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
