DOH-7: ‘Practicing ‘tuob’ not prohibited, but it’s not cure for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines —There’s nothing wrong if people resort to practicing “tuob” or steam inhalation, but it doesn’t serve as a cure for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the director of the Department of Health (DOH) Region 7 said on Thursday.

“We are not promoting it, but we are not also prohibiting it,” Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 director, said in Zoom meeting with reporters.

“Tuob” is the practice of steam inhalation where one covers his/her head with a towel/blanket or large piece of cloth to inhale steam from a small basin with boiled water infused with lemon, ginger, or eucalyptus.

“For as long as naha-harness ‘yun kasi the only risk that you can get from tuob is, of course, overheating and mapaso,” Bernadas added about “tuob,” which he said is a traditional practice.

(For as long as you harness it because the only risk that you can get from tuob is, of course, overheating or you might burn yourself.)

This comes after the Cebu provincial government issued a memorandum to Capitol employees promoting the practice of tuob twice a day at their work stations.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, through Executive Order No. 17, also endorsed the practice of “tuob” as a health regiment to boost one’s immune system to combat SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Regarding Garcia’s order, Bernadas said: “The order of the governor is to promote traditional practices. But I also presume that it was never put into a mandatory thing.

“I know there was an executive order, but I still have to talk to the governor whether she has to impose it as mandatory or not,” the DOH-7 director added.

“But let us put it that way. It has never been prohibited, it has never been discouraged. But it is put on a voluntary basis for as long as the measures na hindi masunog, hindi mapaso (that you don’t get burned) is there.”

But when asked if it can be a cure against COVID-19, Bernadas answered: “No, it is not. it is not a cure for COVID-19.”