9 Drug-Free Ways to Prevent and Help Common Ailments

Get a headache, pop ibuprofen. Feel stomach discomfort, take an antacid. Start coming down with the sniffles, seek out an antibiotic. Sound familiar?

When we’re not feeling our best, it’s easy to reach for whatever’s most readily available at the local drug store or quickly prescribed by the doctor. While traditional medicine is sometimes the answer, it can all too quickly become a crutch. Even worse, an over-dependence on certain medications can have harmful side effects. Even seemingly innocuous drugs can cause decreased kidney function, ulcers, and even stroke if overused. You don't need unnatural drugs to find your way to a healthy life.

So how can you reduce your reliance on traditional medicines while still caring for your ailments? Eating, living, and medicating mindfully are steps you can take for a more holistic approach to health.

Diet, exercise, sleep, and hygiene all play a vital role in keeping your body happy and healthy. And when you do need a little bit of a boost—whether it’s to get all your nutrients or fight off an ailment—natural vitamins and supplements from the Drug Free Help Store might be just the help you need.

Here are nine drug-free ways that you can prevent illness and care for your body

1. Eat a Balanced Diet

Eating a balanced diet is how to provide your body with necessary vitamins and nutrients in their most natural form. Studies show that a diet of minimally processed foods (better known as whole foods) reduces your risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

Understanding the foods that make your body happy is key. Anti-inflammatory foods like tomatoes, fatty fish, and leafy vegetables fight chronic inflammation, which is linked to ailments like arthritis, depression, and Alzheimer’s.

Sugar, on the other hand, can suppress the immune system and rob your body of nutrients—all the more reason to put down that sleeve of cookies and munch on something farm fresh instead.

2. Stay Hydrated

When it comes to your body, water is an all-star. It delivers nutrients to your cells, regulates your body temperature, and helps your kidneys filter waste from your body. Water also makes your muscles and joints perform better. Sip on the good stuff throughout the day to hydrate to the fullest and reap the most benefits. A good rule of thumb is eight eight-ounce glasses per day.

3. Get Enough Sleep

We severely underestimate the power of a solid night of rest. Skipping sleep can be tempting, but it’s never wise. Sleep deprivation can be responsible for a whole slew of troubles, including heart disease, kidney disease, stroke, and obesity.

Catching Zs isn’t just enjoyable, it’s restorative. While you’re snoozing, your brain is forming new pathways, your heart and blood vessels are healing, and your hormones are being regulated. Having good sleep habits is one of the best ways to keep your health in check. Permission to indulge in a little bit of beauty sleep, granted.

4. Reduce Stress

From sleep problems to muscle tension, stress can wreak havoc on your body and your mind if it’s not managed correctly. For some people, adopting a meditation practice can do the trick. For others, it’s learning to say no. And for many, a natural de-stress supplement can offer much-needed relief. However you can manage to squash stress, do it, and your body will thank you.

5. Take a Vitamin

Eating whole foods is the most natural way to fuel your body with nutrients. But, it’s nearly impossible to get every nutrient you need every day from diet alone. That’s where vitamins come in.

Whole food vitamins offer a more natural option than their synthesized alternatives. They’re made from concentrated whole foods and offer the same perks of consuming a minimally processed, nutrient-rich diet. They provide a healthy and convenient way to fill in gaps in your diet and consume essential nutrients.

6. Keep Your Hands Clean

It’s a wild world out there, full of bacteria and germs. Touch a door handle or use a shared pen, and you pick up germs from all the hands that came before yours. That’s why it’s crucial to give your hands a good cleaning with hot, soapy water throughout the day—especially before you handle food or eat.

7. Get Active

Losing weight isn’t the only reason to get a sweat on. Exercise offers an array of benefits for your body. It improves your heart health, regulates blood sugar, increases muscle function, and reduces pain. Sure, some people aren’t able to do certain types of workouts, but nearly everyone can find some form of exercise to make themselves feel a bit better. Whether you’re suffering from asthma, arthritis, cancer, or dementia, getting active will improve your life.

8. Take a Probiotic

Not all bacteria are bad guys. An effective probiotic supports the bacteria that help with digestion while working to eliminate destructive bacteria. Researchers are still trying to determine which probiotics are best for specific conditions. But, preliminary research shows probiotics might effectively treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well as certain types of diarrhea.

9. Take a Natural Supplement

Is a recurring ailment derailing your daily life? Chances are, there’s a supplement to help fight it.

A good source for supplements is the Drug Free Help Store website, which offers a variety of natural remedies for everything from colds to migraines to digestive woes. They’ve made it easy to find the supplement that could best help you by curating collections based on issues. Just find the ailment you’re suffering from to learn more about the products that may provide relief.

It’s frustrating to battle with pain, discomfort, or illness continually. But, you can find some relief by taking advantage of natural supplements and by adopting some good habits. If you follow a healthy diet, exercise, and get adequate sleep, you’ll improve your life. And, just as important, you’ll help to avoid an unhealthy reliance on drugs.

Written by Amanda McConnon for Matcha in partnership with Drug Free Help Store.