![]() ![]() In winter when sunlight is restricted and the air is cold and dry, the nasal cavity becomes the coldest part of the body and if the airways dry out and the mucous becomes thicker and more difficult to clear, conditions become more favourable for viral penetration and replication. ![]() A moist mobile mucosal barrier is vital in the defence against respiratory infections and this barrier is enhanced by warm humid conditions and impaired by cigarette smoke and particulate pollution ( This mucus is then moved by cilia towards the pharynx, where it is either swallowed or expelled by coughing, sneezing and nose blowing. The upper airways also serve as the first line of defence against respiratory viruses by maintaining a protective mucosal barrier that filters and traps foreign particles and pathogens in a layer of watery mucus, and enables them to be identified by the immune system. The nasal cavity and sinuses in humans constantly exchanging heat with inhaled air through convection, conduction and evaporation, which serves to cool inhaled air in summer and warm and humidify air in winter ( The first line of defence against respiratory viruses is the nasal cavity and sinuses, which maintains a protective mucosal barrier that allows viruses to be trapped, identified by the immune system and swept away, as well as serving an important thermoregulatory role. The heat sensitivity of viruses is used routinely to deactivate viruses within vaccines, and temperatures of 55 to 65☌ for 15 to 30 minutes are reported to deactivate a range of enveloped viruses, including coronaviruses ( While enveloped viruses can remain active for long periods in cold conditions, their lipid envelopes are destroyed by temperatures tolerable to humans. Enveloped viruses, such as rhinoviruses and coronaviruses, are most active in cool dry conditions, which are associated with increased occurrence of respiratory tract infections (Įt al., 2009), including infections with SARS-CoV (Įt al., 2020). Life exists within a narrowly defined temperature range, yet viruses, which are not technically alive, can remain biologically active in a wide range of environments. While there are significant challenges in implementing heat-based therapies during the current pandemic, these therapies present an opportunity to integrate natural medicine, conventional medicine and traditional wellness practices, and support the wellbeing of both patients and medical staff, while building community resilience and reducing the likelihood and impact of future pandemics. Heat is a cheap, convenient and widely accessible therapeutic modality and while no clinical protocols exist for using heat to treat COVID-19, protocols that draw from traditional practices and consider contraindications, adverse effects and infection control measures could be developed and implemented rapidly and inexpensively on a wide scale. Heat-based treatments also offer psychological benefits and enhanced mental wellness by focusing attention on positive action, enhancing relaxation and sleep, inducing 'forced-mindfulness', and invoking the power of positive thinking and ‘remembered wellness’. Heat applied to the whole body can further support the immune system’s second line of defence by mimicking fever and activating innate and acquired immune defences and building physiological resilience. This may be further enhanced by the inhalation of steam containing essential oils with anti-viral, mucolytic and anxiolytic properties. In the initial phase of infection, heat applied to the upper airways can support the immune system’s first line of defence by supporting muco-ciliary clearance and inhibiting or deactivating virions where they first lodge. ![]() This paper reviews the evidence for using heat to treat and prevent viral infections and discusses potential cellular, physiological and psychological mechanisms of action. All mammals use fever to deal with infections and heat has been used throughout human history in the form of hot springs, saunas, hammams, steam-rooms, sweat-lodges, steam inhalations, hot mud and poultices to prevent and treat respiratory infections and enhance health and wellbeing. Enveloped viruses such as SAR-CoV-2 are sensitive to heat and are destroyed by temperatures tolerable to humans. ![]()
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