold during tonsillitis, because they think ice cream can worsen it (some others are afraid ice cream could cause it, when ice cream is eaten with a cold outside temperature, and some others - Get Rid of…
Suma
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Does black seed oil help treat various cancers, asthma, epilepsy, liver conditions, high blood pressure and more?

Does anyone know if the scientific claims about black seed oil talked about here are true: One of black seed's primary bioactive components is thymolquinone, or TQ, which is found in its essential oil. So far, notes Aggarwal, botanists have…
oshirowanen
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Does eating her newborn's placenta relieve a mother's postpartum symptoms?

Eating placenta has become really popular, especially since Mad Men star January Jones spoke to People Magazine about her own choice to have her son's placenta freeze dried and put into pill capsules. I have a lot of pregnant friends who plan on…
Tacroy
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Is vinegar a sunburn remedy?

While searching for a remedy for sunburn pain last year, I ran across multiple references to vinegar as an effective method in treating sunburn pain. Is there any research that validates or invalidates this claim? If founded, how might vinegar act…
marfarma
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Does ginger help against the common cold?

My wife is treating all cold symptons in the family with a few spoons of freshly ground ginger juice mixed with honey. While I don't mind an occasional placebo, drinking ginger juice is unpleasant because of the burning sensation while swallowing,…
Twinkles
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Are fish oil capsules beneficial?

Page 28 of the February 2018 edition of Which? magazine says, (You don't need...) Fish oils such as Omega 3 capsules Unless you are advised to take these, you don't need to. Studies show that fish oil's positive benefits are gained though eating…
ChrisW
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