#79 | ASEAN Hive Challenge "B"| Traditional Cures For The Common Cold | Steam Bath

Allow me to turn my time machine back to when I was a kid. I seldom got sick during these times. Even if I got sick, over-the-counter medicines is my parents’ last resort. Yes, for us their children, herbal medicine and homemade remedies was the way to cure our bodies. I may not identify or remember the names of those dozen different herbs, leaves, and even roots that I take to help me make better. Some of it made me puke, which made me afraid to get sick again.

Going back to the present, I myself was diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. The problem with this is that I sometimes confused or assume it as common cold or vice versa. During the pre-pandemic era, those OTC medicines are my go-to-go solution for identifying since it cheap and offers fast relief. During pandemic, being sick is really a pain since you will undergo swabbing and rapid antigen tests. Not to mention being isolated until the test results came up.

And yes, I was one of the people around the world who got infected, as what the doctors have said, the medicine was symptoms based. What I felt during those times was loss of smell and taste, fatigue, cold, cough. Although it’s manageable but yet the feeling was very weird. Friends and my family frequently call and check on how was I doing and what I am feeling. Then my mother, a friend of mine, and one of my officemates told me about a certain home remedy. They somewhat simultaneously told me this remedy days interval within that week. As what my mother have told me, she uses it before for cough and colds and it’s very effective. It was very cheap also and readily available in every market around the world.

RECIPE:

From the photo above, these are the ingredients needed for what we all called Steam Bath. These are as follows:

• A bowl of Hot Water
• Lemon or if not available Calamansi
• Salt
• Vicks Vapor Rub

That’s all, pretty easy to find and might I say, always available on every common household.

PROCEDURE:

The next procedure is also pretty easy, just mixed all of the ingredients inside the bowl of hot water, as much as possible a boiling water for the smoke or steam to emit more. The amount you put in the bowl depends is up to the user, as long as you can smell and inhale the steam.

To be more effective and to not waste the steam from spreading all over the room, I used a blanket, put the bowl inside and cover my whole body. While doing this, I felt my body heating up, I started sweating and my nose started dripping. I continue this process until the bowl stop emitting steam anymore.

In conclusion, I think it is important to note that home remedies should not be used as a substitute for medical advice or treatment from a qualified healthcare professional. If you have any concerns about your health, please be sure to consult with a doctor or other healthcare provider. As it may not work to some but 💯 it works on my end. As soon as my nose were dripping, despite the heat, I felt a signs of relief. My headache lessened and I can breathe normally since the clogged in my nose disappeared.

Even so, the pandemic is no more, this home remedy is my first aid to my family especially now here in my place, there is a Flu Bug, a seasoned flu, like some of the school had forced to return to do online class since most of the students was either absent or sick.

With this, thank you for reading and I highly recommend to try it out and check it for yourself and I am hoping that you could return here and give a comment on your experience as well.