STEP-BY-STEP  I A COVID-19 HEALTH PROTOCOL    

CORONAVIRUS :  Taking steps for y-our health

This protocol was put together for our families, drawing upon our own best practices and experiences, as well as recommendations from integrative health practitioners, a biochemist and nutraceutical expert, a family doctor, two nurses, and numerous medical articles and research. We sifted through the information with the intention of discerning what made most sense from our vantage point, was doable in our households, effective and safe (keep in mind these doses are the ones we are comfortable with for adults – do your own due diligence, and remember “if a little is good it doesn’t mean a lot is gonna be better/safer, so dosing recs are really crucial”). I am not a medical professional. This is not medical advice. The information is given for educational purposes only, and is not intended to advise, diagnose or prescribe. I share it here in case it can support you in your efforts to navigate this novel virus and your overall health. Please consult your trusted physician regarding COVID-19 treatment, especially if you are pregnant or have comorbidities like diabetes, respiratory diseases, CVD, hypertension, or cancer. Take from this what is relevant for you. Do your own discernment. There is currently no one standard treatment for COVID-19. There is plenty of research that nutraceutical measures that flood the body with compounds to enhance the body’s natural immune response can be helpful in preventing and supporting the treatment of viral infections. I will keep updating our protocol here as we learn more. 

With love, and best wishes,

Miriam 

PREVENTION : to help keep yourself and others healthy in the midst of COVID-19 spread

Keep your Immune System strong:

• Vitamin D (5000 IU daily) 
• Magnesium (400mg daily) (in citrate, malate, chelate, or chloride form)
• Zinc (20-30mg daily)
• Selenium (100-200 mcg daily)
• Vitamin C (1000-3000 mg daily)
• Melatonin (0.2 milligram to 0.5 milligram per day)
• Quercetin (600 mg/day)
• Vitamin A palmitate (25,000 IU daily – for protecting our upper respiratory mucus membranes and lining)
• Vitamin B12 Liquid (hold under tongue for 30 seconds or longer for maximum absorption) 
• Probiotics to build up and maintain good gut bacteria 

 

Include anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting foods as much as possible, such as: 

• Turmeric 
• Garlic 
• Ginger 
• Green Tea 
• Oregano 
• Shiitake mushrooms 
• *Remove sugar and refined starches from your diet (as much as possible) 

 

Essential Oils: 

There are many essential oils that can help protect you and your immune system from COVID-19, for example rosemary, eucalyptus, clove, lemon, witch hazel, grapefruit, cinnamon leaf (not bark!), tea tree (to clean surfaces, hair and body), frankincense (helps ground and calm): Add these into your overall prevention system. The key concept is prevention. Rub on top of feet, wrists, and chest.

If you are going to get one essential oil, I would suggest Thieves Oil (made with cinnamon leaf, not bark), which combines a few in one. You can also make it yourself, see recipe under ‘Resources’ at the end.

 

Additional practices: 

• Any other preferred immune strengthening (eg. omega 3, shiitake mushrooms), as well as preventive measures such as saline nasal spray, humidifier
• Greatly reduce intake of sugar and refined starches 
• Eat healthily (fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lots of healthy protein, healthy fats/oils if possible) , sleep/rest well (min. 7-8 hrs), exercise, fresh air, laugh, be creative

 

Hygiene practices to contain spread of virus:

• Frequent hand washing – for 30 seconds with soap, and as soon as one gets home before doing anything else
• Use hand disinfectant spray 
• Zinc mouth spray (especially after visiting public spaces) 
• Stay away from touching your face!
• Smiles are the new hugs 🙂 

Upon Entrance to Home:

• Create a ‘staging’ area for clean entry into your home. (with wipes/sprays)
• Remove shoes, outerwear. Wash your clothes immediately and then dry them at high heat or at least dry in the sunshine. (*Practice especially if you work in a high risk environment like a hospital, nursing home, etc) 
• Wash hands immediately after removing clothing / upon entering your home

Other habits to help stop the spread of the virus:

• Isolate mail, packages and purchases (including food) before bringing them into the house and leave them isolated a few hours at a minimum. 
• Self-isolate and stay away from public spaces as much as possible
• When amongst others (who are not your household members), keep a physical distance of minimum 6 feet.
• If ever you need to cough, do so in your elbow or a tissue that you discard properly asap, wash hands/arms immediately after. If you need to yawn, ensure you cover your mouth (ideally into elbow rather than hand) 
• No close contact with anyone sick (unless caregiving them, then ensure proper precautions are taken)

 

Further preparations in case you get sick:

• Make/purchase liposomal Vit. C so it is ready and on hand. 
• Keep all necessary supplements handy.
• Ensure you have min. two weeks of food.  
• If you think you may be infected – zinc spray mouth right away, rest, monitor temperature, heart rate and blood oxygen level – then move into Phase 1 (see following section).

 

TREATMENT PROTOCOL    I   PHASE 1 : begin when you feel sick with what may be COVID-19 symptoms

Keep Immune System strong:

• Vitamin C:  high-dose daily (min. 5000 mg daily, in divided doses and up to 50,000mg daily). Ideally liposomal Vit C (more readily absorbable).
• Melatonin: 5 milligrams to 50 milligrams (lower range is for people with mild or no symptoms; higher range is for older people or those with more severe symptoms)*
• Vitamin D3: 20,000IU for first three days, then 5000 – 10’000mg/day
• Magnesium: 400 mg daily (in citrate, malate, chelate, or chloride form)
• Zinc: 20-30 mg daily
• Selenium: 100-200 mcg (micrograms) daily
• Quercetin: 1000-3000 mg/day throughout sickness
• Glutathione: 500-1000 mg/day (ideally liposomal)

Plus any of your favorite ways to support your system, such as echinacea, immune-7, etc. that are not contraindicated (since this is such a new virus, we don’t have all the info on what does and doesn’t work and will have to keep on learning and adapting)

* Important note on Melatonin from Doris Loh: If you are taking ACE inhibitors, have cardiac conditions, hypertension, you need to consult your physician before taking high doses of melatonin.  Melatonin may lower blood pressure and cause hypotension at higher dosages. The Infection dose should ideally be divided into DAYTIME and NIGHTTIME doses. DAYTIME – 40% of total daily dose, divided into small equal portions to be taken every TWO HOURS. NIGHTTIME –  60% of total daily dose, divided into two portions taken 2-3 hours after dinner. The final dose at night should be completed by 10 pm (latest). IF you are diabetic, or have insulin resistance, DO NOT TAKE MELATONIN before 3 pm.  Melatonin is able to suppress insulin. Please remember that oral dosage higher than physiological concentration is applicable during infections only.  Supplementation of high dose melatonin MUST BE SUPPORTED by ascorbic acid. You may not experience full benefits of melatonin in the absence of ascorbic acid. 

• Stay home! Completely contain / self-isolate. 
• If possible, get tested!
• Reach out to friends and family: you don’t have to go through this alone, even if support is virtual, it is real.

Also:

• Hydrate frequently, if possible with pure water (filtered water recommended >> )
• Electrolytes 
• Zinc lozenges 
• Colloidal Silver Spray
• Lots of Rest
• Lots of brightly colored fruits and vegetables, turmeric, garlic and onions
• No sugar or refined starches!

 

Hygiene practices to contain spread of virus:

• Disinfect all surfaces and touch points in the house and car, etc.
• Continue with all Phase 0) hygiene
• Designate bathroom (or bathroom use times) 
• Designate separate bedroom / sheets (disinfect bedside table often) 
• Designate cutlery, cup, plate, bowl for single use (everything patient touches) 
• Wear mask when around others
• Sunbathe if possible / get as much fresh air as possible 
• Quarantine for min. 14 days
• Disinfect doorknobs, doors, all high-touch surfaces
• When caring for patient wear gloves, mask, gown/clothing cover (change and wash clothing immediately after care – discard gloves and quarantine mask for 72 hours), and keep contact with patient to a minimum 
• Disinfect the thermometer and oxygenator immediately after use 
• Keep house humid, and well ventilated (lots of fresh air) 
• Hydrate often and increase immune boosting

 

Basic at Home Treatment options: 

• Hot baths & epsom salt & essential oil (105 degrees Fahrenheit / 41 degrees Celsius), then allow the body to sweat as much as possible) 
• Dilute essential oil in olive oil before applying directly to skin (2 or 3 droplets in a tablespoon of olive oil) 
• Humidifier / Oxygenator to keep the air moist and oxygen levels in the body high
• Hot steam to inhale (take care not to burn yourself), see link >>
• Your natural or pharmaceutical go-to expectorants and decongestants, such as honey, ginger, peppermint, basil, saline water or Sudafed (this is a brachio-dilator – the pharmacist has to give it to you and you can only buy one every three weeks, you don’t need a prescription from the Dr), Mucinex (it’s an expectorant), NyQuil & DayQuil (Ask a doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine if you have any medical condition) 
• Tissues
• Ibuprofens such as Advil may be contraindicated >> 

Stephen Cherniske: “Basically, increase immune support and monitor your condition with a thermometer and a pulse oximeter. The thermometer (thermoscan or conventional) measures your body temperature. The pulse oximeter ($29 on Amazon) measures your heart rate and blood oxygen level. You want your percent oxygen saturation (PO) to be above 95%. A reading below 89% (or suddenly having difficulty climbing stairs) or a fever above 102°F/39°C for longer than 24 – 48 hours means it is time to seek medical help. If you’re not feverish and your PO is over 95%, and you have optimal levels of DHEA (a hormone intimately involved in the immune response) you should recover in 3 to 5 days.‘

 

TREATMENT PROTOCOL   I   PHASE II: when you should seek medical help

If you experience impaired lung function (difficulty breathing), severe cough, sinus and nasal congestion, weakness, fatigue, impaired sleep and/or persistent high grade fever (38.5°C / 100.4°F or higher) you should seek medical help and may need to be hospitalized.  

In addition to continuing your immune strengthening supplements from Phase I, consider having natural plant-based anti-inflammatories on hand, as well as supplementing with DHEA – see reasoning for this in the following excerpt from biochemist & former university instructor in Clinical Nutrition Stephen Cherniske’s “Immunity Deep Dive – Five Parts”:

“If you have other health problems, especially heart or lung disease, or you’re obese, over 65 with very low levels of DHEA, you may well move to phase two, which includes impaired lung function, a severe cough, sinus and nasal congestion, weakness, fatigue, impaired sleep and a persistent fever. People in phase two should seek medical help and may be hospitalized.

Hospitals are great for monitoring your condition. They can provide breathing treatments, pain management, IV fluids and can manage co-infections including bacterial and fungal complications. But with coronaviruses, phase two often includes body aches, which can indicate something called cytokine storm. The blaring alarm that mobilized your immune system via production of inflammatory cytokines… has continued and now poses another risk. These same cytokines are now causing inflammation in your joints, muscles and airways. Unfortunately, the conventional go-to response is prednisone or a related drug. These steroids rapidly reduce inflammation but they also suppress immunity, and that is the razor’s edge that can determine the outcome of the infection.

The good news is that there are natural plant-based anti-inflammatories that do not suppress immunity. (…) But since you are not about to get those in a hospital, there is another important step you can take. We have known for decades that the immune suppressing effect of prednisone can be minimized by co-administration of DHEA. You can instruct your doctor to measure your DHEA sulfate level. Even if you are not going to be treated with a steroid, this is vitally important information. Keep in mind that you will most likely be in the normal reference range; but that merely indicates the amount of DHEA sulfate in the blood of people your age. Research strongly supports an optimum range – where there are remarkable immune benefits – of 300-450 mcg/dL for men and 200 to 350 mcg/dL for women. With a serious infection, it is very likely that your blood DHEAS will be in double digits, which in my opinion is catastrophic. DHEA can be supplemented orally and if micronized, is highly bioavailable, delivering much needed immune support within hours. If your doctor needs scientific support for your decision, please download my e-book, The Case for DHEA available for free at My2048.com. “

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REFERENCES, RESOURCES & NOTES:

 

With thanks to the following people in particular for info and/or review: Stephen Cherniske, Doris Loh, Dr. James Robb, Dr. Kirsten, Stephan Martineau & our many friends and colleagues from whom we have been learning for years.

Immunity strengthening >> Immunity Deep Dive – 5 parts – biochemist Stephen Cherniske

How to protect yourself >>  by Dr. Carnahan

Recommendations for individual prevention and containment >> from pathologist Dr James Robb 

To make your own liposomal Vitamin C >>

Studies finding that high doses of antioxidants – in particular, vitamin C –  can help not only prevent, but also treat coronavirus by:

• Stopping the excessive inflammatory response in the lungs
• Suppressing the reproduction and spread of the virus within the body
• Boosting the function of the immune system

Thieves Oil Recipe (reduces stress, neutralizes bacterial and viral pathogens)

• 35 drops clove essential oil.
• 30 drops lemon essential oil.
• 15 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil.
• 13 drops eucalyptus essential oil.
• 7 drops rosemary essential oil.
• 10 ounces witch hazel or water (optional)

Online Apothecary – Emery Herbals for essential oils, teas & tinctures >>

Quercetin: https://www.macleans.ca/news/canada/a-made-in-canada-solution-to-the-coronavirus-outbreak/  

https://www.longdom.org/open-access/quercetin-a-promising-treatment-for-the-common-cold-2329-8731.1000111.pdf 

A note on Quercetin from Stephen Cherniske: “Quercetin a flavonoid found in onions, red wine, green tea, apples and berries, has been shown to impair coronavirus infection rate in test-tube experiments. While we cannot assume the same thing happens when we eat quercetin, the effect was so dramatic that it is reasonable to think that taking quercetin can decrease your risk. Since it is unlikely that there is any quercetin left on any store shelf, you can use onions and onion skin tea as good sources of this flavonoid.”

Glutathione: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3048347/

Melatonin: https://www.evolutamente.it/covid-19-pneumonia-inflammasomes-the-melatonin-connection

“Thus, the combined use of melatonin and ascorbic acid may prove to be most effective in the treatment for COVID-19 patients, especially those with cardiovascular and hypertension comorbidities.” 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4279949

DHEA: https://my2048.com/shop/dhea/

 

WORTH TRACKING THE FOLLOWING TREATMENT MEASURES THAT SHOW PROMISE:

 

Nitric Oxide: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC544093

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326381#benefits

Hydroxychloroquine, a less toxic derivative of chloroquine: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41421-020-0156-0

Chloroquine is being mentioned as a possible recommended treatment for Covid-19 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32075365/

From pubmed link: “In order to guide and regulate the use of chloroquine in patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia, the multicenter collaboration group of Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province and Health Commission of Guangdong Province for chloroquine in the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia developed this expert consensus after extensive discussion. It recommended chloroquine phosphate tablet, 500mg twice per day for 10 days for patients diagnosed as mild, moderate and severe cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia and without contraindications to chloroquine.”

https://medium.com/@ngough_bioserendipity/a-combination-therapy-that-eliminates-the-covid-19-virus-4e4c6e3864af

https://www.livescience.com/chloroquine-coronavirus-treatment.html

 

POEMS. And to end, a couple poems as I always prefer ending with a poem than a bunch of links 🙂

 

RAIN LIGHT — W.S. Merwin

 

All day the stars watch from long ago

my mother said I am going now

when you are alone you will be all right

whether or not you know you will know

look at the old house in the dawn rain

all the flowers are forms of water

the sun reminds them through a white cloud

touches the patchwork spread on the hill

the washed colors of the afterlife

that lived there long before you were born

see how they wake without a question

even though the whole world is burning

 

KEEPING QUIET – Pablo Neruda

 

Now we will all count to twelve

and we will all keep still.

 

This one time upon the earth,

let’s not speak any language,

let’s stop for one second,

and not move our arms so much.

 

It would be a delicious moment,

without hurry, without locomotives,

all of us would be together

in a sudden uneasiness.

 

The fisherman in the cold sea

would do no harm to the whales

and the peasant gathering salt

would look at his torn hands.

 

Those who prepare green wars,

wars of gas, wars of fire,

victories without survivors,

would put on clean clothing

and would walk alongside their brothers

in the shade, without doing a thing.

 

What I want shouldn’t be confused

with final inactivity:

life alone is what matters,

I want nothing to do with death.

 

If we weren’t unanimous

about keeping our lives so much in motion,

if we could perhaps do nothing for once,

perhaps a great silence would interrupt this sadness,

this never understanding ourselves

and threatening ourselves with death,

perhaps the earth is teaching us

when everything seems to be dead

and everything is alive.

 

Now I will count to twelve

and you keep quiet and I’ll go.

Image credit: Claudia Tremblay ~ https://www.claudiatremblay.com/