Survey: Older Americans Use Honey as Home Remedy

Folk Remedies Widely Used by Older Adults in North Carolina
Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 4/7/2006

(NewsRx.com) -- A survey of older adults in rural North Carolina shows that they widely use complementary medicine therapies, but tend to focus on folk or home remedies, such as taking a daily "tonic" of vinegar or using Epsom salts.

"What most people think about as complementary medicine - acupuncture, homeopathy and massage therapy - they aren't using at all," said Thomas Arcury, PhD, lead researcher, from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. "Their use is largely limited to home remedies, vitamins and minerals."…

Arcury said it is common to use some of the therapies, such as vinegar or honey, as a general tonic. "I've talked to older adults who'll tell you should take two tablespoons of vinegar every day in a glass of warm water because it's good for you," he said. "They aren't treating anything in particular."

The study divided CAM therapies in eight categories to better document which types of therapies are being used. The categories (and examples) are: food home remedies (honey, lemon and garlic), other home remedies (tobacco, Epsom salts, and salves), vitamins (multivitamins, folic acid and vitamin E), minerals (calcium, magnesium and zinc), herbs (gingko biloba, ginseng and Echinacea), popular manufactured products (flax seed, amino acids and glucosamine sulfate), CAM therapies (imagery, biofeedback and energy healing) and CAM practitioners (chiropractor, herbalist and acupuncturist).

More than half of participants used food home remedies (52%) and other home remedies (57%). Vitamins were used by 45% of participants and minerals by 17%. Interestingly, only 6% of participants used herbs for self-care…