This past week, I’ve been laid up with a combination of cold and flu. Fevers, aches, couching, sniffles, stomach sickness, headaches, and sleepless nights that lead to exhaustion… and thus continued sick.

After chatting with my mom on Thursday night and then waking up at 2:30am on Friday, I was getting literally sick and tired of being sick. In our call, my mom had reminded me of a remedy that she used to use on my brother and I when we were little. Steaming Vicks Vaporub.

It’s quite simple. Essentially, you melt a bit of Vicks Vaporub into a bowl of boiling water. I dissolved 1/3Tbsp into a half filled large mixing bowl… it’s not an exact science, so eyeball it and see what happens. Then, drape a towel over your head and the bowl allowing the Vapo-steam to be caught in there. Finally, breathe deeply through your mouth and your nose.

Shortly, your nose will start leaking all the stuff that has been trapped up there. Happily, there is a bowl full of water and Vaporub that it drops into.

My sickly glamorous Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings involved an 8 minute session of Vapo-breathing. The first few minutes are pretty gross, but you get used to it. Today I’m feeling pretty chipper and I’m coughing much less.

If you get caught in a horrible cold spiral, try out a good old fashioned Vapo-breathe. As much as past-Jen hates to hear this – it actually helps… and though it may not cure a cold or flu, it’s a step in the right direction.

Three things you should note:

1) Let the water and Vapo-rub mixture cool before disposing of the water.  You can save your drain and pipes some clogging by scooping out the cooled off, semi-solid Vaporub and disposing of it in the garbage.

2) It doubles as a steam bath for your face.  Opens your pores right up! Take the opportunity to give your face a really good cleanse.

3) I like to keep a box of kleenex and a big glass of cold water nearby for when I’m done.  Even though you will have leaked out some nose fluids, you’ll want to blow out some more. The cold water is simply there because it feels refreshing to gulp down some fresh water after sweating your face off.

Happy sniffing!