Asthma candle memories.

[Houseofjesua]

Hey all. I wonder if anyone can remember. My mum used to light some kind of candle in my bedroom at night when my asthma was bad. I remember it had a strong smell. This was back in the 80/90s. Does anyone else rembember it or what it was called?

[skippy11]

Wonder if it was a menthol candle, I get one from home bargains and works wonders when asthma is bad

[Fruitandnutcase]

Sounds like it could have been a Wright’s Coal Tar Vaporiser. When my son was little - he’s 42 now - so that was back in 80s the GP we had then used to prescribe them for coughs. They had a powerful smell - you couldn’t half smell them when you went into the houses of people he’d given them to. I’ve tried to Google it for a link but it looks like you can’t buy them any more all I could find were ‘vintage’ bottles that looked like they were intended for collectors.

[spanishsunshine in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Yes, that’s what they were called!

[spanishsunshine]

Yes I remember using this system for my boys when they were chesty back in the 80s. Can’t remember the brand name.

You had a saucer of water, a tea light and a small bottle of menthol oil to pour over a porous “stone”. It was all contained in a metal vaporiser. It seemed to work well.

Probably too risky to allow it today, and medication has moved on so much.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to spanishsunshine]

Ah, those were the days weren’t they. Funny feeling it was something to do with the fumes that might have been why it was banned. Although the whole point was that the fumes cleared the passages. Interesting how medical thought changes.

[Wheesy]

I currently use my own version of the wrights vaporizer and use peppermint oil in a oil burner during the day, but not at night for safety reasons, and I find that it helps with my breathing. The only drawback is if I am wearing my personal air purifier obviously it does not work.My Mum always said that the old remedies were the best and she was a sister tutor

[twinkly29 in reply to Wheesy]

Unless you are sensitive/allergic to natural things of course! Like I can't tolerate some things - I'd be ok with some as synthetic/more fake versions but the purer natural ones would be a blue light no for me.

In other ways though, I am better with natural things so definitely swings and roundabouts I suppose 😀

[twinkly29]

Just doing a "red flag" thing for anyone reading who hasn't tried such things before - be careful as anything like that can be a massive trigger for many people's asthma.

Totally ok course if people know they're ok in that way, just anyone new to scents and vapours - try with caution!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Echoing Twinkly - with asthma I'd be extremely careful with anything like this and glad it isn't standard now. It may help some people but may also be a trigger. Even advice about being in a steamy room can be bad for some asthmatics (steam triggers me).

I'd also point out that a lot of these home remedies are quite a blunt instrument and may go back to the time when we didn't know what was underlying different 'chest' problems. Infections, croup, whooping cough and asthma might all cause what seem like broadly similar symptoms, but the underlying reason isn't the same - which medication often addresses more directly eg the reliever inhaler in asthma specifically loosens the.smooth muscles which are too tight and narrowing the airways, and the preventer reduces airway inflammation. If the issue is that your airways are infected and full of mucus then you need something different to address that.

Obviously you might still be congested on top of asthma and then a decongestant might help (if safe to use - Vicks can be a trigger too) to ease congestion which can help asthma. But just doing steam or decongestant etc for any 'chesty' complaint is a bit non-specific. Even without the trigger aspect, I would rather have something more specifically focused on the actual problem like modern medications (not perfect I know but getting there).

[Wheesy in reply to Lysistrata]

I agree entirely with these comments. But it is good to recall memories from the past, and always enjoy life to the full. I always think when I am in hospital or just a bit down there is always someone worse of than me and to coin the phrase Carry On

[Lampeter1995]

Wrights Coal Tar Burner?

[Wheesy]

I believe that coal tar is banned in the EU as it is thought to be cancerogenic . But soaps and hand cleaner are still available in the uk.

[Wheezycat]

I would absolutely be sensitive to it, not just the smell but also the burning candle. I would fear that it could trigger a full blown attack.

[Itswonderful in reply to Wheezycat]

Me too Wheezycat.

[LittleMissFaffALot in reply to Itswonderful]

me three

I have some tolerance for normal scented candles but incense sets me off so I'd be concerned about something that is intentionally strong

[Wheezycat in reply to LittleMissFaffALot]

I can, just, get away with the occasional scented candle as long as I keep some distance. I used to enjoy inscence , but now - no way!

[LittleMissFaffALot in reply to Wheezycat]

I remember one Easter in church, I was just getting over a chest infection and probably shouldn't have gone at all but I play my flute in the music group (well I did pre-covid, now we're not even allowed to have a music group 😭) and wanted to be there for the most important Mass of the year. I was doing *ok* until they came over with the incense and I got a blast (sadly I was closest to the thurible). That set me off coughing again and I couldn't play and had to take my inhaler

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to LittleMissFaffALot]

My mum persuaded me to sing in her church choir years ago. I only managed it because the choir sat upstairs in a gallery at the back - C of E and choir stalls at the front would have done me in! The church didn't think it counted as a major festival unless the altar was invisible by the end lol. I don't think I could do it now at all (I don't think I could have done it then if I'd actually been going down to Communion).

At my mum's funeral in that church my brother had to have a word with the priests beforehand and ask them to go easy to minimal on the incense, given I would be sitting in the front as family. They did mostly manage it but then they swung the thurible near the end to cense the coffin and I made a lot of noises because I was about 3 feet away.

I think my lungs are quite Puritan even though I don't have any problem with the concept of incense in church!

[LittleMissFaffALot in reply to Lysistrata]

I'm lucky in 2 counts that our church doesn't use incense for every Mass and when they do it's *usually* just a little bit of smoke. When I'm well I can cope with the small amount that they use, it was just unfortunate on that particular occasion that I wasn't well AND they used a lot of incense!

A couple of years ago my friend spent quite a lot of time not well and I was walking her dog for her. One day when I arrived she was in the garden with incense burning and she was concerned about me even in the open air. She basically ordered me to get out with the dog and she'd have got rid of the incense when I got back

[Wheezycat in reply to Lysistrata]

While I haven’t attended ‘incenced’ churches much, I did once upon a time sing in church choirs for years and years. In Sweden lit candles is the thing, everywhere, any time, and certainly in church. It is known as ‘living light’ over there. Now I think I would struggle with it, sadly. I have been to many other places that use incence, like temples etc, etc, and that, too, would be seriously difficult now. We also used them to cover cat poo smells (as well as cleaning the litter tray), but no more. Our cats are long gone, they all died from old age. But I miss being able to enjoy incence.