Love in the Time of Covid-19
Coronavirus Pandemic 2020 - COVID-19
We find ourselves in the position where this novel virus is now roaming wild. The healthcare system can only absorb the most severe cases and despite information which states that in most people it will only be a mild-to-moderate case of winter illness, no one wants to get sick and we'd all like to be able to resume going to the grocery store without protective gear on.
What can YOU do to stay safe or treat yourself and loved ones at home (at least until you need more help?) It may not be preventable, as there is no immunity to this virus in our collective immune system, but we can give our bodies the materials needed for battle.
Note: If you are high risk - quarantine yourself. Diabetes, hypertension, heart problems, elevated d-dimer in your blood work are all considered VERY HIGH RISK for adverse outcomes. If you have a high fever or any concerns, call your local hospital nurse helpline or your regular doctor to discuss getting tested.
Before you get sick:
· Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands often. Shoes off at the door. Wipe services with disinfectant (door knobs, faucet handles, toilet flush, etc). Wash your clothes and bed linens regularly. This virus can stay alive in clothes for many hours, so shed 'em and put on something clean when you get home.
· Get some distance. I'd love a hug too, but now is not the time. If you're quarantining with your kids or family, it's probably safe to hug them unless someone displays symptoms. If you are high risk - err on the side of solitude.
· Get some sleep. In Chinese medicine we encourage sleep hygiene routines to begin between 9-11pm. Aim for 6-8 hours nightly. If you're waking up between 2-3 am, we need to talk about your stress levels.
· Manage your stress. Talk to a friend, exercise, meditate, sleep more, take a bath. This is kind of a scary situation as we are watching the whole world shut down. It's perfectly normal to be concerned. Get acupuncture. If you're really struggling, there are counselors who are trained in this sort of thing. See the Resources list at the end of this post.
· Breathwork. Includes breathing exercises like nadi shodana (alternate nostril breathing which also manages stress) but also breath-holding techniques and forced breathing techniques. More exercises are in Resources.
· Lifestyle:
o Cut out the sugar. Linus Pauling discovered that sugar inhibits white blood cells for up to 6 hours after a meal. Now is a great time to cut back (Billiot, n.d.; Janjua, Akhtar, & Hussain, n.d.; and Immunity in Depth, 2020).
o Eat well. Yes, that means veggies too. Be sensible. Eat some citrus. It's in season.
o Exercise. Yoga, walking, biking. Doesn't have to be at the gym or a box. If you do decide to go to the gym, make sure you see a hygiene program in place for wiping down equipment. Ayurvedic experts say dry skin brushing and yoga to move lymph and keep your body fluids moving. TCM practitioners advise tai chi.
o Stay warm. Zhang Zhongjing (150-219 CE), a Saint of Chinese Medicine, wrote a number of books, notably the Treatise on Febrile Diseases Caused by Cold and Miscellaneous Diseases (the Shanghan Zabing Lun). It's a foundational text on pandemic style illnesses, like we see before us today. There are many useful herbal remedies in there and we are using them with Covid-19 patients today, but staying warm and nourished go a LONG way in helping prevent serious illness. Malnutrition, human density, and poor hygiene (including being physically cold) are widely considered factors in the numerous deaths seen in the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Wear a scarf. Wear gloves. Don't walk around with wet hair. Yep, all that stuff your Grandma used to say. She was right.
o Stay hydrated. You can add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of orange to your water to make electrolyte water twice a day. How much water? Half your body weight in ounces, but at least 60 oz + some herbal teas. You need more water and less food than you think you do.
o Gargle. use 1 tsp salt to 2 cups warm water. Keep your throat clear of mucous so viruses have no place to set up shop (Schroeder, 2020).
o Neti pot. Use boiled or distilled water. 1 tsp salt to 2 cups of warm water. Add 1/2 tsp of baking soda to smooth it out.
· Supplements.
o Elderberry - black elderberry has shown to be "effective in vitro against 10 strains of influenza virus (in a double-blind, RCT). It also increases inflammatory cytokines, essentially raising the alarm so the immune system is on alert. It further decreases illness of influenza by 4-6 days (Zakay-Rones et al, 1995).
There has been much debate over this supplement in relationship to the “cytokine storm” in victims of this virus. Two distinct camps have arisen. One camp says avoid to avoid the potential for exacerbated cytokine expression. One camp says that elderberry is adaptogenic and can modulate expression. My opinion is that we should use an abundance of caution at this time. In patients with underlying autoimmune or chronic illness (diabetes, hypertension, cancers), elderberry is probably best avoided at this time. There are other immune facilitators like usnea or mushrooms (my personal choice).
o Zinc - at least 13 mg (Schwarcz, 2020).
o Vitamin A - at least 10,000 iu. Vitamin A "reduces morbidity and mortality" in a number of infectious diseases including measles, measles-related pneumonia, malaria, and more (Semba, 1999).
o Vitamin C - 2,000-3,000mg (there are studies being done at much higher doses. Most people can tolerate more. If you get diarrhea, reduce dosage.) (Saul, 2020 and Linus Pauling Institute, 2020).
o Vitamin D - 2,000 iu (Immunity In Depth, Linus Pauling Institute, 2020).
o Selenium - 200 micrograms (Pharma Nord, 2016).
If/When you GET sick:
· Remember that it may well be a mild upper respiratory infection. You might have a runny nose, a cough, a fever seems to occur in 80% of patients. You might have chest or nasal congestion or a sore throat. Some people have stomach and intestinal upset (elotus.org, 2020)
· You can use acetaminophen or home remedies to help the fever. Cool showers, warm showers, hot baths all work. I like sweating therapy for adults. You can use the "wet sock" method too. (See Resources.) Ibuprofen - France is now reporting that in some patients, any anti-inflammatory therapy is making survivability more difficult - specifically ibuprofen and steriods/cortizone, so use caution. Why?
“Human pathogenic coronaviruses (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus [SARS-CoV] and SARS-CoV-2) bind to their target cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is expressed by epithelial cells of the lung, intestine, kidney, and blood vessels.4 The expression of ACE2 is substantially increased in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, who are treated with ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II type-I receptor blockers (ARBs).4 Hypertension is also treated with ACE inhibitors and ARBs, which results in an upregulation of ACE2.5 ACE2 can also be increased by thiazolidinediones and ibuprofen. These data suggest that ACE2 expression is increased in diabetes and treatment with ACE inhibitors and ARBs increases ACE2 expression. Consequently, the increased expression of ACE2 would facilitate infection with COVID-19. We therefore hypothesise that diabetes and hypertension treatment with ACE2-stimulating drugs increases the risk of developing severe and fatal COVID-19.” Link
· For sinus or chest congestion - essential oils of oregano, rosemary, lavender (a few drops total) in a pot of hot water and use a towel to cover your head to steam yourself a bit. Or just take those oils into the bathroom, add a few drops to a little cup of water, and let the shower/bath steam the room. Sit in there for awhile.
· Stay hydrated. Tea with a little honey will help your throat too.
· SOUP is your friend. Bone broth is helpful because its full of protein and you may have little desire to eat.
· Congee. Essentially rice soup. Soooo easy to digest. Warm and soothing and not irritating to digestive system if you're having stomach or bowel issues. (Recipes in Resources)
· OTC meds - Mucinex keeps mucous thin and manageable. Saline (neti pot or spray) can help keep sinuses open. Sudafed or Coricidin can be helpful. Chinese or Western herbs from a skilled herbalist may be a better choice for you.
· Chinese herbs - once China began combining herbs with the western style of care, they started to see a shift in patient outcomes (elotus.org, 2020; Feng, Liang, and Li, 2020). Our colleagues overseas have shared how they are treating with herbs. I will post a second article with some of that information.
References:
1. Billiot, D.C., M. M. (n.d.). Sugar and Your Immune System. Retrieved from http://alternativehealthatlanta.com/immune-system/sugar-and-your-immune-system/
2. Harvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). Coronavirus Resource Center. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-resource-center?fbclid=IwAR2MGHi2RRN8H2vFH4ZcKoj3sjgftm11biijRgeXKR8T9QrgiAoorgucpso
3. How COVID-19 (2019-nCoV) is Currently Treated in China with TCM. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.elotus.org/article/how-covid-19-2019-ncov-currently-treated-china-tcm?fbclid=IwAR1qPcNQjMqhMxqQMuKgPL5vl1ec1TzEay50TjxyTTH33YNw7uQSeYvEc60
4. Immunity In Depth. (2020, January 2). Retrieved from https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/health-disease/immunity
5. Janjua, H. U., Akhtar, M., & Hussain, F. (n.d.). Effects of sugar, salt and distilled water on white blood cells and platelet cells: A review. Retrieved from http://www.ghrnet.org/index.php/JT/article/view/1340/1795
6. Feng, Z., Liang, X., & Li, L. (n.d.). 全文首发: 新型冠状病毒肺炎防控和诊疗指南（英文版）. Retrieved from https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/7qy_oCfUuJB4erRtG47vvA?fbclid=IwAR2xOJyH_bpcIA5rkKQYppJf_Txm9b7Zyc4N6N1YO-dZkQtNmVsuT_tQz1I
7. Pharma Nord. (2016, August 24). Selenium Fights Viral Infections. Retrieved from https://www.pharmanord.com/news/selenium-fights-viral-infections
8. Risk Factors for Death From COVID-19 Identified. (2020, March 9). Retrieved from https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/926504?fbclid=IwAR2CxJA0FYdNypPcxH3bP7eVtPAdMHnn4avmK5yI8s0dPugZ2fkCL0NQvjU
9. Saul, A. W. (2020, March 3). China Treating Coronavirus COVID-19 with Intravenous Vitamin C. Retrieved from https://www.globalresearch.ca/three-intravenous-vitamin-c-research-studies-approved-treating-covid-19/5705405
10. Schroeder, E. (n.d.). COVID -19. Retrieved from https://www.dreliseschroeder.com/campaigns/view-campaign/Uq1CgXZYh5GYy0bHwONbsS2Ex87U8fFSSmaA-q1Xa4iOzrSHhei6FXWejnxG-SlPTc6w8FQpOsh_qNR3AKYXDhLnp0fUtziG?fbclid=IwAR0vMy3R0YOgx6acojGNyqY9fDr8tUhNO9hdcmAmwZVJEmkvAOU_XPweD3o
11. Schwarcz PhD, J. (2020, March 13). Can Zinc Lozenges Help with Coronavirus Infections? Retrieved from https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health/can-zinc-lozenges-help-coronavirus-infections
12. Semba, R. D. (1999, August). Vitamin A and immunity to viral, bacterial and protozoan infections. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10604208
13. Vitamin C. (2020, January 14). Retrieved from https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/vitamins/vitamin-C#common-cold-treatment
14. Zakay-Rones, Z., Varsano, N., Zlotnik, M., Manor, O., Regev, L., Schlesinger, M., & Mumcuoglu, M. (1995). Inhibition of several strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L.) during an outbreak of influenza B Panama. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9395631
Resources:
Mental health - https://www.samhsa.gov/
Nadi shodana - https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/yoga/nadi-shodhana-pranayama/
Breathing exercises:
Technique 1:
Inhale for a count of 4. Hold your breath for a moment.
Exhale for a count of 8.
Technique 2
Inhale a deep breath. Hold it for 10-15 seconds. Exhale slowly. *Don't get dizzy and pass out. Make sure you're sitting with your feet on the floor or lie down.
Technique 3
"Sit up straight and relax your shoulders.
Take 4 breaths in all the way then blow out as hard as you can with pursed lips (like blowing candles out on a birthday cake)
then on the 5th time take a deep breath in then cough as hard as you can. Do this 10 - 50 or more times/day - the more the better. (Dr. Elise Schroeder, Portland, OR)
"Wet sock" Treatment - There are many people who swear by this as prevention. http://www.barefoothealth.ca/learn/article-archive/wet-sock-treatment/)
(This is to be done right before bedtime)
-1 pair of cotton socks
-1 pair of woolen socks (real wool)
-Hot foot bath
-Cold water
1. Soak the feet in a hot footbath for 10 minutes (as hot as you can stand it without scalding yourself. Please be careful of hot water).
2. You may need a helper for this part. Wet one pair of cotton socks with very cold water. Wring out the cotton socks well – so they are just damp but still cold. Take your feet out of the hot foot bath and immediately put on the cold, damp socks. Yikes! It’s a shock, but important. Immediately cover your feet with a pair of dry wool socks.
3. Go to bed! This treatment can be repeated once a day for 3 days.
Congee -
1 part rice to 9 parts water, broth or a mix of the two
1 part mung beans - soaked overnight and rinsed
1 tsp salt
+ any or all of the following: handful of goji berries, raisins, or longan fruit, cinnamon, 6-7 green caradmom pods, leftover chicken or a soft boiled egg, nuts, a pinch of brown sugar, a few mushrooms, dash of soy sauce, whatever makes your heart sing.
I like to throw in the rice cooker and let it run while I do other things. You could also put over a medium heat to boil. Reduce to low and let simmer about 1 hour.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/basic-congee-recipes-4065244
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-congee-226778
https://www.chinasichuanfood.com/how-to-make-congee-rice-porridge/
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pork-and-shiitake-congee
Last edit: 15 March 2020