Coming in Too Hot? A Critical Analysis of the Utility of Thermal Home Remedies in COVID-19

Coming in Too Hot? A Critical Analysis of the Utility of Thermal Home Remedies in COVID-19
Changa Kurukularatne MD FAMS

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With each uptick in the incidence of COVID-19, social media comes alive with various remedies and solutions aimed at curing the disease and ending the pandemic. A widely prevalent notion is that the use of hot water and steam inhalation is a means of killing the virus with the intention of preventing transmission. Despite evidence of altered viral binding mechanisms at high temperatures (70°C), it is neither safe nor feasible to expose live human tissue to such high temperatures for the specified time durations: at 60°C, at least 20 minutes of exposure is necessary to kill SARS-COV-2. However, at 54°C, full-thickness skin burns will occur in as little as 30 seconds. Drinking warm water and inhaling steam aimed at improving symptoms of respiratory ailments are age-old practices dating back to the ancient Egyptians. However, these practices cannot be employed to kill SARS-COV-2 within the human body. Much harm in the form of accidental burns and scalds (both external and internal) has been noted across various countries as a direct result of attempted therapeutic thermal home remedies. Damage to the respiratory epithelium compromises local immune function and tissue integrity, potentially increasing the risk of viral infection – the exact opposite of the very thing we are attempting to prevent.