An Assessment of the Use of Home Remedies in treating Cold and Cough in Chongwe District
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Date
2022
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Abstract
Home remedies are widely used all over the world especially in Africa to treat and cure so many diseases(Anthony et al., 2016 ). These remedies have existed as long as man has existed on earth and a high number of modern medicines are made from these remedies. In Africa, home remedies have been passed on from one generation to the next just like culture and tradition because it is part of their identity as well as natural ways of treating all types of illness and disease. In remote areas of Zambia, there is a high usage of home remedies which is influenced by the following; culture and tradition, lack of health facilities where they can access and receive treatment, little or no knowledge of modern treatment and drugs, they cannot afford modern medicine due to low or no income to mention but a few(Hilding, 2014). The main objective of this study was to assess the use of home remedies in treating cold and cough. The research adopted a qualitative study design which is subjective and allows respondents to express themselves without any manipulation by the researcher. The results depicted that home remedies are safe to use because they have mild or no side effects and they treat cold and cough within a period of three(3) days or even less. The use of home remedies in treating cold and cough was seen to be influenced by factors such as cultural beliefs, low or no income, lack of health facilities and skilled workforce, moving long distances in order to access health care services, knowledge levels among others. Therefore, the researcher recommended that home remedies should be encompassed in the modern medical system so as to increase accessible, affordability as well as making the modern health system friendly for those that strongly believe in home remedies because that way they will accept and
access the modern medical services.
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Research Report Public Health