Steam Inhalation Therapy Against COVID-19

AUTHOR: ATTY. ALEXIS C. ALBAO,MD,MHA,CSEE

Is steam inhalation therapy potent enough to stop COVID-19 pandemic? Let us see from the standpoint of one of the COVID-19 sufferers, who  testified that the virus causes irritation of the throat, causes dry cough and thereafter causing fever, as substantial full manifestation of the disease. I doubt if others would testify otherwise, or testify that the initially affected area is not in the respiratory tract.

If the dilemma materializes in the respiratory tract of a person, specifically in the throat, why focus too much on various areas or venues, where the battle against a virus can be won? Of course, it is not likely on the surfaces, paper money bills or hands, etc., where this virus comes in contact with, either accidentally or {maybe} intentionally, but on the part of the human body, where it first manifests. In short, pull the trigger when you see already the enemy and do it at the battlefield or in the part of the body that it first manifested. Otherwise, it would be very messy and expensive using your efforts towards an unseen enemy.

Above principle makes the face masks and protective devices, including traditional preventive health measures and lockdown policy as false  assurance in resolving COVID-19 problem. Good if lockdown finally succeed but no scientist can ever predict what kind of mutation the virus will have. In short, enemy must not be underestimated, as what happened in Wuhan, China.

An alternative remedy must thus be worked out. This is because above measures are bound to fail due to enormous factors to consider especially if thousands are affected. This is where the discovered alternative steam inhalation therapy would come in as everybody’s gun and bullet against the virus. As noted, it is not expensive, hence, not giving the enemy virus any pseudo-standing or status to be considered as a cause of socio-political-financial disorder or deterioration of the society. Also, it does not mandatorily require any governments’ primary efforts, but may only require them to do a supporting role of educating their citizens on the use of steam inhalation therapy, subject, however, to their compelling role  to mandatorily require its use due to emergency for the protection and welfare of others. This is because  steam inhalation therapy is more of a personal obligation, or if patient is in a hospital or seen by a doctor/health worker, the use of the therapy is more part of their professional obligation.

Background of the discovery

This is based on the recent personal experience of the author. The preventive and curative importance of the therapy was deeply understood by him during his confinement at a hospital due to water retention secondary to congestive heart failure, pneumonia and amiodarone lung toxicity, with persistent coughing, starting February 18, 2020.

Prior thereto or on December 8, 2020, he was hospitalized in a provincial hospital but transferred the following day to an alleged much upgraded hospital and was diagnosed to have suffered Acute Myocardial Infarction. In an effort to save possible recoverable heart muscles, he undergone angioplasty and was prescribed various drugs, one of which is amiodarone, as his myocardial ejection fraction is already below normal.

When no longer in the hospital, he started to have persistent severe coughing starting December 26, 2020, which disturbed his sleep not only once but for several nights. He began to suspect drug-caused coughing but his cardiologist insisted on congestive heart failure, as the cause, despite he was informed that coughing persisted even when seated.His follow-up chest x-ray revealed no pleural effusion but with infiltrates at the right lung. He was prescribed with an antibiotic but his severe coughing persisted until he was seen by another cardiologist, who recommended re-admission in the hospital because his myocardial ejection fraction was already 31%. He was immediately admitted on January 2, 2020 and treated for pneumonia and several antibiotics were administered. But still, his severe coughing persisted thereafter, which, due to pneumonia and edema or water retention, eventually required re-admission on February 18, 2020.

On re-admission for the second time, his series of chest x-rays perplexed his attending doctors, as it initially revealed clearer lungs more than the subsequent series of results revealing a progressive opacity in the right lung, until it was practically erased, radiologically, just for several days. This was despite of several antibiotics administered. The attending pulmonologist suspected of a connective tissue problem while the infectious diseases specialist suspected of a fungal infection, with the attending cardiologist being silent, until finally, he was convinced by the author-patient to consider amiodarone lung toxicity as the root cause, and  steroids be administered because the author’s right lung was starting to constrict. He was then put on steriods, with  relief.

Several days before the author was put on steriods, he was given amiodarone twice a day, which did nothing good but caused severe persistent coughing for almost 24 hours. Despite he was given with diphenhydramine, the same failed to put the author to sleep. Hence, amiodarone was discontinued.

In the author’s mind are legal actions against an attending physician, including his possible conspirators, if amiodarone lung toxicity be not considered and steriods, as a last resort drug, be not administered accordingly because truly, it means that the colleague and his conspirators are just bullying the life of the patient. The author was just giving the physician last chance, and he was finally convinced to do so.

On the positive side of the story is the discovery by the author of the preventive and curative importance of steam inhalation therapy in the management of almost all respiratory illnesses due to pollutants, injuries to the lungs and infection. Kudos to the behaviors of an attending physician, without which, the author might not have discovered it.

Left without any recourse, the author relieved his coughing with steam inhalation therapy, without any doctor’s prior order. And it was successful. It relieved the effect of amiodarone in the mucusal integrity of his right lung. It is because of the blood-tainted substances, which is a sign of trauma due to severe persistent coughing and pink-brownish substances, which is a sign of mucusal tearing, which can cause perpetual coughing to cause the final destruction of the affected lung, that were taken out during the therapy. It means also that the ciliary movement in the affected mucusa is still intact. Further noted is minimizing and eventually relieving his lungs from inflammation to prevent pulmonary fibrosis. And finally, during his discharge from confinement in the hospital, his oximeter readings was restored to a normal level and he is no longer needing supplemental oxygen therapy.

Below are pictures of mucusal fluids mixed with either reddish or pink-brownish substance that were taken during the therapy:

What is steam inhalation therapy?

Steam inhalation therapy, which is a home remedy for respiratory illnesses using boiled water in a kettle to produce warm water vapor to be inhaled, is used by common folks to aid in clearing the airway to the lungs. Based on the author’s experience however, it even extended up to the clearing of the lungs and throat of offending or cough producing elements, which maybe confirmed to be so, when one is coughing. In other words, if there is a cough, there is irritant either in the lungs, throat, nasopharynx, including esophagus as in  GERD or Gastro-esphageal Reflux Disease, This is due to the coughing reflex of the human body to expel out unwanted elements as a defense mechanism against invasion. These irritants include cough producing drugs, e.g, amiodarone, ACE Inhibitors, etc., through their side effects. It is thus not advisable to take cough suppressants, but advisable to get rid of the cause of the irritation to manage coughing.

By purpose, there is an equivalent term for steam inhalation in the surgical parlance. This is debridement, which is a surgeon’s way of getting rid of infected and dead tissues to control infection and facilitate the healing process. However, instead of using scalpel or force to get rid of foreign materials or dead tissues, steam inhalation therapy uses warm or tolerable hot water vapor to be inhaled through the nostril and into the lungs by patient, using moderate to deep breathing, of course, with instruction to exhale later. Preferably, the lungs and chest cavity be maximally expanded when inhaling. The same process could be done by inhaling through both the nostril and mouth to target areas in the nasopharynx and throat, where dead tissues or foreign elements are needed to be expelled, as they are causing cough.

The part of the lungs and throat, with irritation or itchyness that causes cough, has to be targetted specifically during the inhalation process to make the area produce mucous. In most cases, this itchy area is sticky or dry and loosening would only happen when enough mucous in the area is produced. The itchy area can also produce wheezes and in most cases, would cause cough while forcefully inhaling but require the process to be continued until enough mucusal fluid is produced to take it out and in order to relieve the coughing. Sometimes, bearable pain will be felt during inhalation, which is a sign that the offending organism has already caused inflammatory reactions, but still you must continue the process until the pain and cough are gone, with focus of inhalation towards it. Repeat the therapy, if needed. Sometimes,  If the offending element is very deep, you must do the therapy with maximal expansion of the lungs and chest during inhalation and most of the times, it would require your persistence, patience and rest, with intention to continue after sometimes.

The mucusal fluid produced while doing the process serves as lubricant for dead tissues or foreign elements, e.g, virus, to be moved out from the lungs and throat, aided either by the ciliary movement in the mucusa, internal body pressure or gravitational pull. Without such lubricating effect of the mucusal fluid, it would be very difficult for the irritant, e.g, virus, to be expelled out, without any effort, at all, or through minimal expectoration. Dry cough may thus result or in some cases, even a forceful cough would only produce a minimal expectorate.

Based on the author’s personal experience, steam inhalation is more potent than any muculytic drug, if done properly. Also, his experience proves that dead tissues, both from the lungs and throat, not to exclude bacteria and virus, can be expelled out, using the above process. It was noted further that coughing after an initial relief and after considerable length of time reckoned from the first therapy serves as a warning that there are still remaining unwanted elements or substances, thus, requiring again steam inhalation to relieve coughing. In other words, the therapy has to repeated until cough is permanently gone.

In short, the therapy was observed to have the following effects or properties, to wit: 1) Muculytic effect, 2) Anti-inflammatory effect, 3) Decongestant effect, and 4) based on its property to expel out dead tissues and foreign elements in the lungs and the throat, it has 5) antibacterial and 6) antiviral as well as 7) anti-fungal effect by way expelling them out from the throat and the lungs.

Finally, the behavior of COVID-19 incidentally strongly exposes the strength and potency of the therapy, as the virus is known not to survive in a warmer environment, which is being provided by warm and tolerable hot water vapor in the therapy. Due to the possibility that COVID-19 may be dislodged to the esophagus, which could also coughing, the remedy is regularly drinking warm to tolerable hot water until the itchiness in the esophagus or cough is gone.

CONCLUSION

Accordingly therefore, the health program of World Health Organization (WHO)  and different countries involving the virus have to be reviewed and looked into to better manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The recommendations, based on the coughing reflex dynamics in a human body, are as follows:

A. BEWARE OF THE FIRST SIGN OR INDICATION OF VIRUS INVASION AND ACT ON IT IMMEDIATELY

Beware of signs that the virus have entered your nasal cavity, nasopharynx or in already in your throat or lungs. The first sign is sneezing, running nose or coughing or some form of irritation in the that portion of the body. Awareness in this stage is very vital. If above signs are present, do the steam inhalation therapy right away. The goal is to stop the virus from multiplying in your body. You must do the therapy once until the coughing is relieved. Repeat if irritation or coughing and/or sneezing develops later.

B. EXCLUDE POSSIBLE OTHER CAUSES OF SNEEZING OR COUGHING

Even if you know that your sneezing or coughing is secondary to other causes , e.g, cigarette smoking , etc, do the therapy at once until coughing is relieved. Repeat if coughing and/or sneezing develops later. You can relax this advise, if there is no ongoing pandemic.

C. STAGE WHEN ALREADY WITH FEVER ASIDE FROM COUGH AND RESPIRATORY TRACT IRRITATION

This stage means that the virus had already multiplied, with enough numbers, to cause the human body to respond using its defense system, manifested other than by sneezing, running nose or coughing. At this stage, it is URGENTLY ADVISED to do the therapy with the goal of reducing or eliminating/killing the virus in the respiratory tract, the success of which is when fever is relieved . Do not take any medication for fever, unless there are other reasons for taking it, just to monitor the success of the therapy.

D. IF ALREADY CONFINED IN THE HOSPITAL

Usually, those who will require confinement at the hospital are with concomitant existing illnesses other than virus infection, including elderlies. It is because their body defense system is already less than normal. In this case, assistive steam inhalation therapy will apply, if the patient can not assist himself to do it. The goal is the same in the above, that is- to eliminate the virus, including the management of possible pneumonia, acquired either in the hospital or community, and other injuries in the lungs.

E. ADVICE TO THE ELDERLIES AND THOSE WITH EXISTING DEBILITATING DISEASE ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH CARDIAC AND PULMONARY ILLNESS AND DIABETES, CONTROLLED OR OTHERWISE OR IN QUESTION OF THEIR HEALTH STATUS

You must improve as much as possible the function of your lungs by clearing them out of offending elements, clearing the obstruction in the airway to the lungs or improving their present physical limitations through steam inhalation therapy, using deep breathing exercise while inhaling warm water vapor. The lungs and the chest should be maximally expanded while inhaling. The goal is to revive the un-utilized capacity of the lungs to function or reactivating it.This is to enhance the resistance of the body to viral invasion.

F. OTHER PREVENTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS

.1. Those under quarantine, Persons Under Investigations (PUIs), Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) and any suspected person must not be waited to be positive or show signs and symptoms of the disease but already instructed to do steam inhalation therapy at least once for thirty minutes. The goal is to clear their respiratory tract and reduce their fear and anxiety.

2. Those who are at risk of exposure to cases, including those who are in doubt of their exposure, may also do the therapy at least once. The goal is the same with no. 1 above.

3. Doctors and health workers attending to cases may also do the therapy at least once a day or if cough, running nose and/or sneezing ensue, they must immediately do the therapy until cough is gone. Repeat the therapy if coughing and/or sneezing develops later.

4. Medical staff and allies should incorporate in their respiratory communicable diseases treatment protocol the therapy.

5. Lastly, those scared of COVID-19 may likewise do the therapy to prevent them dying from other causes, e.g, heart attack.

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About the author:

The author is both a doctor of medicine and a lawyer.  He finished his medical degree at Southwestern University-Matias H. Aznar Memorial College of Medicine (SWU-MHAMCM), Cebu City and placed 5th in the February 1990 medical board examination.

He was President of SWU Supreme Student Government from 1984-1988 and awarded as one of the Top Ten National Student Leaders for 1985 by the Philippine Asean Youth Leadership Educational Foundation (PAYLEF) and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (MECS).  From his preparatory medicine course to medicine proper, he was a national state scholar under the MECS program.  He had his master’s degree in Hospital Administration at UP-College of Public Health, Manila, in 1994 and passed the 2000 bar examination after finishing his law degree on the same year.

He was co-chairman of the Regional Management and Health Workers Consultative Council (RMHCC) in Bicol. The Council was responsible for resolving some issues on Magna Carta benefits for public health workers in the region.

At present, he is the Chief of Regulation, Licensing and Enforcement Division (RLED) at Department of Health-Center for Health Development 5, Legazpi City.