- With Mayo Clinic emeritus consultant
Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
Dr. Jay Hoecker, an emeritus consultant in the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, brings valuable expertise to MayoClinic.com in general and primary care pediatrics. He has a particular interest in infectious diseases of children.
Dr. Hoecker, a Fort Worth, Texas, native, is certified as a pediatrician by the American Board of Pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was trained at Washington University's St. Louis Children's Hospital, and in infectious diseases at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. He has been with Mayo Clinic since 1989.
"The World Wide Web is revolutionizing the availability and distribution of information, including health information about children and families," Dr. Hoecker says. "The evolution of the Web has included greater safety, privacy and accuracy over time, making the quality and access to children's health information immediate, practical and useful. I am happy to be a part of this service to patients from a trusted name in medicine, to use and foster all the good the Web has to offer children and their families."
Definition (1)
- Cold or allergy: Which is it?
Complications (1)
- Plugged ears: What is the remedy?
Lifestyle and home remedies (7)
- Warm-mist vs. cool-mist humidifier: Which is better for a cold?
- Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant?
- Neti pot solution: Can I make my own?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (1)
- Echinacea: Can it prevent common colds?
Prevention (1)
- Flu germs: How long can they live outside the body?
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Question
Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant?
When I was a child, my mother used to rub Vicks VapoRub on my chest to relieve nasal congestion. Does this really work?
Answer
from Jay L. Hoecker, M.D.
Although it's no longer marketed as a nasal decongestant, Vicks VapoRub has been used by many parents over the years to relieve nasal congestion. Vicks VapoRub's aromatic ingredients — camphor, eucalyptus and menthol — may indeed help some stuffy noses to feel more open. But some research suggests that this combination of ingredients may have no effect on nasal congestion. Instead, it produces a cool sensation in the nose, which may give the feeling of improved breathing.
Vicks VapoRub is generally safe when used as directed. Although there's no harm in using Vicks VapoRub, it will likely be of little help as a nasal decongestant, especially if your child has severe congestion.
Next questionNeti pot solution: Can I make my own?
- Kenia P, et al. Does inhaling menthol affect nasal patency or cough? Pediatric Pulmonology. 2008;43:532.
- Hasani A, et al. Effect of aromatics on lung mucociliary clearance in patients with chronic airways obstruction. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2003;9:243.
- Vicks VapoRub topical ointment. Vicks product information. http://www.vicks.com/products/vaporub. Accessed Dec. 12, 2008.
