The truth behind an odd health claim you may have received in an e-mail
The truth behind an odd health claim you may have received in an e-mail
Here’s a tip that might help you avoid making a mess of your bed sheets.
A friend of mine recently sent me the current version of an e-mail I first told you about last year – apparently it gets heavily forwarded every cold and flu season. The e-mail makes this odd claim: You can stop nagging coughs by applying Vicks VapoRub to the bottom of your feet at bedtime.
So…besides the obvious, what’s not quite right here?
For starters, the e-mail states that this technique works “100 percent of the time.” That’s red flag number one: In all of history there’s never been a treatment that’s 100 percent effective.
Other red flags:
- The e-mail misspells the name of the product as “Vicks Vapor Rub”
- The e-mail claims that the Canada Research Council discovered this amazing cough treatment, but a quick Google search reveals that no such organization exists
In 2007, officials with the National Research Council of Canada became fed up with being linked to this e-mail and issued a press release stating that they’ve never conducted any research with Vicks VapoRub.
Of course, many people report cough relief when Vicks is applied to the upper chest. But applied to the bottom of the feet? Here’s a 100 percent guarantee: No matter what happens with your cough, your feet will smell like camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol.
Source:
“Foot Rub Cough Cure: Fact or Fiction?” The National Research council of Canada, 6/7/07, nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
