The most important fact: start treatment early. It doesn’t matter if you have COVID, flu, RSV, or some other respiratory infection, because these treatments are good for ALL of those, not just COVID. Make sure you are drinking enough, and include electrolytes. There are many recipes online on how to make your own with water, salt and a bit of honey. Avoid sugar! This paralyzes your immune cells.
Most people do fine with COVID or other respiratory ailments, but seek help if your oxygen saturation is less than 95%, or you are dehydrated and can’t resolve that at home, or you are getting worse while doing all the over the counter remedies. Use your intuition. I recommend against isolating yourself in your home; it’s important to have someone monitoring you and helping you take care of yourself. Urgent care and hospital care haven’t changed much over the last few years; my goal is for you to be able to manage this on your own and not need those services.
Link to Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance Treatment Guidelines (this changes frequently; I recommend you print the most recent version in case they censor the website):
https://covid19criticalcare.com/protocol/i-care-early-covid-treatment/
American Association of Physicians and Surgeons also has an outpatient COVID guide:
https://aapsonline.org/covidpatientguide/
Initial treatment for respiratory illness
Should I stay or should I go?
Caring for yourself at home when you’re sick is often the most comfortable option, and when you’re comfortable you’re going to heal faster. Keeping track of your symptoms and vital signs will help you know if you need to seek help from the professionals. Delaying care when your body is in danger can put you at serious risk.
Perform a self assessment:
- Check your oxygen saturation with a pulse oximeter and write down the reading. An oxygen saturation reading of 95% or above is considered normal. If your oxygen saturation level drops below 95, it can be a clue that your lungs aren’t working efficiently enough to deliver the amount of oxygen your body needs. If your oxygen saturation is below 95, contact a medical professional to ask for help.
- Check your temperature and write down the reading. If you feel miserable, or if temperature is over 103 or so, then get into a tepid bath (add 1 cup of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) will help detoxify you and give you a dose of magnesium through your skin), or put damp tepid cloths on your arms and neck, or put a damp, tepid T shirt on your bare skin. Let the evaporation cool you.
- Take your blood pressure and write down the reading. Too high or too low can be a signal that you need some help. Please measure your BP and know what your baseline is, when you are well, so you will know if there is a significant change.
- Ask yourself if you feel like you should contact a doctor or urgent care. If you feel like you can care for yourself at home for the time being, follow the steps below.
Cleanse your respiratory tract:
- Nebulize for ten minutes at least 3-4 times per day with hypochlorous acid (HOCI) or diluted hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Nebulizing helps to disinfect and soothe your esophagus and lungs. You can add a drop of Lugol’s iodine or colloidal silver to aid in further disinfection if you’d like. You can nebulize up to every hour or two if you find it to be helpful. You may also consider using HOCI or H2O2 three times per day and then using saline in between those times – it just depends on what helps alleviate your symptoms.
Instructions on how to dilute various concentrations of hydrogen peroxide with normal saline are in this calculator: https://happyhydrofarm.com/hydrogen-peroxide-dilution-calculator/
If you’re using 5% Lugol’s solution, simply add one drop to your nebulizer after filling it with the HOCI/diluted peroxide solution. If you’re using 2% Lugol’s solution, which is available over the counter, add two drops.
The FLCCC prevention and early outpatient treatment protocol has instructions on how to dilute 10% povidone/iodine for nasal spray or antiviral mouthwash, about halfway down on the first page. (https://covid19criticalcare.com/protocol/i-care-early-covid-treatment/)
Dr Tom Levy and Dr Joe Mercola recommend nebulizing food grade hydrogen peroxide with normal saline for acute lung infections.
From Dr Levy: “For some, the 3% concentration results in too much stinging/burning in the nose. Such individuals can dilute the HP with a normal saline solution—0.9% sodium chloride in water, or just water. However, the saline tends to have a more soothing effect on the throat and mucous membranes than the water. The goal is to utilize the highest easily tolerable HP concentration, while always staying below 3%. Nearly everybody can inhale a nebulization of a 50/50 combination of the 3% HP and saline or water without difficulty.” From Chapter 11, Rapid Virus Recovery, by Dr Levy. https://rvr.medfoxpub.com/ - Use a neti pot (or other nasal irrigation system) 2-3 times per day for prevention; 8-12 times per day if you’re sick. This helps to clean toxins out of your nasal passages.
- Rinse your mouth and gargle with salt water 3 times per day. This helps to kill bacteria in your mouth and throat.
- Use essential oils: People are having great results with 10 drops Thieves essential oil in a bowl of hot, steaming water. Lean over and breathe the steam x 10 min, cover your head with a towel to make a tent. If you have a lot of lung involvement, use 8 drops Thieves and 2 drops thyme or red thyme essential oil.
Help your immune system fight illness/toxins by taking these at the first sign of illness
| Supplement | Dose | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | 100,000 iu | three times daily for 2 days |
| Vitamin C | 1000 mg | four times daily for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) |
| Vitamin D3 | 50,000 iu | once daily for 3 days |
| Vitamin K2 | 100 mcg | once daily for 5-7 days |
| Quercetin | 500 mg | two times daily for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) |
| N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) | 600mg-1200 mg | two times daily for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) |
| Zinc – if you take zinc longer than 5-7 days you need to balance it with some copper: 15 mg of zinc to 2 mg of copper. | 50 mg | two times daily for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) |
| Aspirin | 325 mg | once day for 1 month (even if feeling well). Can use nattokinase or Boluoke (lumbrokinase) instead, if preferred and available quickly. Nattokinase and lumbrokinase must be taken on empty stomach, one dose a day (see package for recommended dose). |
| Famotidine (Pepcid) | 80 mg | two times daily for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) |
| Melatonin | 10 mg | once daily at bedtime for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) |
| Celtic sea salt | ¼ to ½ tsp | once daily for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) |
| Dandelion tincture | 3-4 droppers full | 1-4 times/day for 5-7 days (or until you’re better), depending on your level of exposure and risk. |
| Vital 9 tincture | 3-5 dropperfuls by mouth | 3-4 times/day for 5-7 days (or until you’re better) Best to mix in an ounce of water or juice. |
| Activated charcoal | 2 caps | once daily for 5-7 days (or until you’re better)-preferably at night, but at least 60-90 mins before and after food because this will bind to anything else in your stomach |
MegaQuinone contains 30 mg zinc bisglycinate, K2 320 mcg, and magnesium chelate 400 mg per 2 caps. I also take this one.
Hydration! Hydration! Hydration! Do not allow yourself to get dehydrated. Your goal should be to pass urine every 2-3 hours, and it should be clear or light yellow. It is especially important if you are not eating much to include some electrolytes. You can add a pinch of Celtic salt to your water or juice, drink chicken soup or bouillion (especially good with garlic).
Additional suggestions as needed:
- You may consider adding prescription options based on your specific illness and current recommendations.
- Virginia Vein and Wellness can do IV fluid therapy, IV vitamin C and other immune boosters. No referral needed.
- PropolAir Propolis (Bee Pollen) Diffuser and organic propolis capsules – use with mask 15-20 minutes 2-3 times per day for treating problems, or 2-3 times per week for prevention and lung health.
Reassess:
Continue to check and record your oxygen saturation, temperature and blood pressure. Also keep a record of your symptoms so that you can see how you are progressing over time. This data will help you decide if you need to seek help from a professional. If you do seek help, bring the record with you! The readings and record of your symptoms can be helpful for them to see how your illness has changed over time.
Regarding fevers:
- Fever is part of your body’s defense system. Your body raises your temperature as a means of killing off foreign invaders. Viruses and bacteria are sensitive to heat, so your body purposefully raises your temperature in order to kill them.
- Fever helps you detoxify. Sweating is one of your body’s four detox pathways. When you’re sick, your body wants to get rid of whatever is making you sick. Raising your body’s temperature helps you sweat out toxins that are in your system.
- The balance between letting your body kill invaders/detoxify and feeling terrible. You have a finite amount of energy. Being in pain or feeling terrible do take a toll on you, and can use up your energy. While your body does have a purpose when it runs a fever, “muscling through” when you really feel terrible can be harder on you in the long run then taking a fever reducer periodically. Everyone is different, and you know your body best.
If you are not a patient of mine:
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The statements have not been evaluated but the US Food and Drug Administration. You should always consult with a health care professional before starting any diet, exercise, nutritional or supplementation program, or before taking any medication. Where specific products or activities or procedures are recommended, they are my personal opinions and not to be construed as medical advice. This information is for informational purposes only.