Try hot water vs coughs, former DOH chief suggests

Can’t decide whether to take herbal or pharmaceutical medicine for that cough? Try hot water instead. This was the advice Tuesday of former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, who said the hot water will soften the phlegm and help clear the lungs. "Para sa ubo, uminom lang ng tubig na marami para maging malabnaw ang inyong plema. Pareho ng uminom kayo ng herbal o non-herbal na gamot sa ubo (For coughs, just drink hot water so that your phlegm softens and your lungs clear. The effect is similar to that of taking medicine, whether herbal or pharmaceutical)," Cabral said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Several Filipinos have been suffering from coughs and colds due to the cold weather in past weeks. State weather forecasters also predicted a short and wet summer this year due to La Niña. La Niña is a weather phenomenon characterized by heavy rains and relatively low temperatures. Cabral noted her advice came amid heavy advertising from companies selling both herbal and pharmaceutical products. "Yan ay alam natin sa maraming pagsisiyasat tungkol sa ubo pareho ng epekto ng uminom kayo ng maraming tubig sa paginom ng herbal na gamot at gamot ng pharmaceutical companies (Yet our research shows drinking much hot water is as effective as taking herbal or pharmaceutical medicines)," she said. Meanwhile, Cabral lamented many firms continue to sell their products with small or negligible warnings that they have no approved therapeutic claims. — RSJ, GMANews.TV