BBC expert warns major risk of common 'steam' method for 'easing' colds and flu

BBC expert warns major risk of common 'steam' method for 'easing' colds and flu The method date back centuries, and could have major risks Health expert Dr Xand van Tullen appeared on a recent episode of BBC Morning Live with a warning about a common 'steam' method people often use when they're ill. He claims there is one "very high risk" anyone who uses steam to help with a cold faces when doing so. If you turn to steam inhalation to treat a cold or flu, it could actually do more harm than good, he says. Dr Xand explains why it may not be as effective as you think and the potential risks to watch out for. He said: "Steaming is one of these very popular home remedies for nasal congestion and for having a cold, cough, flu, that kind of thing - and it's a very classic image. You can imagine that in Victorian times, we see engravings of people with a towel over their heads, over a big bowl of steaming hot water, sometimes with herbs in it as well. "This is an old practice, and it does have a sort of almost intrinsic appeal of drawing some sort of medicinal vapour into your lungs and the idea that it would heal you. I don't think you should feel foolish for thinking that this might be a good thing to do." He adds that social media users are showing how to do this with added herbs and using boiled water. The trained doctor also refers to one troubling video of someone "putting a towel over the saucepan on the hob". The NHS says: "Many people do this to soothe and open their nasal passages when they have a cold or sinus infection. The warm, moist air is thought to loosen mucus and relieve symptoms." However, it does not cure a cold caused by a virus. Dr Xand claims there is "quite good evidence" that steaming does not relieve cold symptoms or nasal congestion. Official health guidance (such as the NHS Common Cold Guide) also warns that boiling water carries a high risk of accidental scalding and burns. Dr Xand said: "If you go on if you go on social media, you will see people with a pot of boiling water with a towel over their head, so you are at very high risk of burns. The British Burns Association have said they've already started to see people coming in with burns, often children [who] may need skin grafts. "It's worth saying that, although they can be burns from splashing water, they can also be scalds. So a scald is from steam, not a burn, and even though steam's at 100 degrees and boiling water's at 100 degrees, steam can carry so much more energy than hot water that it gives you a far, far more dangerous burn." If people are inhaling it as well, Dr Xand claims that there is always the potential to burn your respiratory tract, burning the inside of your lungs and nose and throat, which can be "very dangerous indeed." Does steam actually help? According to the NHS website, breathing in steam may help to ease a blocked nose, but it will not 'cure' the problem. The health service suggests sitting in the bathroom with a hot shower running to safely expose your body to steam, without restricting yourself to the bowl-and-towel method. Steam may be helpful, as warm moisture thins thick nasal and sinus mucus, making it easier to clear. It temporarily reduces the feeling of a blocked nose and can rehydrate a dry or irritated throat and nasal passages. The NHS in Fife claims that there is some evidence that steam inhalation can also be helpful. It adds there are alternatives to the towel method, such as steam–inhaling mugs available at most large chemists or online.