March 5, 2008 1:53 PM
Cough cure: Vicks on feet - what's your experience?
I first heard about this when Maddy had a cough a week before her competition and two of her teachers told her to rub Vicks on her feet before she went to bed. Did some research to find that this is all over the Internet and even Snopes doesn't know whether to judge it true or false.
But there is lots of anecdotal evidence from moms that it works:
I received an email recently about how doctor's found great results in reducing a child's night time cough by rubbing Vicks Vapor Rub on their feet, then putting the kid's socks on, and letting them go to bed. Now this email stated that not only were they getting good results, but the Vicks technique was working 100% of the time. Hmmmmmm, Time to testI have a young child and now that we are entering the cold season I figured I would have the opportunity to test this method out. Well, the doctors were right. One night I woke hearing my child coughing steadily in his sleep. Remembering the email that I received a few days earlier I decided to give the Vicks a shot. I went into his room and started applying the Vicks. Now, my child is a very sound sleeper and will sleep through anything, so me applying the Vicks to his feet did not even begin to stir him from his deep slumber. I tell you this because the results were amazing. After I applied the Vicks, but before the socks were even on I noticed that his coughing subsided and his breathing was deeper. I wanted to think that this was due to the fact that I had woken him up and he was simply not coughing 'at that moment'. That wasn't the case. He had literally stopped coughing all together.
I went to bed that night and was questioned by my child during breakfast on how the socks arrived on his feet in the middle of the night... he didn't even know.
The skeptic that I am was amazed, but still thought that it was just luck. Needless to say a couple nights later my child was coughing after a long Halloween night. Immediately I went for the Vicks Vapor Rub. Again, the coughing stopped upon application. I can't believe how well this works, but I wanted to share it with other parents out there knowing that a good night's sleep is like gold!
by Trina at Alternative Medicines Direct
Anyone out there have any personal experience? If not, do you think you might try it sometime? We did and it seemed to work. But I was brought up on Vicks and returned to using it a couple years as my remedy-of-choice - at least on the chest. Now we're doing feet too!
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Comments
Not tried it yet. I've been hearing it all over the place lately...the dreaded cold is making its way through our home, so I'll try it tonight I think.
Heard good things about it. I don't see why not, your feet are connected to all parts of your body, and the warmth of the socks on the Vicks makes the smell go all over I'd bet. And it's probably not as strong as putting it on their chest, my kids don't like it there, because it's so overpowering.
I'll come back and comment again tomorrow after I try it
Posted by: sandy | March 5, 2008 2:18 PM
I too was very skeptical of this, but YES IT DOES WORK!! I only wish I had known about it for the past 7 years, for my little guy that has had more coughing-all-night episodes than I can count. It does in fact work. I too was raised with my mom putting vicks on my chest and neck - she would then put a scarf around my neck, can't imagine that was the safest way to sleep :) I have used it on 3 of my 5 kids and on myself, with 100% success! When the kids have a deep cough during the daytime, I know it will be a rough night so we put it on their feet and a little on their chest and it works every time.
Posted by: Margaret | March 5, 2008 2:27 PM
I can't really see how it would be different from putting the Vicks on your chest, although maybe like PP said, it's just not as strong smelling and bothersome on the feet.
Posted by: Michelle Potter | March 5, 2008 3:06 PM
We have tried it with my daughter and one of my sons. Worked like a charm!! They were coughing like crazy when they went to bed. we put the vicks on their feet and within 5-10 minutes they stopped and we didn't hear them all night!!
A neighbor had been having a cough at night for over a week. She tried it on herself and said it worked great.
Posted by: mary | March 5, 2008 3:16 PM
Curious. I wonder if it's the Vicks (in a not-so-strong way), the Reflexology of rubbing the feet, or both. I wonder would it work as well with any lotion, just rub the feet. It would be an interesting experiment.
Posted by: SmockLady | March 5, 2008 6:51 PM
I haven't heard that idea with Vicks, but I HAVE heard about mashing garlic in olive oil and rubbing it on the feet for the same purpose.
We haven't had to try it, but my friend explained that putting it on the feet really improves the absorption.
Posted by: Nancy | March 5, 2008 7:32 PM
You know, I honestly can't tell you if it works or not because it's something I've done (or had done to me) all my life! I think it was originally great grandma's idea, if I remember correctly. I was always troubled with upper resp problems. I remember my mom rubbing vicks on my feet one night, telling me that this is what her grandma always did. Who knows, but it sure doesn't hurt anything.
Posted by: Amanda | March 5, 2008 9:08 PM
I don't know what the operating principle is here but it did help me over the holidays. I was also told to use cotton socks.
I didn't use Vicks but used Waktins Menthol-Camphor Ointment. Like I said, I was a skeptic but it definitely helped.
Posted by: christopher Gillespie | March 6, 2008 8:04 AM
from what i've read, when you rub something (vicks, olive oil/mashed garlic, etc.) on the soles of the feet, the healing properties enter the bloodstream much quicker than anywhere else. just make sure what you are applying is 'ok' to enter the bloodstream.
Posted by: deborah | March 6, 2008 9:25 AM
Yep - it works!
Posted by: Kristin | March 6, 2008 10:54 AM
I got that same e-mail about a year ago. Adam, my 5 year old, was sooooo sick, I was willing to try anything. I had a friend who was a reflexologist who said it would work.
IT DID!!
We now call them "magic socks"...the kids ASK for them when they're feeling ill....
Posted by: suzanne | March 6, 2008 5:02 PM
I cannot believe this worked. My daughter has been coughing all night. I rubbed Vicks on her chest, it did nothing. I remembered reading about Vicks on the feet a couple of months ago on a message board so I made her get up and put it on her feet. She stopped coughing almost immediately and it's been over an hour and she still hasn't coughed. I challenge anyone reading this to try it the next time your child has a bad cough. It won't hurt them...and in our case, it worked wonders!
Posted by: Heather | March 16, 2008 1:21 AM
Doing it right now and it worked within a few minutes & my kid isnt in bed, just in his high chair. That's a relief. Glad I know about it.
Posted by: eileen | March 16, 2008 10:18 PM
My daughter has severe Asthma, and takes a load of medications. She suffers from night time coughing as do a lot of kids with Asthma. During the cold and flu season (and allergy season) it is impossible for her to get any sleep. I tried the Vicks on the feet AND IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!!!! for the past 3 nights she has requested her special foot massage!
I dont know how it works but it does!
Posted by: Annie Sawyer~Missouri | March 16, 2008 11:57 PM
Mabuhay! From Philippines.
Yes it is true. We tried it a lot of times on our 5-year old son. It really, really works.
We also tried other liniments which has CAMPHOR & MENTHOL and still it does the work. ^_~
Posted by: bablih | April 3, 2008 1:32 PM
Vicks works for my kids too! I heard the reason it works on the feet so much is that all the cruddy stuff comes out your feet. Maybe the Vick's not only helps to sooth, but to draw the nasties out. Works great! Some people say to even put a little kosher salt on top of the vicks before you put socks on to have a greater effect.
Posted by: Cristi Randolph--Texas | July 17, 2008 5:51 PM
Works on infants, as well. I have used it on my kids of all ages and myself and my husband. Works every time. The effects seem to start wearing off in about five or six hours, but you can reapply the rub. I highly recommend using the socks over the rub. Less messy.
Posted by: Cassandra | October 15, 2008 3:01 PM
Oh well, I was quite skeptical about the whole Vicks VapoRub thing at first, but after two weeks of coughing like a mad dog, I finally decided to give it a shot and "Voilá" I had, finally, a good night of sleep and I'm feeling great today.
Posted by: Gelber | November 4, 2008 10:16 AM
Before I tell you how it worked, I want you to understand how bad Loren's cough has been. This am, he tried to nap but coughed about once a minute. He was never able to fall asleep, he just laid there moaning in between coughs. I know that we would both heal faster if we could just sleep.
Now, Loren is due to wake up any minute from his pm nap (1.5 hours is his usual). HE HAS NOT COUGHED ONCE!! Think about that! He has not coughed one time in an hour and a half.
I have never seen anything work so well in my life. This little test has been more satisfying than a nap after mid-day sex. Vick's can call me anytime to do an ad.
Here's the interesting part though: I laid down too while Loren was out, and I didn't cough either! Not once! I have been sleeping sitting up for 3 nights, because I cough as soon as I even think the word horizontal. It must have absorbed into my hands while rubbing it on his feet! That stuff is a miracle.
I am SO putting it on my feet when I go to bed tonight.
Posted by: Pam | November 14, 2008 5:24 PM
Pam what a funny comparison of how satisfying the use of vicks is. Cracked me up! I've been a believer in Vicks for over a year :)
Posted by: Margaret | November 15, 2008 11:56 AM
WOW. I've just tried this tonight ( I'm typing on my laptop in bed) I've got a heavy cold and lost my voice for two days. I can speak now, but I'm very croaky and have an annoying hacking cough which didn't bode well for tonight.
I remembered reading this here and was impressed by all the positive comments, so I gave it a try. I slathered vicks over the soles of my feet and put a lovely pair of soft woollen socks on.
I am totally gobsmacked by how quickly it has worked! I can breathe more easily and my lungs aren't 'tickling' all the time. Truely amazing. And the effect was almost instantaneous. Much better than when applied to the chest.
I wonder how it works?
Posted by: Clare | November 21, 2008 5:31 PM
I put Vicks on my feet, and now the dog won't sleep at the foot of my bed. That's GREAT!
Posted by: Linda J. | November 23, 2008 2:32 AM
Here I am at 2am in the morning searching through the Internet because my daughter cannot sleep because of her coughing. I was giving her cough medicine , rubbed Vicks on her chest,etc...nada, nothing was working. I felt so bad because she looked so tired and worn. Then I found this message board and read about rubbing Vicks on feet. Hmmm...I said I'll give it a try. And even though my tired daughter looked at me funny, I rubbed Vicks on her feet and put socks on. Then I said do you want a warm lemon drink with honey. She said yes, but by the time I had prepared the drink and brought it upstairs...SHE WAS ASLEEP. I will keep on doing this. Thanks for sharing...
Posted by: Lynn | December 5, 2008 2:37 AM
We must be the only people on the planet that this doesn't seem to work for...we also have been up all night, trawling the net for info, and we thought this might actually be the answer...but no, its just made her coughing even worse...
Ah well...another night of no sleep...
Posted by: Sue | December 13, 2008 10:28 PM
Am I really the only one who has had no luck with Vicks on the soles of the feet? My eleven year old daughter has been coughing non-stop for almost a week and has missed five days of school. She's basically fine--no fever, no vomiting, active, etc.--but the cough is relentless. I have tried thick layers of Vicks on her feet for the past three nights with no success at all. Even the Robitussin with codeine that the doctor prescribed has not had any effect. It's definitely a post-nasal drip--not in the lungs but more in the throat. We have tried the neti-pot, Benadryl, cough drops, steam, and a nebulizer with albuterol. This cough is HORRIBLE!!!
Posted by: Amy | December 15, 2008 10:12 PM
Worked for me too. Last month I had a horrible cold that caused my throat to swell and I couldn't swallow without terrible pain. Antibiotics cleared that up though. Am coming down with a nasty cold again but last night I rubbed the Vicks on my feet and woke up with throat less sore and able to breathe better than before. I reapplied it this morning and find that I can breath even better. I don't know if it is the Vicks but I also find I can blow my nose so much better now. And don't forget the power of prayer! Always ask for the LORDS healing upon you!
Posted by: just another me | December 23, 2008 8:34 AM
I would like to chime in and say it worked for us. After a night of night sleeping while holding my son in a semi upright position because it alleviated some of his coughing, I can't give him cough syrup as he is allergic to alot of dyes and additives, so I went out and bought Vicks, and couldn't wait until last night to test it out.
He coughed off and on all day, with it slowly getting worse come the evening. So after we got ready for bed, I put the Vicks on his feet, and seriously within minutes, he stopped coughing. I at first thought it was a fluke, and kept checking on him and not once did he cough. He woke up very well rested and so did I!!
I will def. use this method again and spread the word.
Posted by: Mel | December 24, 2008 10:46 AM
My pediatrician actually recommended this to us yesterday for my daughter's cough. I was surprised to hear this coming from an actual doctor, but am definitely curious to see if it will work. Put it on her feet tonight before bed, so we'll see!
Posted by: Chanse | December 30, 2008 9:12 PM
It works, it works, it works. That's all I have to say.
Posted by: Chris | February 4, 2009 9:54 AM
YES YES YES!!! I heard about this from a friend . When my 4 year old caught a cold and I could not get him to stop coughing during the night, I thought i would Try it.. Nothing was working including cough meds. I rubbed the Vicks on his feet and covered with cotton socks AND..... Voila no more cough at all. He went right to sleep and was quiet till morning. I also ised it on my 22 month old daughter and it worked for her. I would recommend it to anyone.
Posted by: Amy | February 8, 2009 7:56 PM
Ive not tried it yet. i have a terrible cough and i have had no sleep for the last 84hours!!! Im 14 and im going to try it tonight. My cough is terrible i also have diarrhea.
]note from Barbara: I hope it works! But you need to go see a doctor = please make sure you do.]
Posted by: Curtis | March 4, 2009 4:30 AM
Ive not tried it yet. i have a terrible cough and i have had no sleep for the last 84hours!!! Im 14 and im going to try it tonight. My cough is terrible i also have diarrhea.
Posted by: Curtis | March 4, 2009 4:30 AM
My daughter had a dry cough left over from a cold. It woke her up during her sleep and woke us up also. I felt so sorry for her then I remembered reading online that vicks on the feet covered with socks was a home remedy. So... I had nothing to loose and I do not like to use medication. To my surprise it worked like a charm no more coughing at night. Not one cough the whole night. I am thankful for the internet!
Posted by: Corinda | March 13, 2009 12:14 AM
Sorry, it didn't work for us, either. Once my son's once-every-20-seconds cough set in around 2AM, despite having used the saline rinse, a humidifier, and tilted his bed a little with a pillow, we became desparate. The Vick's had no effect. He coughed the entire rest of the night and is still coughing now while I write this at 10AM.
It certainly didn't hurt, though - so good luck.
Posted by: Aaron | March 15, 2009 12:13 PM
What about when the cough is croup? I was told early on that menthol irritates the already inflamed and irritated membranes as a result of croup. Has anyone used it for that? We've had 3 nights of steamy shower/night air and she's actually worse today with a steroid shot AND antibiotic.
Posted by: Heather | March 25, 2009 10:41 AM
@ Heather
My son regularly suffered from croup. The only thing that really helped him was a nebulizer (saline solution + steroids).
I would not try Vicks on a "croupy" child, as I would fear making it worse using menthol.
Although the "Vicks Trick" helped him when he was suffering from a non-croup cough. I cannot really explain why it works so well and I can't find any scientific evidence, but hey, never mind, it helped my boy. :)
Posted by: Jill | April 5, 2009 7:40 PM
There are many responses but I had to share. Definitely worked for me - on my youngest this past winter and on me. I had to use it often with a horrible cough. I tried doing just my chest as the cough seemed to ease up but it didn't work unless I included the feet. Why it works... Who knows? But it does! Such an easy remedy to an otherwise all-night coughing marathon.
Posted by: Nicole | April 7, 2009 7:04 AM
I need to share too. I have been doing this personally for 2 years. As soon as I feel symptoms of a cold, I begin putting Vicks on my feet 2 @ per day. Works like a charm, usually never catch the cold. One time I did but I waited days to use the Vicks. I learned my lesson I use it right away now. Also my daughters pediatrician told us to put it on her daughters socks. None on the chest until over 12 months old. Heck I don't even bother with the chest anymore.
Posted by: Janis | April 14, 2009 12:03 PM
not certain if it was from vicks or if she finally wore herself out- but my 4 year old has been coughing so terribly at night time for the past few days. I hopped on my computer desperate for some sleep, while she was still coughing every 20 seconds or so- and i ran straight to the cabinet, put socks on her, and she's actually snoring right now.lol, was instant. unbeleivable. i am still a skeptic, will try again tomorrow.
Posted by: Kate | April 20, 2009 12:06 AM
I definitely worked for me! But just because it did for me doesn't mean it will for everyone. I had been recovering from the flu and had that dry tickling cough that would keep me from falling asleep and so I tried it and I swear within 5 to 10 mins. I was finally able to stop coughing and get some much needed sleep. Yay!
Posted by: Nikki Newell | June 3, 2009 7:11 PM
Boy do I wish this worked for me, not as lucky as the rest I guess.
Posted by: Rebecca | July 13, 2009 8:46 PM
I've been suffering bronchitus left over after a case of the flu. The Dr. has me on codine based cough meds and they don't work at all for me. After two weeks of not sleeping, a neighbor told me about this and I was willing to give a shot. I've slept perfectly well each night since. Works in my book.
Posted by: Michael Francis | September 27, 2009 2:17 PM
I have been using Vicks on my daughter's feet since she was about 5. She's now almost 8. IT WORKS!! When she was little,before the Vicks, she used to require Albuterol nebulizers for her cough. Not anymore. It's great. Except now she'll wake up when I'm applying it to her feet and she doesn't like it but IT WORKS!!!
Posted by: Lisa O | October 2, 2009 10:26 AM
It works, but to get the congestion out keep in mind they make Mucinex for adults and kids and that works wonders to break up the congestion!!!
Posted by: Mandy | October 4, 2009 12:44 PM
I have been doing this for YEARS and swear by it for my three kids!! I just did it 15 minutes ago to my son who is 6. It took 5 minutes for it to work and all is quiet. I use it for me, too!
Posted by: jen | October 6, 2009 12:37 AM
Well, it's been 25 mins and my 5-yr old is still coughing. I was hoping this "silly sounding" remedy was going to work for him ... Ah well ... no success here :(
Posted by: MrsB2B | October 12, 2009 11:52 PM
I am a 54 year old perpetual skeptic who is currently getting over the flu. I had a nasty cough that kept me up for two nights straight. My wife heard of this and decided to try it since the Mucinex DM my doctor suggested was only having marginal success. I'm now a believer. After applying it to my feet and covering my feet with socks, I had no more coughing for the entire night. Tried it again the next night with the same results...Can't explain it...Don't need to know how it works...but it does..
Posted by: Larry | October 24, 2009 8:58 AM
I was laying in bed at 1 am thinking I AM ABOUT TO GO CRAZY, the constant cough was driving me nuts! Used the vicks all is well, although during nap today it didn't work, also my child didn't sleep, propped him up this time, don't know if its a combo of the prop,vicks,actual sleep time...but thank god!!!!
Posted by: ms. awake at night | October 27, 2009 3:00 AM
Just want to add my experience to the mix. My 22-month old gets croup all the time. Our latest bout (this past weekend) had us in the pediatrician's office (instead of the ER, thankfully). She is the one who recommended the Vicks on feet + socks remedy. I tried it and my son slept soundly through the night without a single cough. He's coughed more, now, through the day than he did last night - which was NOT AT ALL! I'm amazed and will be using this from now on for both my boys, my husband, and myself!
Posted by: Colette | November 9, 2009 2:04 PM
I had heard about the vicks on the feet approach a while back. When I entered week 5 with my 10 year old daughter's nighttime cough I decided to give it a try.
Although the cough didn't disappear it did greatly reduce the amount of coughing she did during the night. She was able to sleep straight through the night for the first time in weeks. We used it for another week and the cough has disappeared.
After nursing two kids for three months I finally got sick. I decided to try the vicks on the feet tonight because I have a nagging cough that will not let me sleep. I have only had it on for about 20 minutes but I already feel a reduction in the tickle in my throat and my cough has eased already. I am not ready to declare victory...let's see what the night brings. I will come back tomorrow and let you know how it worked.
Lauren
Posted by: Lauren | December 3, 2009 12:37 AM
The night turned out to be a long one but not due to coughing. I developed a very painful throat that kept me from sleeping. Once I used the VICKS my cough subsided greatly.
The throat pain brought me to the doctor today. Turns out I have a sinus infection and have been given an antibiotic. Based on my experience I would use the VICKS on the foot approach again. It definitely helped reduce the coughing.
Posted by: Lauren | December 3, 2009 9:52 PM
My son is only 7 months old. Would vicks babyrub work the same?
Posted by: Sarah | December 19, 2009 12:28 AM
I babysit my 1 and 2 1/2 year old granddaughters and they had been suffering from runny noses for the past week when I heard about this remedy from my sister. I took their socks off and got out the Vicks and rubbed their feet down. When their dad picked up his dried nose kids 4 hours later, I gave them another rub down and told him to leave their socks on them overnight. Next day, no runny nose but I rubbed them down again as you could tell they still had some lingering signs of their colds - the kids were better and seemed happier as you weren't running after them trying to wipe a nose that was irritated from constant wiping. I only babysit them 3 days of the week - saw them after a couple of days at home and their runny noses were back as the treatment hadn't been continued. This works great! Do it every night (or day) until all signs of the cold seem to have disappeared. It also works on adults - I could not believe how quickly I felt better = it does not cure the cold but you feel so much better and comfortable!
Posted by: janet | December 26, 2009 6:56 AM
Yes this is true. My husband and I both have been using Vicks on our feet for the past year whenever we get a cold or cough. It is amazing how you sleep soundly throughout the night. We wish we had known about this when our children were young.
Posted by: Daelyn Dillahunty | January 1, 2010 8:55 AM
Both of our boys (5 and 10) have been fighting this darn cough for about a week now, and we have not been getting any sleep. The Dr said it was a virus, but recommended we keep them on the neb machine and take Delsym kids before bed. Although those do help, my wife remembered the vicks foot trick that a few of the teachers at her school mentioned. I was like, whatever another myth....Boy was I wrong, after about 15 minutes they both suddenly stopped coughing. We had to run in their room to make sure everything was ok, both sound a sleep. I'm a believer now...can't wait until I get a cough.. :)
Posted by: Randy | February 4, 2010 11:41 PM
