Under the Blanket

Here in the Hegman household, we don’t subscribe to using the phrase “under the weather” when you’re feeling ill. However, certain illnesses will, if Desiree has her way, land you “under the blanket.” I found myself under the blanket two days ago.

The blanket is part of home treatment for respiratory ailments. In this instance, I sat on a step under the blanket while, on the step immediately below me, sat a large pot of freshly boiled water infused with Vicks VapoRub. In a more down-home version of this, peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil, cloves, or lemon may be added to the water. The idea here, plainly enough, is to reside in a cloud of steam and inhale the misty medicine while sweating out the bad stuff from inside you.

This does work. My nasal passages cleared rather quickly, and my throat felt much better following two ten-minute sessions under the blanket.

A word of caution: there is an element of danger in this. By necessity, you are placing yourself (think private parts here) immediately above an open pot of freshly boiled water, and you should be mostly or entirely naked. While this may not be risky for most folks, I have developed a rather sketchy track record over the years when it comes to this sort of thing.

Me Under the Blanket

I'm Okay

—Mitchell Hegman