Wellness Ayer Y Ahora: 7 Dichos Y Superstitions Our Familias Told Us
Anyone who’s grown up in a Latine household knows that the moment you even begin to feel a tickle in your throat or some mocos in your nose, your familia will bombard you with all sorts of dichos y curas to make you feel better.
As kids, we could always count on mamá or papá to give us some old school health wisdom when we needed it. But now that we’re grown and in charge of our own wellness, we may have found some other ways to treat our symptoms and ensure we’re living our best and healthiest life.
That’s the great thing about being a 200% Latine American, though: we get to have the best of both worlds! We have access to our family curas passed down through generations and tried and true wellness products that get the job done.
That’s why we decided to partner with Walgreens to ask our mitú staffers what wellness dichos y curas their families passed on to them. Our staff not only told us their most memorable family remedies for all sorts of illnesses, but also what they use for the same symptoms now that they’re grown.
So read on to check out what wellness looks like for this generation of Latines, ayer y ahora!
STEPH REYES, Creative Director
Mi Abuelito Oaxaqueño had a cura for everything. One thing he always had at hand for the body aches was a large glass jar with rubbing alcohol and other herbs. For any muscle aches you just rub this brew and boom, como nuevo! These days for my señora aches I just use a hot/cold liniment.
DANNY CETINA, Talent Relations Manager
When I was a kid and I had indigestion my mom or grandma would rub alcohol and baking soda on my stomach and somehow it would help. Now when that happens, I grab a bottle of antacids.
LAURA DILORENZO, Creative Producer
Growing up, I always heard about eating boiled chicken feet for arthritis, but luckily collagen supplements do pretty much the same thing!
ALEJO PEREZ, Social Media Manager
We all know this one: walking around barefoot will get you sick. I’ve heard it’s not true… pero to this day, my mom will still give me a dirty look and yell “no andes descalzo te vas a enfermar!” So now, just to be safe, I take some vitamin C gummies whenever I’m walking around barefoot.
MIKE TENANGO, Creative Director
I get major motion sickness, like I would always get super carsick on long roadtrips or plane rides. Ever since I was a kid my dad would be sure to pack a small plastic baggie of cut up limes and tell me to smell them whenever I started to feel sick. It definitely worked, but now that I’m an adult I just use anti-nausea bands from Walgreens. I only had to buy ‘em once, so it’s cheaper than a bunch of limes!
ALICIA AGRAMONTE, Creative Producer
My family made me drink tea made with guava leaves, lemongrass, and mint from the garden when I was sick. I also wasn’t allowed to move and was given that good good treatment of everyone tending. Looking back, you would have thought I was on my deathbed. Not gonna lie that tea still helps, but cold medicine also works!
ERNESTO GUEVARA, Ad Revenue Specialist
In Venezuela we have A LOT, but a few that come to mind are: if a child falls and gets a bump, you can’t let him sleep and have to put salted butter on the affected area. Also, if he cracks his lip, you have to put sugar on it!
Seems like no matter how grown we get, we’ll always be able to rely on these family remedies. Pero if you’re feeling sick and want products you can trust to give those curas an extra boost, grab some Walgreens brand health and wellness products.
Walgreens pharmacists recommend them, plus they offer a great value and have the same active ingredients as the major brands. And don’t forget, when you’re feeling sick just visit Walgreens and sing a little sana, sana, colita de rana!
