COVID 19
Hello,
I am wishing you all well as we enter a season of upheaval and change. I wanted to take a moment to share with you some measures that you can take in response to COVID-19. The first and most important measure is social distancing. Keep in mind that you can have the coronavirus and not have any symptoms but still be spreading it throughout the community. Continue to be careful about hand washing and coughing into your elbow as well.
Foods to eat for prevention:
Carrots and sweet potatoes- for beta carotene to support immune function
Nuts and seeds (particularly pumpkin seeds)- contain vitamin E and zinc. Vitamin E reduces lung inflammation and helps lungs to heal and zinc is an essential nutrient for your white blood cells.
Licorice tea- anti-viral and anti-inflammatory for the lungs. Do not drink licorice tea if you have elevated blood pressure or if you are taking any medications.
Some other good anti-inflammatory herbs to incorporate in your diet are ginger, cinnamon and turmeric.
Other preventative measures:
Wash your hands frequently and follow social distancing guidelines as recommended by the CDC.
Get sufficient sleep
Monitor the dose of news and avoid excessive reading about COVID-19. It’s important to know enough to convince yourself that social distancing measures are necessary but beyond that you are engaging in unnecessary stress and fear.
What to do if you get the coronavirus:
Call me (or your doctor if it’s not me), or the Yale coronavirus hotline at 1-833-ASK-YNHH (275-9644) to discuss your symptoms and treatment over the phone. Drive-through testing facilities will likely be opening soon. If you are having difficulty breathing you will need to go directly to the ER but if you have early symptoms like aching, fever, cough or more mild shortness of breath, it is absolutely essential that you stay at home to prevent spread of the virus.
Some supportive measures if you do feel sick:
Remember that the vast majority of people have mild to moderate symptoms that are similar to a cold or flu. As usual with any viral infection, the best medicine is rest, fluids and nutritious foods. You can call to discuss the use of over the counter decongestants and cough suppressants.
There are currently no medications to treat coronavirus so I’m sharing treatments that have been used for other infectious lung conditions. There is no research to support the use of these treatments for COVID-19 but I have seen them help in other viral upper respiratory illnesses. Do not use these measures in place of medical care if you are experiencing difficulty breathing.
Onions contain flavonoids which have anti-inflammatory and healing properties. You can add onions to whatever you are cooking or use these remedies.
Onion and honey cough syrup: Reduces inflammation and calms cough- finely chop an onion and mix with 3Tbs honey. Take 1 Tbs every couple of hours for anyone over the age of 4 and 1tsp for kids ages 1-4. Do not give honey to children under 1 year old. If it doesn’t seem appealing to eat onions or onion juice, honey alone is soothing for coughs.
Onion poultice: Dice 2-3 onions then steam them with a small amount of water until they are soft and partially clear. Let them cool to the point where they won’t cause burns. Place the onions in a pillowcase and lay the pillowcase over the chest or back then cover with a heating pad for at least 20 minutes.
What to do about the fear and anxiety that you may be experiencing:
I had a friend call me and say “things are scary and serious and I thought I needed a little break so I called you to swap funny memories and stories.” We laughed so hard and I felt so much better afterwards.
Also, another person mentioned that she was taking the opportunity to take an epsom salt bath every day.
Do something that is calming and enjoyable: read a novel, play hide and seek with the kids, try a new recipe, work on a house project that makes your home more beautiful, hug your dog, organize old pictures, call someone you haven’t talked to in years, draw, paint, knit or sew something.
The best treatment for fear is doing something kind: write a letter, pick an organization to send the money that you would be spending on gas or coffee today, make something for a friend or send someone a text with a funny memory, a picture or a meaningful poem.
Take care,
Dr. Gwenn