colds and a dry winter house

Gracie started coming down with a cold last night and I didn't have cough meds in the house. The dryness in the house was making her cough, which in turn started making her chest hurt. The kid's bedrooms are separated by a bathroom, so I closed the drain in the tub and ran hot water through the shower head, filling the room with steam. Then I put about a teaspoon of eucalyptus essential oil into the tub. When the tub was full I shut the water off and went to bed. Gracie stopped coughing and slept soundly through the night. She asked me to do the same thing tonight. Sure enough, she is sleeping peacefully. I love old time cure alls!