Can Inhaling Steam + Supplements Prevent COVID-19?

Is the natural health company Champ Fit correct that inhaling steam and supplements can prevent COVID-19?

Find out what they are claiming, and what the FACTS really are!

 

Champ Fit Claims That Inhaling Steam + Supplements Prevent COVID-19!

A Champ Fit video of Managing Director Hema Malini Nidamanuri claiming that inhaling steam and supplements can prevent COVID-19 is going viral on WhatsApp.

Let’s go through her claims one by one, and see if what the facts really are…

Claim #1 : No Vaccines For Respiratory Diseases Have 100% Efficiency

She does not appear to understand the difference between EFFICACY and EFFICIENCY.

Efficiency is about achieving something in the most economical way, so it’s a management term, not a medical term.

When it comes to the performance of vaccine, medical professionals refer to either its efficacy or its effectiveness :

  • Efficacy : how much protection the vaccine offers under ideal, controlled trial conditions
  • Effectiveness : how much protection the vaccine offers in a real world condition (people have underlying conditions, and take medications that may interfere with the vaccine, for example)

Claim #2 : The First Set Of COVID-19 Vaccines Maybe At 50% To 70% Efficiency

While she claims that is what WHO has said, she is WRONG. WHO said no such thing.

The first two COVID-19 vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, have efficacy rates of 95% and 94.5% respectively.

That means they will reduce cases of COVID-19 in a vaccinated population by 95% and 94.5% respectively.

Recommended : Pfizer + Moderna mRNA Vaccines : How Do They Work?

Claim #3 : The Rest Depends On Your Body Immunity

FALSE. SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus – a brand new virus that our body has NEVER encountered.

Therefore, our immune system has no defences, no understanding of how to fight off SARS-CoV-2.

A good immune system doesn’t make your immune to COVID-19.

In fact, severe COVID-19 disease (and death) is caused by the immune system overreacting to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, inducing a cytokine storm.

Claim #4 : WHO Said That These Vaccines Are Only 50% Efficient

FALSE. WHO never said or promised that COVID-19 vaccines are only 50% efficacious. In fact, WHO isn’t even the body that licenses vaccines.

The US FDA was the body that set a MINIMUM EFFICACY of 50% for a COVID-19 vaccine to be approved.

Other regulatory bodies may have their own minimum efficacy rates to licence COVID-19 vaccines. But not WHO.

Claim #5 : The Coronavirus Hides In The Paranasal Sinus For The First Two Days

FALSE. Coronaviruses of any kind, SARS-CoV-2 other otherwise, do NOT go for a 2-day holiday in your paranasal sinuses before infecting you.

That’s pseudoscience bullshit.

Claim #6 : It Takes A Few Days For SARS-CoV-2 To Reach Your Throat And Lungs

FALSE. She is probably confused by the incubation period, which is the time between exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and when symptoms start appearing.

After exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the virus will IMMEDIATELY hijack your cells to replicate. It takes a few days before it infects enough cells, and your body recognises and reacts to the threat, for symptoms to show.

But that doesn’t mean they are on a holiday in your paranasal sinuses, or taking their own sweet time trekking their way to your lungs.

A higher power magnification image shows the structure and density of SARS-CoV-2 virions (red) produced by human airway epithelia. Credit : EHRE LAB, UNC SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Claim #7 : Steam Weakens / Kills The Virus In The Nose

FALSE. Inhaling steam will NOT weaken or kill any virus in your nose. Inhaling hot steam at 60°C to 70°C can cause burn damage to your nose.

In fact, Dr. Satyanarayana Mysore, the HOD of Pulmonology at Manipal Hospitals reported seeing many cases of scalded airways and worsening asthma due to steam inhalation in March, April and May 2020.

Claim #8 : Steaming Was Promoted In China, Japan, Taiwan To Control COVID-19

FALSE. These countries have NEVER used steaming to control COVID-19. They simply used a mixture of :

  • physical distancing or lockdowns
  • mandatory requirement to wear face masks in public
  • stringent hand hygiene practices

She also FALSELY made the claim that those countries promoted steaming as a way to control COVID-19.

Recommended : Face Mask vs COVID-19 : Should You Wear One?

Claim #9 : Using Eucalyptus Oil While Inhaling Steam Works Against COVID-19

FALSE. No medical expert has ever recommended inhaling steam with eucalyptus oil. In fact, they are warning about the dangers of Essential Oil-Induced Seizures (EOIS)!

Dr. Thomas Mathew, Professor and HOD of Neurology at St. John’s Medical College Hospital, said that, “People must avoid adding essential oils, eucalyptus oil and pain balm to water while inhaling steam. These stimulate the brain and cause seizures. We see at least two such cases every month“.

Claim #10 : All The Doctors Are Inhaling Steam + Saying It Really Works Against COVID-19

There are tons of photos of doctors and nurses working in ICU wards, and they all have one thing in common – they are all wearing PPE including face masks and face shields.

There are NO DOCTORS inhaling steam to prevent COVID-19, because IT DOES NOT WORK!!!

And let me remind you again – doctors are WARNING against inhaling steam because it can scald and damage your airways!!!

Claim #11 : Supplements Help Against COVID-19

FALSE. There is no evidence that any supplement can help prevent or cure COVID-19.

Taking multi-vitamin supplements will not help boost your immune system, unless you have a very poor diet.

There’s a reason why they are called supplements – because they are meant to supplement a bad diet.

A good, wholesome diet, will provide your body all the necessary macro- and micro-nutrients it needs.

 

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