Trip down memory lane: The cough, phlegm, cold and the snake oil salesman

My spouse is recovering from a bad bout of a cough, phlegm and cold. No it's swine flu. Just something triggered by an allergy and went out of control.

Which made me recall: in 2003, I too had a bad-ass cough (the type that you cough your lungs out), massive phlegm and blocked-nose from cold.

It was bad!

What made it worse was the numerous snake-oil salesmen or saleswoman.

Everyone of them had a remedy for me.

Some would come and suggest that I get myself an aromateraphy set with combination of essential oils that would miracously heal me. 'You gotta trust me on this, Riyaz' they would plead.

Still some would suggest this elixir and that supplement. 'This really works, Riyaz, and it's good for you'.

Yet, another would suggest that I invest in a brand-new water and air filtration system that would cost me 3-months of wages in total to get! 'We have easy payment plans via credit cards, y'know, Riyaz and we think it's good for you'. Of course, I thought it was a very good idea to tell them to go to hell.

The problem was that this would set me back a good couple of hundred ringgit. Almost eight-hundred for the aromatheraphy set and at least three hundred for the elixirs. Never mind about the air and water filtration systems.

I would cough harder and harder so that they would go off. And take long bathroom breaks to wear them off.

Finally, I made a trip to the local chinese medicine shop and shared my predicament with the ah-chai there.

He listened intently, and then suggested the following:

1. Menthol inhalation - by dissolving a few small menthol crystals in a bowl of boiling water, and inhaling the fumes, while covering my head using a towel.
2. A drink brewed using Loh-Hon-Ko (a dried chinese fruit), and this would get rid of the phlegm, and hence, the cough will disappear within time.

Total cost: RM5.50 for the small bottle of menthol crystals, and RM2.50 for 3 pieces of Loh-Hon-Ko. Total RM8.

And I was cured in 2-days.

Snake-oil sales wo(men), shame on you, trying to profit from a sick man!