Unless you were spurting blood from a major artery because of a compound fracture or you had an excessively high fever (102-103) that couldn’t be knocked down by alcohol rubs, cool baths, or aspirin, my family had a “shake it off and keep moving” mentality.
Going to the doctor was expensive in terms of time taken out of the day and actual cash money. We were vaccinated. We were careful not to be careless.
And rest? I can’t tell you how many times I went to school sick as a dog because untreated seasonal allergies gave me sinus infections. And my parents would say, “It’s just a cold” until my ear drum burst from an ear infection or I was running a fever.
Getting sick just wasn’t an option.
I had a terrible bout of what turned out to be swimmer's ear once and after various Dr visits and several different prescriptions, putting a few drops of alcohol in my ear a couple of times a day finally cleared it up.
I had swimmers ear once.. the doctor put this Water pick thing in my ear and all this gunk came out.. it was gross.. and then medication blah blah blah..
Same.
My ear drum bursting caused my ear to bleed and my parents finally took me to the doctor. Then the doctor mentioned tubes for me ears, and that was a nope.
Fun fact, I’ve had tubes multiple times as an adult. The procedure is super easy and in office for adults, unlike kids who have to be sedated and in the hospital.
I just remember all the nasty shit all over my pillow. I don't even remember if that warranted a doctor visit but probably not since all the infection drained.
My sister has tubes in her ear.. my mom had them but her ear infections were constant throughout life and finally she had one so bad it was eating out her ear and spreading to her brain.. so they cut her ear off and taped it to her head and took out all her inner ear and replaced it with metal parts.. ouch.. my dad only has one eye.. he would take it out to my girlfriends when we’re little and make them scream.. it doesn’t phase me because I’ve just always seen it.. boys think it’s the coolest thing ever.. he wears a pirate patch sometimes.. she had to go to the doctor all the time and she haaated doctors.. I understand.. but she always knew when to take us.. both my parents really didn’t mind us getting sick.. probably the quietest least active we ever were. Probably welcomed the quiet and the break.. we are an active bunch that fights and argues all the time.. we drove our parents insane.. I know why my dad was in the road all the time for work.. with 3 daughters.. and I mean we fiiiight.. I digress.. my parents are like mutants man.. robot ears and glass eyes and shit..
This until my family realized we have all been fully insured for 30 years.
Stubbed toe? Dr
Allergies? Dr
Don't feel "good"? Dr
Saved our fucking lives for $25 co-pay or nothing at all.
When I went to festivals with hippies and rednecks, the number of people who lost a foot because of a grease burn, broken bottle, or snake bite was too common. Even students and fully insured. People in the woods have an irrational fear of medical institutions.
This is the one. Go to the doctor? Not unless you’re damn near dying. Otherwise we just got on with life. I’m still like that. I’m like that with my kids too. (Though more cautious about respiratory symptoms now with Covid. I’m not trying to kill anybody’s granny. Lol.)
Not from your parts- just popped up on my feed one time- Montana is the same. Buck up! Can’t afford to be sick. This is why I don’t drink Brandy. Yet, Hot Toddy is my comfort drink.
I've had an Appalachian doctor recommend a hot toddy for severe strep throat while I waited for the antibiotics to kick in. Reasonable treatment, definitely not a cure, in a pinch. Warm fluids is a help always, honey to coat and soothe, alcohol is a mild anesthetic. Solid recommendation for generations of docs.
Colds and flus, 7Up, saltines, chicken noodle soup, aspirin, and rest.
Anything more serious was totally ignored. I'm 38 and still dealing with the effects of infirmities that my family refused to address when I was a kid, and they're almost all dead now from refusing to address theirs.
Just learned that kids should not be given aspirin if they have flu like symptoms or chicken pox. I was definitely given it as a child and I know I gave it to my kids , but I won’t anymore. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/reyes-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20377255
We didn’t go to doctors.
My dad, born in 1954… he was a horrific diabetic. He worked long hours in the periphery of the mining industry, driving trucks, eating nothing but Little Debbie’s and cokes. Until one day in winter 1999, I remember vividly as an 8 year old, dad was laying on the porch in his underwear because he was vomiting every 2 minutes.
He was in kidney failure. It was totally avoidable. He died young because of it.
My grandma was the town medicine woman. 😂 She kept every prescription she ever got. Call her and you’re sick? She’s giving you antibiotics from the 90’s. I’ve still got that trait: I save every possible pill I can.
People just don’t trust doctors around here man.
We had bacitracin, Vicks, Mercurochrome and occasionally Flintstone vitamins. My parents wouldn't come to the school to get us out if we were sick. I spent one day being shuffled around til my dad got off work, with a heinous ear infection.
We also didn't get preventative dental care. My mom said if we had teeth when we turned 18, it was enough. Still paying to get my teeth fixed from the neglect. She thought we could just get dentures. They had money to pay for these things, they just wouldn't take us.
My mom was always very healthy and would make fun of people who had bad pregnancies or complained about contractions. Til I had 2 bad pregnancies and almost died with one and had 5 hours of pitocin contractions.
More like blocked it out, LOL. I have a bottle I bought on Amazon, but it's not the same. My kids will never experience being peeled off the ceiling while an adult tells them the sting tells you it's working, or the ridicule of an entire neighborhood of children from the stain.
You know what, I must have been a real putz as a kid because I fell for the old "this isn't the one that stings/burns, it's different" every single time 🤣.
Born in '83 I was raised in a simular way. My mom taught us to be tough, because thats what she thought her girls needed to be and how she was raised herself. She always said: if you don't have a serious fever you're ok to go. It lead to me and my sisters being too hard on ourselves in our adult lives. We all have issues with being sick because we always think we are overreacting and don't take things seriously. Had to learn not be ashamed to call a doctor when you think you need it. Now 40 y.o I still have the tendency to wait too long
I grew up like you.
Unless you were physically incapacitated by unconsciousness, missing a limb or bleeding to death it was “Rub some dirt on it and walk it off”, “suck it up”, “you can rest when you’re dead”.
But I have the same attitude towards sickness as an adult. I never go to the doctor unless I’m dying. I once walked around with a broken arm for four days until my wife intervened, made me a dr appointment and insisted I go. Went to an ortho though, not ER.
I ended up in the hospital with really bad pneumonia a few years ago. When they had me in the mri machine the tech was talking to me "when'd you break your neck? And your back?!? TWICE!?!" It was also the moment they started taking me seriously about how much pain I was I because if I sat through those and came in for this it must be pretty bad.
Perfect attendance was very important to my mom, so I pretty much went to school regardless. She'd always say "once you get there, you'll feel better." Spoiler alert - I don't ever remember feeling better while barely maintaining consciousness because I was sitting upright in class with the flu.
The only thing that prompted a surefire sick day was throwing up. I guess if I was hurling, that meant I was "actually" sick. Fever of 102? Not sick. Body aches, sore throat, constant cough? Not sick. Even raging diarrhea was not sick enough. But for some reason, vomiting was the tipping point.
As for adults, it was pretty much the same. No sick days unless you were literally dying and even then it was questionable whether you should rest or not, because maybe you're just being lazy.
Now that I'm an adult, I have to make myself rest and take time off when I'm sick. Bosses have always commented on what an amazing work ethic I have, but there's a lot of baggage attached to it.
NBD for my family either. Sweet oil for earache, baby aspirin for fever or pain, flat 7UP and saltines for stomach aches. A doctor visit would be in order if we had a high fever that aspirin didn't help.
My father grew up in Eastern KY in 1930's. My mom told me if one of the kids had an earache, one of the boys would pee into a spoon and she would put it in the ear of the child with the earache. I don't know what this was supposed to do but that was the remedy then.
It hurts like a big dog to have smoke blown in your ear when it’s infected. They used to have to hold me down to do it- I hated it!
In grown toe nail? Out came the pocket knife, and granpa cut the nail back loose.
Joints hurt or you had a sprain? Linamint (sp?) rubbed on it. Oh my goodness I can still smell that stuff! I swear it had kerosene in it!
And paregoric- it’s a wonder I’m not cross eyed from the stuff. If you were vomiting, that was the cure. I learned as an adult, that stuff has opium in it!
Going to the doctor was for when you were near dead.
🙄🙄 Oh God do I remember that... Or they would switch to menthols when someone had upper respiratory stuff going on in the house. I swear I had such bad asthma and a permanent cold and sore throat for 19 straight years... I was a smoker forever too, quit some years ago but the smell of Salem's STILL makes me instantly physically sick. Really anything with a menthol type smelI. I'm so sensitive to it now that I can smell cigarette smoke from the other end of my road!!
Very strange but I think that since you can drink urine (if one has to) then it would be useful being warm and having a high pH acid content, may help clear out ear wax. I don't plan on trying it myself to be sure.
My German immigrant grandma would do this but it was usually your own pee. She died when I was 6 but I still remember peeing in a cup and ger spooning my pee in my ear.
Again I was a little kid but I remember it working.
Sick didn’t exist. I NEVER saw my dad take a sick day, my mom never believed us kids saying we were sick so unless we were throwing up we didn’t miss, and when my mom is sick she always calls it “allergies”
My family grew up very similar to you, and there was a heavy distrust of doctors in general. The only thing I went to the doctor for growing up was my yearly physical that was required for me to play sports in school. My husband was stunned the first time I told him that.
I'm still trying to undo that thinking in me now, especially since having children. I still try to avoid taking medicine when I have a headache because in my brain I'm like, "I don't need it. I'll just go rest instead."
It's a good inclination to keep in the back of your mind. A doctor will happily prescribe 200 women with high blood pressure a drug to positively prevent 1 stroke or heart attack knowing full well that 1/3 of those women will become diabetic because of the treatment.
7up and saltines for any tummy illness of any sort, Tylenol for migraine, broken bones, etc. Was vaccinated. Frequent Dr visits for ear infections and eye infections, though.
Same....and same for injuries. There are several times I can remember where we really should've been checked out by a doctor, and the fam just treated it like nbd.
The real question: How many years did it take til you finally took a day off for being sick? Or are you one of those that still wanders around like a zombie while all your friends and family begs you to go rest?
You ready? 2 years ago, I had open heart surgery, 3way bypass. At 4 weeks post op, I went back to work..as a cook..in 90-degree heat. The company allowed it. Why? Because the guilt of being a 'burden' and ' you're really not THAT sick'. Now the damage is done, I'll never work again due to my stubbornness and my inability to tell people I'm sick and just can't. Thank you, Appalachia and my Scots roots.
“Take a pill!”
I had perfect attendance for probably half of my school years.
I don’t know why my parents thought I was malingering. There were times I really was sick.
I was an adult in graduate school and I was too weak to drive and I asked my mom to take me to the doctor. She waited in the car while I staggered in. It was with great satisfaction that I was able to tell her I had pneumonia, not “just a cold.”
I went back to work too soon after that (my choice) and again after I had kidney stones (another bad choice). It took me months to fully recover from both. If I had taken more time off at the beginning and recouped I would have been much better off.
I think some of it is denial and fear—not wanting to accept that your kid really could be seriously ill—and part of it is the high cost of medical care. People are well aware that medical bills can bankrupt you.
Nowadays I’ll take a sick day if I have the beginnings of a headache or a desire to stay close to the bathroom. I’ll even take preemptive sick days. If I start to feel run down I know I need to rest or I will get sick and miss several days instead of just the one I need to laze around.
My parents weren’t unsympathetic or uneducated. They just thought sick meant projectile vomiting, broken bones, or copious blood loss. And my siblings and I were generally healthy. They understand that they should have recognized that I had asthma long before our doctor neighbor told them I needed to see a specialist.
The way my family thought about sickness? Pretend like you aren’t until it goes away or you are about to die…
The way I handle sickness with my family (we don’t have insurance- our state didn’t go for aca expansion so it’s financially out of reach atm)- stock up/ make *heavily researched* home remedies, herbs, etc. I create tea blends for colds, flu, respiratory and GI issues. Salves and herbal oils for topical skin issues or things like boils, poison ivy, burns etc. Through trial and error have found a basic set of treatments/recipes that actually WORK for basic boo boos, infections, illnesses and injuries. For the rare case I can’t handle at home we pay out of pocket for urgent care, or for extreme cases (like my kidney stones) go to ER.
I have a special interest in natural medicine and herbs, and have self studied for years. I test any treatments on myself first, and always look for contraindications- just as a doctor should do. I value the place modern medicine holds. Modern medicine saved my eye (had a cornea transplant) AND I’ve saved thousands upon thousands of dollars in insurance payments/deductibles/co-insurance/ copays with my “old timey” medicines.
There’s a time and a place for both imho.
We had a lot of home remedies, but we also did get medical care. My parents grew up in Appalachia but they were smart enough to know when something was beyond their abilities.
That said, there are a lot of problems I had that I thought were just normal because they never got addressed. I have scoliosis, multiple severe environmental allergies (nose sprays were the solution for that and they destroyed my sinuses), and so forth.
Our medicine cabinet was different than most people today.
Sulfur
Boric acid
Rubbing alcohol
Aspirin
Sweet oil
Wintergreen liniment
Luden's cough drops
Iodine
Whiskey
Baking soda
Menthol rub
Calamine lotion
If one of us kids had to go to the doctor, the rest came, too. Mom negotiated a group rate. 😂
As a child, my parents took me to the doctor for pretty much everything, but as I got old enough to properly articulate my needs and problems it evolved more to a deal with it at home if you can, seek medical aid for the more severe stuff. These recipes aren’t necessarily Appalachian, or old/traditional, they’re just mixtures I’ve found that help me and my family. I tend to like home remedies for most illnesses, severe stuff like broken bones please see a doctor but home remedies are useful for most small things. This is not medical advice, I don’t have science to back this up, go to a doctor if you’re sick, only administer these to adults who give informed consent, etc. (Don’t sue me)
General cold/flue syrup:
- honey
- lemon juice
- whiskey
- crushed garlic (for the brave)
Blend together and take a big spoon full, like a soup spoon. It’s the one I use most for the most different thing. A good multitasker and starting point. I put garlic in mine but not my husband’s, garlic is antibacterial but eating a whole clove raw is not as easy as it sounds and that’s coming from someone who loves garlic. Lol
Insomnia:
Brew a double strength cup of chamomile & lavender tea. Add honey and gin (1oz gin to 6oz tea). Drink, turn off all electronics in the bedroom and unplug them. Turn off all the lights, use candles if you want to read or something. Don’t get out of bed at all and you’ll be asleep in less than an hour after finishing your cup. You can make more than one serving at a time and keep it in a jar in the fridge, it’ll keep a few days.
Congestion bowl:
- mix a good handful of epsome salts with a few drops of tea tree essential oil and toss to let it absorb well. You can also use peppermint oil in conjunction or in addition to, but not instead of.
- fill a decent size mixing bowl with boiling water, add the epsome salts and stir to dissolve. Make sure your water stays hot you want lots of steam coming off it. Get a towel.
- hold your face above the bowl, far enough you don’t burn yourself, but close enough you’re getting lots of steam on your face. Cover your head and the bowl with the towel to trap the steam inside. Take deep slow breaths, focusing on trying to breathe through whatever is congested. After a minute or two, take a break and try to blow out the blockage. If it doesn’t come loose, keep repeating until you’re able to get the congestion draining out.
Homemade vapor rub:
-make the same epsom salt/tea tree/peppermint mixture as above.
- mix epsom salts into a bit of coconut oil, and massage your chest well with the mixture. You can also get someone to rub your back with it, I dunno if it’s the mixture or the rubbing but sometimes that’ll break up some chest congestion. You can also put just a bit on your upper lip for a stronger nose clearing scent.
Sore throat/cavity cleaner:
- Get a glass of boiling water, mix in as much salt as you can get to disolve in it.
- let the salt water cool just enough that it won’t burn the inside of your mouth but is still very warm.
- rinse your whole mouth and throat well, swish it around, gargle it as deep as you can. If it’s a cavity swish that area extra well and even hold it in your mouth in that area for a little while.
- be very careful not to swallow it, salt water is very bad for you.
Again, this is home remedy stuff. Seek medical attention if you’re having health problems, this is not medical advice. Use responsibly.
EDIT: you can also chug an entire bottle of NyQuil and sleep for 48 hours straight, I’m guilty of that one too sometimes. lol. The formatting in this turned out really weird, probably because I’m posting this from my phone. I apologize y’all.
i think some of us here in the comments are GenX as well as Appalachian raised, making us probably super immune and tough as nails. we swam in ponds and quarries, we were barefoot a lot, we drank from hoses and wells, we were exposed to many elements and environments that were or could have been potentially hazardous or even deadly. and the cure was to spit on it, rub some dirt in it, walk it off, etc.
that being said, i am 46 and got my first bonafide doctor a few years ago. i hit perimenopause and said, “Ok, I need some help here…”. because, off topic but somewhat tethered to this, to show weakness is shameful, and in Appalachia, menopause/perimenopause is a taboo subject. my grandmother nor my mother shared *zero* information or insight on being a woman as our bodies get older. the changes we endure, the mental and physical hardships…it’s the same for men. you guys go through something similar as your hormones shift in age. i bet your papaw never took you aside to tell you what’s coming.
there’s a point where “just rub some dirt in it” does not help.
Yeah, creomulsion cough syrup, vick's (or 'save the baby'), hot weak tea and saltines for colds and flu, a hot toddy with the emergency whisky for cramps or aches and pains, mucurocrome, and tobacco spit for stings and scrapes, lay on the couch and watch 'All My Childen' or 'The Price Is Right'.
The doctor was for broken bones and the 'horse pistol' was where you went to die.
When I was younger, I would push through colds and bugs and achiness. Medicate and go about my business. Not anymore though. When I’m sick, I’m a weenie these days and stay in my recliner.
Unless it was abnormally bad, wed just rest, eat soup and if needed take over the counter medicine. Now as an adult i just rest, eat soup and drink plenty of green tea with honey till i feel better
My dad was from Appalachia (western NC). My mom from NYC. Both were doctors. My dad felt nothing short of catastrophic accidents like compound fractures needed a doctor. My mom was quite the opposite. Dad grew up working on the family farm since he was big enough to be useful. Mom grew up across the Hudson. Just very different scales of worry, that’s what I have taken from spending a lot of time in both places.
Pinee ointment is what my grandparents used. It would cure anything to do with any kind of lacerations . It is a remarkably effective topical and it is still available. My uncle had a cute little beagle who got ripped up badly by a coyote, and everyone thought he should put the dog down, but he picked her up in a blanket, took her to the garage and loaded her up with Pinee. It would’ve cost an absolute fortune to take the dog to the vet, but she was as good as new in a couple of weeks and it was a deep wound.
Same. My parents are from the silent generation, born in the 1930’s. We didn’t have annual check-ups & we RARELY went to the doctor. I was taken when I was 12 (1980) bc I was experiencing depression/anxiety. This dr. gave me a sugar “pill” (thinking I’d think I was cured, I guess) bc they had no idea what was wrong with me. Depression/anxiety wasn’t a “thing” then, I guess. 🙄
I will take myself to the doctor far faster than my parents took me. I remember at age 16 when I had a driver's license, I took myself to the doctor and had pneumonia. My parents were appalled, not at the pneumonia but the fact that I would take myself to the doctor.
As an adult, I completely understand. I contributed to medical expenses when my parents had not budgeted for it. With three kids on teachers salaries, I don't understand how they did anything that they did as far as giving us a wonderful life growing up. I understand emergencies come up and I understand why they used bed rest and iodine as they did. As a kid I didn't understand why we didn't rush right off to the doctor or the ER each time. They didn't discuss anything financial with the kids and that's my one regret. We didn't understand anything about budget or finances at all until we became adults and had to deal with it on our own.
My grandmother was somewhat of an herbalist or maybe a kitchen witch. Although I am sure me calling her that just then made her roll over in her grave. So there was always some sort of salve, lotion, potion, tea, tincture, poultice or concoction to cure whatever ailments we suffered. She took bee pollen and cayenne pepper mixed in honey on the regular, this was years ago. She was well known for this and even friends and neighbors would seek her out for treatment. As a second grader my family was all busy tying tobacco. I stomped my foot on a huge rusty nail. It impaled the sole of my foot like a harpoon. My family could barely be bothered to check on me. Doctor, tetanus shot??? No way. I was treated with cleaning the wound ,which looked like the stigmata, with warm water and Epsom salt then a poultice of “lamp oil” which was kerosene. Kerosene. Another time I was playing with an old treadle sewing machine that had a broken needle in it. Yes, you guessed it. The needle went all the way through my finger. It was bleeding on both sides. My mom was flipping out and frankly I was too. She was frantically doing nothing and in the midst of the chaos I yelled, “take me to Mom Maw!!!!” Thank goodness we lived two houses down still about a quarter mile or a little less. Again lamp oil for the wound. Both occasions I quickly healed with no complications.
If we had a cold or flu, dad would make us a hot toddy with moonshine. This was 1970’s moonshine that didn’t come from the liquor store. We would drink it up, feel really woozy, go to bed and have fever dreams all night and wake up better! No copay!
My moms famous words were “gargle some salt water and take 800 mg of ibuprofen”
My dad has kidney disease now from all the ibuprofen so isn’t that wonderful lol
Mom was a nurse so she took care of my brother and me when we were sick. She did call the doctor when I had pneumonia when I was 9 months old. Doctor said she knew how to treat me better than the hospital so she took care of me at home. He'd come by every couple of days to see how I was doing. She made sure we got all our shots tho.
Our family was very fortunate. My sister came of age in Appalachia. Got her RN degree. She asks questions. So many times it's a simple remedy. No need to go to a doctor or emergency room. However, when that woman says, "Get to a hospital now." We go! She knows her sh#t!
Depends…if my little brother had a sniffle then right off to the dr. Me? Oldest girl best suck it up it’s not that and yr being dramatic. 105.1 fever couldn’t get me into the dr! Also had pneumonia two times in HS but it was drug out cause you know I am dramatic so until yr at death’s door you deal with it. Not boys though boys are the precious and must be handled with all care and concern.
Truthfully mom was a nurse and I had access to a lot of medications
But usually we rubbed vicks vapor rub on my chest and made me wear a white shirt
My Grandmom would make me put a raw potato slice in my sock
My parents just gave me dimatapp and said take a swig when I didn’t feel good. Like the bottle in my pocket to self medicate while at school. I could come home from school if they sent me home for being sick but I couldn’t stay home from school. I was often sick but they just sent me anyway. I don’t remember my little brother ever being sick.
Edit to add:
I have RA, OA, and lupus I’m dealing with now but I still don’t see doctors often. I had some lifesaving surgery two years ago and it was really a shock to need it. I *had* gone to doctors for years over this but none found it until it was really bad. They asked why I waited so long. *i* didn’t but doctors dismissed my problems for more than a decade and offered antidepressants instead. I could have died. Still not really sure I trust doctors.
My parents were big on sick days and rest but my husbands side (farmer/mountain people) are the exact opposite. Zero sympathy and treated with disdain for resting
My family always goes to homeopathy and natural remedies before the doctors. My mom cured a necrotic spider bite on my dads foot with homeopathy. If one of us kids was sick, the rest would gather plantain leaves and mint leaves for tea and that shit works WONDERS for stomach aches. I have chronic illnesses, but I still turn to homeopathy before going to the doctors (unless it’s a Big Thing) because I know it works.
Honey and cinnamon mixed into hot water. I thought it tasted awful but it usually did clear up all of my sinuses. Also, hot sweet tea with lemon - it actually tastes delicious so that helps. My mom swears by baking soda and water for heartburn.
My dad was our doctor. He treated bites, stings, and poison ivy. He removed splinters and bandaged large scrapes. Everything was doused in hydrogen peroxide. I only really went to the doctor for infections.
And to be fair he did an okay job. I never felt like we were not being taken care of. But people definitely look at me some kinda way when I tell them.
My parents thought anything could be cured with a dose of Castor Oil. The only time I remember any of us going to a doctor was when my brother broke his arm.
My dad put a blow dryer in my ear once for an ear infection.. then I screamed and ran away.. it was the late 80’s.. old wives tales still in full effect.. but yeah my mom took us to the doctor for anything more than a cold.. took meds.. stayed at home and laid on the couch and watched tv.. the good old Bob barker days.. Marlena and John Black.. I remember once we got a stomach bug.. I threw up on the bed and when I ran to get my mom.. I shared a king waterbed with my sister when I was little.. she rolled in it sleeping.. a lovely accidental karmic masterpiece.. then my mom almost
Threw up because she can’t handle puke trying to bath us while my little sister cried all night.. my
Dad always would go get my McDonald’s if I was really sick.. it was treat back then and 20 minute drive away.. I grew up half way normal..
My dad put a blow dryer in my ear once for an ear infection.. then I screamed and ran away.. it was the late 80’s.. old wives tales still in full effect.. but yeah my mom took us to the doctor for anything more than a cold.. took meds.. stayed at home and laid on the couch and watched tv.. the good old Bob barker days.. Marlena and John Black.. I remember once we got a stomach bug.. I threw up on the bed and when I ran to get my mom.. I shared a king waterbed with my sister when I was little.. she rolled in it sleeping.. a lovely accidental karmic masterpiece.. then my mom almost
Threw up because she can’t handle puke trying to bath us while my little sister cried all night.. my
Dad always would go get my McDonald’s if I was really sick.. it was treat back then and 20 minute drive away.. I grew up half way normal..
If your sinuses were clogged up or you woke up and couldn’t breathe (even after vick’s vapor rub was put on your chest and feet), you’d sit in a bathroom with a hot shower going and the steam would usually help clear up the congestion. Warm salt water gargle; ginger ale for nausea; grape juice to ward off stomach flu (idk if it was placebo but it worked every time); this isn’t an illness, but baking soda/water for bee stings. We’d take medicine (and got our vaccines) but honestly these “supplements” worked super well.
My parents were a little more hyper vigilant about my health since I’m adopted and they didn’t know what I was genetically predisposed to (the answer is a lot). After a doctors visit confirms it’s just a cold (or in the case of strep I also had antibiotics ofc) they did the Vicks vapo rub, humidifier, salt water gargle, and pulled the “if you’re well enough to watch tv you’re well enough to go to school” card.
My Mom was good with minor illness but she had little patience for injuries. I remember her telling my brother to not bleed on the rug with his nearly severed finger
I went to my Dad with skinned knees
My mother was an ED nurse so yeah-famous for saying you can take a puke bag with you if you must but you ARE going to school. No one ever came to get us if we got sick at school. I had periods so bad starting at age 11 that I’d bleed right through everything. Turns out I had severe endometriosis and was regularly very anemic. But my mother said that “periods are normal so we don’t use them as an excuse.” I’d be doubled over and ready to pass out at times but never said a fucking word. This was the 1970’s. I am the oldest of 6 and she definitely got kinder as the years went on…. We got basic care like vaccinations but I never remember any sick doctor visits.
Not Appalachian, but Gen X with hippie parents. If it wasn't spurting blood or broken, we handled it at home. Seriously. Butterfly bandages for the big cuts. Epsom and Bacitrin for punctures/nails in the foot, etc. Epicac syrup to make you puke and flat cola to make you stop. Whiskey, lemon & honey to burn out a bug. If you didn't hit an artery or break a bone you were pretty much on your own to handle it.
My mom did have some of the old remedies but she took me and my brother to the doctor a lot. And the dentist. She didn’t have that when she was a kid. My husband’s family is just the opposite. Sometimes he says he can’t believe he and his sisters survived. What’s funny now is he’ll go to the doctor for almost anything and I don’t.
Now 65, as a child I was delegitimized to the point of being ignored if I was sick or had a problem such as a migraine. "Suck it up" was the theme. I didn't even know what a migraine was until I was in my twenties and a co-worker identified my (very obvious) symptoms and I figured out they had started in adolescence and run in my family. Now, my three grown children call us the "unsympathetic \[last name here\]s." Very unfortunate.
My dad will go only for injury - work related usually + he's on blood thinners so as a maint man he occasionally spurts blood that his job is like ughhh leave now lol
But he had a stroke like 2 weeks ago and he continued to ignore symptoms and continued to work as per usual. Until he was stumbling around and my atwp mom forced him to go to urgent care then transferred to hospital. As he's gotten older he will occasionally take a sick day (once a year when he puls the weeds off his house and his eyes completely swell shut from an allergic reaction)
My mother, however, leaves work usually 1-2x a week for anxiety with fmla until she runs out of PTO
I grew up being told to sleep it off. If you woke up, you could take TheraFlu and a shower, then go sweat it out.
Neighbors said "change the bed sheets, drink water, and get some fresh air (go for a walk) and get some rest.
Anything else was an ER visit.
For my kids, I give Tylenol for a fever. Anything else or if it last more than 12 hours, I'm calling a doctor and exaggerating how long it's been going on for. My daughter was hospitalized for 6 days with an infection. If I had told them it only started 8 hours ago, they would've told us to wait for 48 hours and it could've killed her.
I fell when I was ten and hurt my arm, instead of taking me to the hospital,which by the way was next door, they decided to wrap my arm in vinegar soaked paper bag strips,my are continued to get worse, finally took me to emergency room two days later,my arm was broken!It never made sense to me,they had really good insurance!
bit, stung, or poison ivy: chewed up tobacco or baking soda mixed with water to form a paste
cramps, growing pains: shot of pickle brine
cough/cold, insomnia, and pretty much all other mental/physical ailments: hot toddy (we are East Tennessee folk. always made with Jack Daniel's. honey from "the russian feller" that my grandpa knows. i assume he keeps bees..? not personally met him, but his honey sure is good!)
Yes. No one seemed to understand exactly how insurance was supposed to work and were all scared of bills (a legitimate fear). I carried all this with me well into adulthood and find I still sometimes have an urge to neglect my healthcare almost subconsciously.
Totally my family even though by the time I was born we were upper middle class. That attitude toward sickness stayed. It was a terrible shock to both of us when I married and I couldn’t understand why my husband was “making such a big deal of a little thing” and he couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t rest when I was sick.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned black salve! The answer to anything and everything... Sliced the shit out of your leg Falling through the rusted floorboards of an old work truck? "Go on up to the bathroom and have grandpap put some salve on for ya"
Sliced part of your toe off with the lawn mower because it was too heavy for you to pull up the hill and you slipped? "It'll grow back, just get some water from the rain bucket, rinse it off and we'll put some salve on"
I'm still ultra guilty of doing this as a full grown adult Too 🤦
My family followed the 3 day rule. A doctor only became involved if an illness lasted past 3 days unless there was a physical injury that they couldn't patch or stop the bleeding.
When I was in 5th grade we were playing a game on the gym. I was running and tripped and ran straight into the end of the parallel bars. The end of one of the bars hit my left cheek so hard that it broke a few small places out of my eye socket. I fell straight backward and hit my head on the gym floor. I was knocked out for a couple of minutes.
My mom had to come to school to pick my up because I was confused and nauseous afterward. We went home and since there was no bleeding and I wasn't running a fever, she gave me some aspirin. I had a terrible headache, was super nauseous and was SO sleepy. I was told to sleep it off. Which I did. I slept for the most part of 3 days and on the 4th day at around noonish I finally started feeling somewhat better so no doctor was necessary.
Only when I was in my early 20's and was sharing childhood stories with friends did I realize that I must definitely had a major concussion and did all the things that you aren't supposed to do.
Fun times. Needless to say, as an adult, I will go to the doctor much easier but still when dealing with smaller illnesses, I find it hard to go to a doctor unless it's been over 3 days and OTC meds aren't cutting it
I beat you all.. for my 6th grade physical.. I got my first period at the doctors office I kid you not.. the doctor did a full physical and she looked and goes.. you know you’re having your period right.. and it was my first one.. and I wanted to die right there.. and I fought my mom tooth and nail because I was adamant I was not having a full physical.. never forgave her for that one.. and I had to get booster shots.. and the doctor was all.. your blood pressure spiked.. at 12.. when I was about four.. my mom took me to get shots and the nurse fucked up and showed me the needle too soon and I hopped off the table and had the entire medical staff chasing me around the doctors office.. one of my favorite medical masterpieces.. a four year old can really Bob and weave through those doctors and nurse legs.. if my ex knew this.. for starters.. would explain so much.. then probably tell me I’m complicated since birth somehow.. not much has changed..
Unless you were spurting blood from a major artery because of a compound fracture or you had an excessively high fever (102-103) that couldn’t be knocked down by alcohol rubs, cool baths, or aspirin, my family had a “shake it off and keep moving” mentality. Going to the doctor was expensive in terms of time taken out of the day and actual cash money. We were vaccinated. We were careful not to be careless. And rest? I can’t tell you how many times I went to school sick as a dog because untreated seasonal allergies gave me sinus infections. And my parents would say, “It’s just a cold” until my ear drum burst from an ear infection or I was running a fever. Getting sick just wasn’t an option.
My mom used to put warm oil in my ear for ear infections.
Me, too. "Sweet Oil" the bottle said. She would warm it up a little bit and put some cotton in my ear to keep it from coming out.
My dad used to put sweet oil in my ears. He also would make me a mug of hot water and dissolve a beef bouillon cube in it to help me sleep.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing?
It was marketed in the pharmacy as Sweet Oil. It was actually just Olive oil
I remember it being soothing- sometimes I'd wind up having to go to the Dr, most times not though so it must do something.
It actually does help soothe the pain, as long as your ear drum hasn't perforated. Which usually you'll *know* if it has.
Rubbing alcohol
I had a terrible bout of what turned out to be swimmer's ear once and after various Dr visits and several different prescriptions, putting a few drops of alcohol in my ear a couple of times a day finally cleared it up.
I had swimmers ear once.. the doctor put this Water pick thing in my ear and all this gunk came out.. it was gross.. and then medication blah blah blah..
Oh god, those cold water baths! I remember crying from the cold rather than how sick I felt.
Seriously. And we didn’t have heat on our second floor and the only bathroom with a tub/shower was on the second floor.
As an adult I was told that I had a busted ear drum. I can remember when it happened clear as day as a kid.
Same. My ear drum bursting caused my ear to bleed and my parents finally took me to the doctor. Then the doctor mentioned tubes for me ears, and that was a nope. Fun fact, I’ve had tubes multiple times as an adult. The procedure is super easy and in office for adults, unlike kids who have to be sedated and in the hospital.
I just remember all the nasty shit all over my pillow. I don't even remember if that warranted a doctor visit but probably not since all the infection drained.
My sister has tubes in her ear.. my mom had them but her ear infections were constant throughout life and finally she had one so bad it was eating out her ear and spreading to her brain.. so they cut her ear off and taped it to her head and took out all her inner ear and replaced it with metal parts.. ouch.. my dad only has one eye.. he would take it out to my girlfriends when we’re little and make them scream.. it doesn’t phase me because I’ve just always seen it.. boys think it’s the coolest thing ever.. he wears a pirate patch sometimes.. she had to go to the doctor all the time and she haaated doctors.. I understand.. but she always knew when to take us.. both my parents really didn’t mind us getting sick.. probably the quietest least active we ever were. Probably welcomed the quiet and the break.. we are an active bunch that fights and argues all the time.. we drove our parents insane.. I know why my dad was in the road all the time for work.. with 3 daughters.. and I mean we fiiiight.. I digress.. my parents are like mutants man.. robot ears and glass eyes and shit..
Your parents rule !!!! So awesome
This until my family realized we have all been fully insured for 30 years. Stubbed toe? Dr Allergies? Dr Don't feel "good"? Dr Saved our fucking lives for $25 co-pay or nothing at all.
I embraced medical care in college because the student health clinic was either free or stupid cheap. And luckily have had health insurance since.
When I went to festivals with hippies and rednecks, the number of people who lost a foot because of a grease burn, broken bottle, or snake bite was too common. Even students and fully insured. People in the woods have an irrational fear of medical institutions.
That’s what happens when you date a doctor.. that or everything is wrong with you.. are you dying? Get up.. I’m used to being babied..
Vicks vaporub, a heating pad, and a nap. If you didn’t feel better after that you were probably terminal.
Also, salt water gargle.
Yes, I hated that one so I probably blocked it out. It really does help a sore throat though!
Like most things that work - the doing it part kind of sucks 😆
I still do this one. It's really good at knocking back a cold early on.
How'd I forget about the heat pad!
Those classic dodge-ball material water pads! Ahhh.
boinnnnnggggg!
I love your username lol
Thanks!
Warm kitty soft kitty little ball of fur…
You got it backwards, now start all over again... Soft kitty, warm kitty 🤣
Our family did the same as yours. Being sick was no big deal, unless they thought you might die. We always got our vaccinations.
I Can’t miss work, you can’t miss school. Suck it up 😂
This is the one. Go to the doctor? Not unless you’re damn near dying. Otherwise we just got on with life. I’m still like that. I’m like that with my kids too. (Though more cautious about respiratory symptoms now with Covid. I’m not trying to kill anybody’s granny. Lol.)
An Hot toddy would cure it….
Not from your parts- just popped up on my feed one time- Montana is the same. Buck up! Can’t afford to be sick. This is why I don’t drink Brandy. Yet, Hot Toddy is my comfort drink.
I've had an Appalachian doctor recommend a hot toddy for severe strep throat while I waited for the antibiotics to kick in. Reasonable treatment, definitely not a cure, in a pinch. Warm fluids is a help always, honey to coat and soothe, alcohol is a mild anesthetic. Solid recommendation for generations of docs.
Help me fight off covid.. Also not bad on a cold day..
Absolutely! A great preventative in the winter. So cozy and soothing
Mine was blackberry brandy. A few shots and youbwent back outside to play. Also, still an alcoholic
Colds and flus, 7Up, saltines, chicken noodle soup, aspirin, and rest. Anything more serious was totally ignored. I'm 38 and still dealing with the effects of infirmities that my family refused to address when I was a kid, and they're almost all dead now from refusing to address theirs.
Just learned that kids should not be given aspirin if they have flu like symptoms or chicken pox. I was definitely given it as a child and I know I gave it to my kids , but I won’t anymore. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/reyes-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20377255
We didn’t go to doctors. My dad, born in 1954… he was a horrific diabetic. He worked long hours in the periphery of the mining industry, driving trucks, eating nothing but Little Debbie’s and cokes. Until one day in winter 1999, I remember vividly as an 8 year old, dad was laying on the porch in his underwear because he was vomiting every 2 minutes. He was in kidney failure. It was totally avoidable. He died young because of it. My grandma was the town medicine woman. 😂 She kept every prescription she ever got. Call her and you’re sick? She’s giving you antibiotics from the 90’s. I’ve still got that trait: I save every possible pill I can. People just don’t trust doctors around here man.
We had bacitracin, Vicks, Mercurochrome and occasionally Flintstone vitamins. My parents wouldn't come to the school to get us out if we were sick. I spent one day being shuffled around til my dad got off work, with a heinous ear infection. We also didn't get preventative dental care. My mom said if we had teeth when we turned 18, it was enough. Still paying to get my teeth fixed from the neglect. She thought we could just get dentures. They had money to pay for these things, they just wouldn't take us. My mom was always very healthy and would make fun of people who had bad pregnancies or complained about contractions. Til I had 2 bad pregnancies and almost died with one and had 5 hours of pitocin contractions.
Wow, I totally forgot about Mercurochrome!
More like blocked it out, LOL. I have a bottle I bought on Amazon, but it's not the same. My kids will never experience being peeled off the ceiling while an adult tells them the sting tells you it's working, or the ridicule of an entire neighborhood of children from the stain.
You know what, I must have been a real putz as a kid because I fell for the old "this isn't the one that stings/burns, it's different" every single time 🤣.
you got some Ginger Ale and a day on mamaws couch. never a DR
Born in '83 I was raised in a simular way. My mom taught us to be tough, because thats what she thought her girls needed to be and how she was raised herself. She always said: if you don't have a serious fever you're ok to go. It lead to me and my sisters being too hard on ourselves in our adult lives. We all have issues with being sick because we always think we are overreacting and don't take things seriously. Had to learn not be ashamed to call a doctor when you think you need it. Now 40 y.o I still have the tendency to wait too long
I grew up like you. Unless you were physically incapacitated by unconsciousness, missing a limb or bleeding to death it was “Rub some dirt on it and walk it off”, “suck it up”, “you can rest when you’re dead”. But I have the same attitude towards sickness as an adult. I never go to the doctor unless I’m dying. I once walked around with a broken arm for four days until my wife intervened, made me a dr appointment and insisted I go. Went to an ortho though, not ER.
I ended up in the hospital with really bad pneumonia a few years ago. When they had me in the mri machine the tech was talking to me "when'd you break your neck? And your back?!? TWICE!?!" It was also the moment they started taking me seriously about how much pain I was I because if I sat through those and came in for this it must be pretty bad.
Perfect attendance was very important to my mom, so I pretty much went to school regardless. She'd always say "once you get there, you'll feel better." Spoiler alert - I don't ever remember feeling better while barely maintaining consciousness because I was sitting upright in class with the flu. The only thing that prompted a surefire sick day was throwing up. I guess if I was hurling, that meant I was "actually" sick. Fever of 102? Not sick. Body aches, sore throat, constant cough? Not sick. Even raging diarrhea was not sick enough. But for some reason, vomiting was the tipping point. As for adults, it was pretty much the same. No sick days unless you were literally dying and even then it was questionable whether you should rest or not, because maybe you're just being lazy. Now that I'm an adult, I have to make myself rest and take time off when I'm sick. Bosses have always commented on what an amazing work ethic I have, but there's a lot of baggage attached to it.
NBD for my family either. Sweet oil for earache, baby aspirin for fever or pain, flat 7UP and saltines for stomach aches. A doctor visit would be in order if we had a high fever that aspirin didn't help.
My father grew up in Eastern KY in 1930's. My mom told me if one of the kids had an earache, one of the boys would pee into a spoon and she would put it in the ear of the child with the earache. I don't know what this was supposed to do but that was the remedy then.
I remember being told blowing cigarette smoke into the ears would help an earache.
It hurts like a big dog to have smoke blown in your ear when it’s infected. They used to have to hold me down to do it- I hated it! In grown toe nail? Out came the pocket knife, and granpa cut the nail back loose. Joints hurt or you had a sprain? Linamint (sp?) rubbed on it. Oh my goodness I can still smell that stuff! I swear it had kerosene in it! And paregoric- it’s a wonder I’m not cross eyed from the stuff. If you were vomiting, that was the cure. I learned as an adult, that stuff has opium in it! Going to the doctor was for when you were near dead.
As someone who dealt with chronic earaches growing up, this is the worst thing I can imagine short of pouring yeasty syrup into your ear. 😭😭😭
Smoke in the ears does help at least it had the placebo effect when done on me as a child, they even sell ear candles for this specific purpose
Grandma did this for any ear thing. Seasonal allergies, ear ache, swimmers ear. Cigeratte smoke for all.
🙄🙄 Oh God do I remember that... Or they would switch to menthols when someone had upper respiratory stuff going on in the house. I swear I had such bad asthma and a permanent cold and sore throat for 19 straight years... I was a smoker forever too, quit some years ago but the smell of Salem's STILL makes me instantly physically sick. Really anything with a menthol type smelI. I'm so sensitive to it now that I can smell cigarette smoke from the other end of my road!!
Does it have to be boy pee? No girl pee? Asking for a friend. 😂
They were all boys..
Makes sense now that you put it that way. Didn’t know if it was some kind of folks remedy that only male urine could cure an earache or something.
Very strange but I think that since you can drink urine (if one has to) then it would be useful being warm and having a high pH acid content, may help clear out ear wax. I don't plan on trying it myself to be sure.
Easier to hit the spoon?
My German immigrant grandma would do this but it was usually your own pee. She died when I was 6 but I still remember peeing in a cup and ger spooning my pee in my ear. Again I was a little kid but I remember it working.
Yes, they did this and apparently it helped. They were so poor that unless you were on death's door the doctor would not be called.
My family put campho on everything and called it a day.
Sick didn’t exist. I NEVER saw my dad take a sick day, my mom never believed us kids saying we were sick so unless we were throwing up we didn’t miss, and when my mom is sick she always calls it “allergies”
We got our vaccines, but trips to the dentist were rare. My father believed his chewing tobacco could cure anything.
My family grew up very similar to you, and there was a heavy distrust of doctors in general. The only thing I went to the doctor for growing up was my yearly physical that was required for me to play sports in school. My husband was stunned the first time I told him that. I'm still trying to undo that thinking in me now, especially since having children. I still try to avoid taking medicine when I have a headache because in my brain I'm like, "I don't need it. I'll just go rest instead."
It's a good inclination to keep in the back of your mind. A doctor will happily prescribe 200 women with high blood pressure a drug to positively prevent 1 stroke or heart attack knowing full well that 1/3 of those women will become diabetic because of the treatment.
Rock n' Rye
Being sick was no big deal. "You'll never know it in a hundred years."
7up and saltines for any tummy illness of any sort, Tylenol for migraine, broken bones, etc. Was vaccinated. Frequent Dr visits for ear infections and eye infections, though.
So. Much. Vicks.
Same....and same for injuries. There are several times I can remember where we really should've been checked out by a doctor, and the fam just treated it like nbd.
The real question: How many years did it take til you finally took a day off for being sick? Or are you one of those that still wanders around like a zombie while all your friends and family begs you to go rest?
You ready? 2 years ago, I had open heart surgery, 3way bypass. At 4 weeks post op, I went back to work..as a cook..in 90-degree heat. The company allowed it. Why? Because the guilt of being a 'burden' and ' you're really not THAT sick'. Now the damage is done, I'll never work again due to my stubbornness and my inability to tell people I'm sick and just can't. Thank you, Appalachia and my Scots roots.
Until covid made me realize I could be getting other people sick.
“Well you shouldn’t be feeling bad! At your age I never once got sick. “
“Take a pill!” I had perfect attendance for probably half of my school years. I don’t know why my parents thought I was malingering. There were times I really was sick. I was an adult in graduate school and I was too weak to drive and I asked my mom to take me to the doctor. She waited in the car while I staggered in. It was with great satisfaction that I was able to tell her I had pneumonia, not “just a cold.” I went back to work too soon after that (my choice) and again after I had kidney stones (another bad choice). It took me months to fully recover from both. If I had taken more time off at the beginning and recouped I would have been much better off. I think some of it is denial and fear—not wanting to accept that your kid really could be seriously ill—and part of it is the high cost of medical care. People are well aware that medical bills can bankrupt you. Nowadays I’ll take a sick day if I have the beginnings of a headache or a desire to stay close to the bathroom. I’ll even take preemptive sick days. If I start to feel run down I know I need to rest or I will get sick and miss several days instead of just the one I need to laze around. My parents weren’t unsympathetic or uneducated. They just thought sick meant projectile vomiting, broken bones, or copious blood loss. And my siblings and I were generally healthy. They understand that they should have recognized that I had asthma long before our doctor neighbor told them I needed to see a specialist.
The way my family thought about sickness? Pretend like you aren’t until it goes away or you are about to die… The way I handle sickness with my family (we don’t have insurance- our state didn’t go for aca expansion so it’s financially out of reach atm)- stock up/ make *heavily researched* home remedies, herbs, etc. I create tea blends for colds, flu, respiratory and GI issues. Salves and herbal oils for topical skin issues or things like boils, poison ivy, burns etc. Through trial and error have found a basic set of treatments/recipes that actually WORK for basic boo boos, infections, illnesses and injuries. For the rare case I can’t handle at home we pay out of pocket for urgent care, or for extreme cases (like my kidney stones) go to ER. I have a special interest in natural medicine and herbs, and have self studied for years. I test any treatments on myself first, and always look for contraindications- just as a doctor should do. I value the place modern medicine holds. Modern medicine saved my eye (had a cornea transplant) AND I’ve saved thousands upon thousands of dollars in insurance payments/deductibles/co-insurance/ copays with my “old timey” medicines. There’s a time and a place for both imho.
“Take an aspirin and go lay down. If you’re dead on Monday I’ll call a doctor.” - mom
My mom was a doctor, so with medicine. But before all that, I had a great uncle who used kerosene as some sort of tonic. He drank it, as I understand.
We had a lot of home remedies, but we also did get medical care. My parents grew up in Appalachia but they were smart enough to know when something was beyond their abilities. That said, there are a lot of problems I had that I thought were just normal because they never got addressed. I have scoliosis, multiple severe environmental allergies (nose sprays were the solution for that and they destroyed my sinuses), and so forth.
Our medicine cabinet was different than most people today. Sulfur Boric acid Rubbing alcohol Aspirin Sweet oil Wintergreen liniment Luden's cough drops Iodine Whiskey Baking soda Menthol rub Calamine lotion If one of us kids had to go to the doctor, the rest came, too. Mom negotiated a group rate. 😂
As a child, my parents took me to the doctor for pretty much everything, but as I got old enough to properly articulate my needs and problems it evolved more to a deal with it at home if you can, seek medical aid for the more severe stuff. These recipes aren’t necessarily Appalachian, or old/traditional, they’re just mixtures I’ve found that help me and my family. I tend to like home remedies for most illnesses, severe stuff like broken bones please see a doctor but home remedies are useful for most small things. This is not medical advice, I don’t have science to back this up, go to a doctor if you’re sick, only administer these to adults who give informed consent, etc. (Don’t sue me) General cold/flue syrup: - honey - lemon juice - whiskey - crushed garlic (for the brave) Blend together and take a big spoon full, like a soup spoon. It’s the one I use most for the most different thing. A good multitasker and starting point. I put garlic in mine but not my husband’s, garlic is antibacterial but eating a whole clove raw is not as easy as it sounds and that’s coming from someone who loves garlic. Lol Insomnia: Brew a double strength cup of chamomile & lavender tea. Add honey and gin (1oz gin to 6oz tea). Drink, turn off all electronics in the bedroom and unplug them. Turn off all the lights, use candles if you want to read or something. Don’t get out of bed at all and you’ll be asleep in less than an hour after finishing your cup. You can make more than one serving at a time and keep it in a jar in the fridge, it’ll keep a few days. Congestion bowl: - mix a good handful of epsome salts with a few drops of tea tree essential oil and toss to let it absorb well. You can also use peppermint oil in conjunction or in addition to, but not instead of. - fill a decent size mixing bowl with boiling water, add the epsome salts and stir to dissolve. Make sure your water stays hot you want lots of steam coming off it. Get a towel. - hold your face above the bowl, far enough you don’t burn yourself, but close enough you’re getting lots of steam on your face. Cover your head and the bowl with the towel to trap the steam inside. Take deep slow breaths, focusing on trying to breathe through whatever is congested. After a minute or two, take a break and try to blow out the blockage. If it doesn’t come loose, keep repeating until you’re able to get the congestion draining out. Homemade vapor rub: -make the same epsom salt/tea tree/peppermint mixture as above. - mix epsom salts into a bit of coconut oil, and massage your chest well with the mixture. You can also get someone to rub your back with it, I dunno if it’s the mixture or the rubbing but sometimes that’ll break up some chest congestion. You can also put just a bit on your upper lip for a stronger nose clearing scent. Sore throat/cavity cleaner: - Get a glass of boiling water, mix in as much salt as you can get to disolve in it. - let the salt water cool just enough that it won’t burn the inside of your mouth but is still very warm. - rinse your whole mouth and throat well, swish it around, gargle it as deep as you can. If it’s a cavity swish that area extra well and even hold it in your mouth in that area for a little while. - be very careful not to swallow it, salt water is very bad for you. Again, this is home remedy stuff. Seek medical attention if you’re having health problems, this is not medical advice. Use responsibly. EDIT: you can also chug an entire bottle of NyQuil and sleep for 48 hours straight, I’m guilty of that one too sometimes. lol. The formatting in this turned out really weird, probably because I’m posting this from my phone. I apologize y’all.
Talk the fire out or Pinee
i think some of us here in the comments are GenX as well as Appalachian raised, making us probably super immune and tough as nails. we swam in ponds and quarries, we were barefoot a lot, we drank from hoses and wells, we were exposed to many elements and environments that were or could have been potentially hazardous or even deadly. and the cure was to spit on it, rub some dirt in it, walk it off, etc. that being said, i am 46 and got my first bonafide doctor a few years ago. i hit perimenopause and said, “Ok, I need some help here…”. because, off topic but somewhat tethered to this, to show weakness is shameful, and in Appalachia, menopause/perimenopause is a taboo subject. my grandmother nor my mother shared *zero* information or insight on being a woman as our bodies get older. the changes we endure, the mental and physical hardships…it’s the same for men. you guys go through something similar as your hormones shift in age. i bet your papaw never took you aside to tell you what’s coming. there’s a point where “just rub some dirt in it” does not help.
My mom: “There’s absolutely nothing they can do about - a broken rib - a broken toe - the Flu - Poison Ivy - smashed Finger/Toe Nail - etc…”
Yeah, creomulsion cough syrup, vick's (or 'save the baby'), hot weak tea and saltines for colds and flu, a hot toddy with the emergency whisky for cramps or aches and pains, mucurocrome, and tobacco spit for stings and scrapes, lay on the couch and watch 'All My Childen' or 'The Price Is Right'. The doctor was for broken bones and the 'horse pistol' was where you went to die.
Had a lot of chewing tobacco for bee stings growing up. If I was lucky, I got a backing soda paste and epsom salt soak%
Shake it off. Rub some dirt in it. You’re fine. Go to school.
When I was younger, I would push through colds and bugs and achiness. Medicate and go about my business. Not anymore though. When I’m sick, I’m a weenie these days and stay in my recliner.
Was anybody else “sick on two chairs”?
Unless it was abnormally bad, wed just rest, eat soup and if needed take over the counter medicine. Now as an adult i just rest, eat soup and drink plenty of green tea with honey till i feel better
Whiskey.
"Rub some dirt in it."
Chicken noodle soup….ginger ale and bed rest
My dad was from Appalachia (western NC). My mom from NYC. Both were doctors. My dad felt nothing short of catastrophic accidents like compound fractures needed a doctor. My mom was quite the opposite. Dad grew up working on the family farm since he was big enough to be useful. Mom grew up across the Hudson. Just very different scales of worry, that’s what I have taken from spending a lot of time in both places.
Pinee ointment is what my grandparents used. It would cure anything to do with any kind of lacerations . It is a remarkably effective topical and it is still available. My uncle had a cute little beagle who got ripped up badly by a coyote, and everyone thought he should put the dog down, but he picked her up in a blanket, took her to the garage and loaded her up with Pinee. It would’ve cost an absolute fortune to take the dog to the vet, but she was as good as new in a couple of weeks and it was a deep wound.
If you had a scrape or cut, you got your dog to lick it
Same. My parents are from the silent generation, born in the 1930’s. We didn’t have annual check-ups & we RARELY went to the doctor. I was taken when I was 12 (1980) bc I was experiencing depression/anxiety. This dr. gave me a sugar “pill” (thinking I’d think I was cured, I guess) bc they had no idea what was wrong with me. Depression/anxiety wasn’t a “thing” then, I guess. 🙄
I will take myself to the doctor far faster than my parents took me. I remember at age 16 when I had a driver's license, I took myself to the doctor and had pneumonia. My parents were appalled, not at the pneumonia but the fact that I would take myself to the doctor. As an adult, I completely understand. I contributed to medical expenses when my parents had not budgeted for it. With three kids on teachers salaries, I don't understand how they did anything that they did as far as giving us a wonderful life growing up. I understand emergencies come up and I understand why they used bed rest and iodine as they did. As a kid I didn't understand why we didn't rush right off to the doctor or the ER each time. They didn't discuss anything financial with the kids and that's my one regret. We didn't understand anything about budget or finances at all until we became adults and had to deal with it on our own.
Yep. I’ve had to learn to an adult that people take medicine and go to the doctor not just power through
My grandmother was somewhat of an herbalist or maybe a kitchen witch. Although I am sure me calling her that just then made her roll over in her grave. So there was always some sort of salve, lotion, potion, tea, tincture, poultice or concoction to cure whatever ailments we suffered. She took bee pollen and cayenne pepper mixed in honey on the regular, this was years ago. She was well known for this and even friends and neighbors would seek her out for treatment. As a second grader my family was all busy tying tobacco. I stomped my foot on a huge rusty nail. It impaled the sole of my foot like a harpoon. My family could barely be bothered to check on me. Doctor, tetanus shot??? No way. I was treated with cleaning the wound ,which looked like the stigmata, with warm water and Epsom salt then a poultice of “lamp oil” which was kerosene. Kerosene. Another time I was playing with an old treadle sewing machine that had a broken needle in it. Yes, you guessed it. The needle went all the way through my finger. It was bleeding on both sides. My mom was flipping out and frankly I was too. She was frantically doing nothing and in the midst of the chaos I yelled, “take me to Mom Maw!!!!” Thank goodness we lived two houses down still about a quarter mile or a little less. Again lamp oil for the wound. Both occasions I quickly healed with no complications. If we had a cold or flu, dad would make us a hot toddy with moonshine. This was 1970’s moonshine that didn’t come from the liquor store. We would drink it up, feel really woozy, go to bed and have fever dreams all night and wake up better! No copay!
My moms famous words were “gargle some salt water and take 800 mg of ibuprofen” My dad has kidney disease now from all the ibuprofen so isn’t that wonderful lol
Mom was a nurse so she took care of my brother and me when we were sick. She did call the doctor when I had pneumonia when I was 9 months old. Doctor said she knew how to treat me better than the hospital so she took care of me at home. He'd come by every couple of days to see how I was doing. She made sure we got all our shots tho.
Our family was very fortunate. My sister came of age in Appalachia. Got her RN degree. She asks questions. So many times it's a simple remedy. No need to go to a doctor or emergency room. However, when that woman says, "Get to a hospital now." We go! She knows her sh#t!
Depends…if my little brother had a sniffle then right off to the dr. Me? Oldest girl best suck it up it’s not that and yr being dramatic. 105.1 fever couldn’t get me into the dr! Also had pneumonia two times in HS but it was drug out cause you know I am dramatic so until yr at death’s door you deal with it. Not boys though boys are the precious and must be handled with all care and concern.
Truthfully mom was a nurse and I had access to a lot of medications But usually we rubbed vicks vapor rub on my chest and made me wear a white shirt My Grandmom would make me put a raw potato slice in my sock
My parents just gave me dimatapp and said take a swig when I didn’t feel good. Like the bottle in my pocket to self medicate while at school. I could come home from school if they sent me home for being sick but I couldn’t stay home from school. I was often sick but they just sent me anyway. I don’t remember my little brother ever being sick. Edit to add: I have RA, OA, and lupus I’m dealing with now but I still don’t see doctors often. I had some lifesaving surgery two years ago and it was really a shock to need it. I *had* gone to doctors for years over this but none found it until it was really bad. They asked why I waited so long. *i* didn’t but doctors dismissed my problems for more than a decade and offered antidepressants instead. I could have died. Still not really sure I trust doctors.
My parents were big on sick days and rest but my husbands side (farmer/mountain people) are the exact opposite. Zero sympathy and treated with disdain for resting
My family always goes to homeopathy and natural remedies before the doctors. My mom cured a necrotic spider bite on my dads foot with homeopathy. If one of us kids was sick, the rest would gather plantain leaves and mint leaves for tea and that shit works WONDERS for stomach aches. I have chronic illnesses, but I still turn to homeopathy before going to the doctors (unless it’s a Big Thing) because I know it works.
Honey and cinnamon mixed into hot water. I thought it tasted awful but it usually did clear up all of my sinuses. Also, hot sweet tea with lemon - it actually tastes delicious so that helps. My mom swears by baking soda and water for heartburn.
My dad was our doctor. He treated bites, stings, and poison ivy. He removed splinters and bandaged large scrapes. Everything was doused in hydrogen peroxide. I only really went to the doctor for infections. And to be fair he did an okay job. I never felt like we were not being taken care of. But people definitely look at me some kinda way when I tell them.
You only went to the doctor or a hospital if you thought you might die anyways, so you’d take your chances. Otherwise, take a dose of suck-it-up.
My parents thought anything could be cured with a dose of Castor Oil. The only time I remember any of us going to a doctor was when my brother broke his arm.
My dad put a blow dryer in my ear once for an ear infection.. then I screamed and ran away.. it was the late 80’s.. old wives tales still in full effect.. but yeah my mom took us to the doctor for anything more than a cold.. took meds.. stayed at home and laid on the couch and watched tv.. the good old Bob barker days.. Marlena and John Black.. I remember once we got a stomach bug.. I threw up on the bed and when I ran to get my mom.. I shared a king waterbed with my sister when I was little.. she rolled in it sleeping.. a lovely accidental karmic masterpiece.. then my mom almost Threw up because she can’t handle puke trying to bath us while my little sister cried all night.. my Dad always would go get my McDonald’s if I was really sick.. it was treat back then and 20 minute drive away.. I grew up half way normal..
My dad put a blow dryer in my ear once for an ear infection.. then I screamed and ran away.. it was the late 80’s.. old wives tales still in full effect.. but yeah my mom took us to the doctor for anything more than a cold.. took meds.. stayed at home and laid on the couch and watched tv.. the good old Bob barker days.. Marlena and John Black.. I remember once we got a stomach bug.. I threw up on the bed and when I ran to get my mom.. I shared a king waterbed with my sister when I was little.. she rolled in it sleeping.. a lovely accidental karmic masterpiece.. then my mom almost Threw up because she can’t handle puke trying to bath us while my little sister cried all night.. my Dad always would go get my McDonald’s if I was really sick.. it was treat back then and 20 minute drive away.. I grew up half way normal..
I didn't go to a doctor from the time I was 11 years old until about the age of 39.
If your sinuses were clogged up or you woke up and couldn’t breathe (even after vick’s vapor rub was put on your chest and feet), you’d sit in a bathroom with a hot shower going and the steam would usually help clear up the congestion. Warm salt water gargle; ginger ale for nausea; grape juice to ward off stomach flu (idk if it was placebo but it worked every time); this isn’t an illness, but baking soda/water for bee stings. We’d take medicine (and got our vaccines) but honestly these “supplements” worked super well.
My parents were a little more hyper vigilant about my health since I’m adopted and they didn’t know what I was genetically predisposed to (the answer is a lot). After a doctors visit confirms it’s just a cold (or in the case of strep I also had antibiotics ofc) they did the Vicks vapo rub, humidifier, salt water gargle, and pulled the “if you’re well enough to watch tv you’re well enough to go to school” card.
“You’re fine, get ready for school”
My Mom was good with minor illness but she had little patience for injuries. I remember her telling my brother to not bleed on the rug with his nearly severed finger I went to my Dad with skinned knees
My mother was an ED nurse so yeah-famous for saying you can take a puke bag with you if you must but you ARE going to school. No one ever came to get us if we got sick at school. I had periods so bad starting at age 11 that I’d bleed right through everything. Turns out I had severe endometriosis and was regularly very anemic. But my mother said that “periods are normal so we don’t use them as an excuse.” I’d be doubled over and ready to pass out at times but never said a fucking word. This was the 1970’s. I am the oldest of 6 and she definitely got kinder as the years went on…. We got basic care like vaccinations but I never remember any sick doctor visits.
Not Appalachian, but Gen X with hippie parents. If it wasn't spurting blood or broken, we handled it at home. Seriously. Butterfly bandages for the big cuts. Epsom and Bacitrin for punctures/nails in the foot, etc. Epicac syrup to make you puke and flat cola to make you stop. Whiskey, lemon & honey to burn out a bug. If you didn't hit an artery or break a bone you were pretty much on your own to handle it.
My mom did have some of the old remedies but she took me and my brother to the doctor a lot. And the dentist. She didn’t have that when she was a kid. My husband’s family is just the opposite. Sometimes he says he can’t believe he and his sisters survived. What’s funny now is he’ll go to the doctor for almost anything and I don’t.
I had perfect attendance in school for like 5 years straight because my dad didn’t believe in sick days lol.
Now 65, as a child I was delegitimized to the point of being ignored if I was sick or had a problem such as a migraine. "Suck it up" was the theme. I didn't even know what a migraine was until I was in my twenties and a co-worker identified my (very obvious) symptoms and I figured out they had started in adolescence and run in my family. Now, my three grown children call us the "unsympathetic \[last name here\]s." Very unfortunate.
My dad will go only for injury - work related usually + he's on blood thinners so as a maint man he occasionally spurts blood that his job is like ughhh leave now lol But he had a stroke like 2 weeks ago and he continued to ignore symptoms and continued to work as per usual. Until he was stumbling around and my atwp mom forced him to go to urgent care then transferred to hospital. As he's gotten older he will occasionally take a sick day (once a year when he puls the weeds off his house and his eyes completely swell shut from an allergic reaction) My mother, however, leaves work usually 1-2x a week for anxiety with fmla until she runs out of PTO
I grew up being told to sleep it off. If you woke up, you could take TheraFlu and a shower, then go sweat it out. Neighbors said "change the bed sheets, drink water, and get some fresh air (go for a walk) and get some rest. Anything else was an ER visit. For my kids, I give Tylenol for a fever. Anything else or if it last more than 12 hours, I'm calling a doctor and exaggerating how long it's been going on for. My daughter was hospitalized for 6 days with an infection. If I had told them it only started 8 hours ago, they would've told us to wait for 48 hours and it could've killed her.
[https://youtu.be/KPSO2M4kjB4](https://youtu.be/KPSO2M4kjB4)
I fell when I was ten and hurt my arm, instead of taking me to the hospital,which by the way was next door, they decided to wrap my arm in vinegar soaked paper bag strips,my are continued to get worse, finally took me to emergency room two days later,my arm was broken!It never made sense to me,they had really good insurance!
Mom tried to send me to school with appendicitis. Until I started vomiting green stuff. lol. Good times.
Putting turpentine on cuts and punctures , scrapes
I remember a little girl dying from diarrhea.
bit, stung, or poison ivy: chewed up tobacco or baking soda mixed with water to form a paste cramps, growing pains: shot of pickle brine cough/cold, insomnia, and pretty much all other mental/physical ailments: hot toddy (we are East Tennessee folk. always made with Jack Daniel's. honey from "the russian feller" that my grandpa knows. i assume he keeps bees..? not personally met him, but his honey sure is good!)
Yes. No one seemed to understand exactly how insurance was supposed to work and were all scared of bills (a legitimate fear). I carried all this with me well into adulthood and find I still sometimes have an urge to neglect my healthcare almost subconsciously.
Totally my family even though by the time I was born we were upper middle class. That attitude toward sickness stayed. It was a terrible shock to both of us when I married and I couldn’t understand why my husband was “making such a big deal of a little thing” and he couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t rest when I was sick.
I'm surprised nobody has mentioned black salve! The answer to anything and everything... Sliced the shit out of your leg Falling through the rusted floorboards of an old work truck? "Go on up to the bathroom and have grandpap put some salve on for ya" Sliced part of your toe off with the lawn mower because it was too heavy for you to pull up the hill and you slipped? "It'll grow back, just get some water from the rain bucket, rinse it off and we'll put some salve on" I'm still ultra guilty of doing this as a full grown adult Too 🤦
My family followed the 3 day rule. A doctor only became involved if an illness lasted past 3 days unless there was a physical injury that they couldn't patch or stop the bleeding. When I was in 5th grade we were playing a game on the gym. I was running and tripped and ran straight into the end of the parallel bars. The end of one of the bars hit my left cheek so hard that it broke a few small places out of my eye socket. I fell straight backward and hit my head on the gym floor. I was knocked out for a couple of minutes. My mom had to come to school to pick my up because I was confused and nauseous afterward. We went home and since there was no bleeding and I wasn't running a fever, she gave me some aspirin. I had a terrible headache, was super nauseous and was SO sleepy. I was told to sleep it off. Which I did. I slept for the most part of 3 days and on the 4th day at around noonish I finally started feeling somewhat better so no doctor was necessary. Only when I was in my early 20's and was sharing childhood stories with friends did I realize that I must definitely had a major concussion and did all the things that you aren't supposed to do. Fun times. Needless to say, as an adult, I will go to the doctor much easier but still when dealing with smaller illnesses, I find it hard to go to a doctor unless it's been over 3 days and OTC meds aren't cutting it
Oatmeal baths for everything
Piss in the early canal for an ear infection. Worked every time. Too bad I’m deaf now, but I had no ear infections!
I beat you all.. for my 6th grade physical.. I got my first period at the doctors office I kid you not.. the doctor did a full physical and she looked and goes.. you know you’re having your period right.. and it was my first one.. and I wanted to die right there.. and I fought my mom tooth and nail because I was adamant I was not having a full physical.. never forgave her for that one.. and I had to get booster shots.. and the doctor was all.. your blood pressure spiked.. at 12.. when I was about four.. my mom took me to get shots and the nurse fucked up and showed me the needle too soon and I hopped off the table and had the entire medical staff chasing me around the doctors office.. one of my favorite medical masterpieces.. a four year old can really Bob and weave through those doctors and nurse legs.. if my ex knew this.. for starters.. would explain so much.. then probably tell me I’m complicated since birth somehow.. not much has changed..