Explain to me scientifically how rubbing 'Vicks' on feet is actually meant to work??

[~Kim~]

I have looked and looked but have no idea why except that the feet are very absorbant.

[FabFiona]

I have honestly never heard of the feet thing! Subscribing as I'm curious.

[Astrolady]

Mum swears by it, and every time the kids or I are sick she insists I do it. I never do LOL.

[Miss.September]

I swear by this!! I don't know why it works scientifically, but maybe it has something to do with the heat? When I'm sick, my feet get super cold, and my head is hot and the Vicks heats up my feet. I remember seeing something on TV once about drawing a fever away from your head by rubbing feet to make them warm and it then helps to pull the fever away. So maybe Vicks does the same thing? It draws the sickness away from the head. All I know is when I do it, my feet are ALWAYS lovely, toasty warm!

Corelly x

[Catastrophic]

I swear by this!! I don't know why it works scientifically, but maybe it has something to do with the heat? When I'm sick, my feet get super cold, and my head is hot and the Vicks heats up my feet. I remember seeing something on TV once about drawing a fever away from your head by rubbing feet to make them warm and it then helps to pull the fever away. So maybe Vicks does the same thing? It draws the sickness away from the head. All I know is when I do it, my feet are ALWAYS lovely, toasty warm!

Corelly x

Yeah that ....^

[Fleur]

Sorry, a bit OT from your question Leasha but I always pmsl at any mention of Vicks... XP's mum used to make him eat it. With a spoon.

My guess would be that it's absorbed through the feet. I know there are studies that have been done showing how garlic can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the feet.

[Miss.September]

Fleur - YUCK!!! Your poor XP!!

Corelly x

[Fleur]

Fleur - YUCK!!! Your poor XP!!

Corelly x

Poor XP? Nah. It probably explains a lot

[Miss.September]

[Bathsheba]

My guess is that by warming the feet which are often the part of the body that cools down the fastest you are maintaining a heat balance. People get sick often because the body has to work hard to adjust it's thermostat. Getting cold by itself doesn't make you sick... but getting cold SUDDENLY will put extreme pressure on the bodies resources leaving it vulnerable to attack. This is why having your house really toasty in winter isn't as wise as just keeping the chill off the air. When you step outside out of a hot house and the change is extreme the body has to work too hard to maintain balance. Wearing gloves and thick socks are excellent ways of helping the body deal with temp extremes... I assume the Vicks thing is an extension of that.