8 Old-Time Cures Doctors Swear By

Feb. 16, 2014— -- intro: Medical offices might have gone high-tech, but some of the advice you'll hear there these days rings more nostalgic: Complain of constipation or congestion and you may get an Rx for dried plums (née prunes) or a saltwater gargle.

"The more that old remedies pan out in studies, the more likely physicians are to suggest them," says Philip Hagen, MD, vice chair of the division of preventive medicine at Mayo Clinic. "Part of the drive is the cost of health care—trying these at home could save you a trip to the doctor."

Consider these golden oldies the next time you're feeling under the weather.

quicklist: 1 category: Old-Time Cures Doctors Swear By title: Gingerurl:text: For thousands of years, this spice was used to knock out nausea. But unless you went to an Eastern medicine doctor, you weren't going to hear about it from your MD. Then, along with the 21st century came a string of studies pointing to ginger's potential to combat nausea related to motion sickness, chemotherapy and pregnancy.

"Once the science was there, more doctors were willing to 'prescribe' it," says Patricia Raymond, MD, assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va.

Try candied ginger, ginger tea or even ginger cookies the next time that you're feeling queasy.

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quicklist: 2category: Old-Time Cures Doctors Swear By title: BenGayurl:text: This pain-easing ointment was always a favorite with athletes but not so much with the average exerciser, mostly because of the medicinal scent.

"When I smell menthol, I'm like, 'Ugh,'" says Renee Acosta, clinical associate professor of health outcomes and pharmacy practice at the University of Texas, Austin. "You don't want to smell like that at work."

Today, though, medical pros are touting BenGay even to weekend warriors, especially now that it comes in scentless and patch versions.

"People are trying to stay active longer, and we want to give them all their options," Acosta says.

quicklist: 3category: Old-Time Cures Doctors Swear By title: Prunesurl:text: Back in the day, the answer to irregularity was prunes, possibly administered from your grandmother's stash and definitely embarrassing. That changed when, in 2000, the decidedly unsexy-sounding fruit was rebranded as "dried plums."

"They became an easier sell," Dr. Raymond says, partly due to a growing interest in digestive health and food cures.

Recent science has confirmed prunes' benefits: A 2011 study found that eating 12 a day relieves constipation better than the trendier psyllium supplements.

quicklist: 4category: Old-Time Cures Doctors Swear By title: Pepto-Bismolurl:text: Pepto was originally invented to treat infants before it became the ultimate upset-stomach cure for adults. In recent years, however, studies have shown that it works particularly well to treat traveler's diarrhea—and even to prevent it if taken before a trip.

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quicklist: 5category: Old-Time Cures Doctors Swear By title: Salt-water gargleurl:text: This headache pill was elbowed out by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Advil. Then the Food and Drug Administration approved Excedrin as the first over-the-counter medicine for migraine symptoms, and it was newly marketed as Excedrin Migraine.

"That swayed doctors and pharmacists to look at it again," Acosta says.