COVID-19 Advice

AKA Stay Healthy

As we navigate these next few weeks, I wanted to reach out to my community and provide some info on the most effective and safest ways to make use of foods, supplements and herbal remedies. We can use these strategies to avoid infection, minimize the severity if you are infected, and recover as quickly as possible. The purpose of this post is to help clarify what’s worth your time and money, and what’s not. These are the exact protocols I will be following, as well as the recommendations I’ve provided to my loved ones.

After ensuring we're prioritizing the safety of those most vulnerable through social distancing, hand-washing, not hoarding resources, following CDC recommendations, etc, the most responsible and effective thing we can do for ourselves to "boost immunity" with or without confirmed exposure is extra nutrients - so make your grocery list and be ready to pull up your supplement protocol and check it against the one below.

Diet

Remember: supplements are supplementary to a healthy diet, and diet is the preferred way to make sure you’re getting the nutrients you need.

So do all the things you probably already know you should be doing:

1. Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables
2. Limit or avoid sugar and processed food (to the extent that that’s feasible for you)
3. Keep your microbiome happy and alert by eating or drinking fermented foods/beverages 3-4 times per week. This includes lacto-fermented sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles or beet kvass (preferably from a local brand like Harvest Roots Ferments) and beverages like kombucha, kefir and jun.

Supplements

As you likely know if you’ve had an appointment with me recently, nutrient deficiencies are common and can suppress immune function. However, IT DOES NOT FOLLOW from that that taking huge doses of nutrients (above and beyond what’s necessary to become replete, aka supra-physiologic doses) will “boost” immune function.

**Please note: If I have you on a protocol, it probably includes most, if not everything, you need, so please closely verify before adding supplements. Call or email me with questions.

And try not to worry overmuch - You’re doing what you can and it won't serve you to panic. Breathe in and breathe out. We’re in this together - email me at alabamafunctionalherbalism@gmail.com

Immunity Nutrients: 
1. Vitamin A: 5,000 - 10,000 IU daily. Preferred form: just make sure it's NOT beta carotene, but rather a preformed one like retinol palmitate.
2. Vitamin D3/K2: 5000 IU - 8000IU, with at least 200mcg K2. Preferred form: make sure it's D3 and not D2.
3. Zinc: 30-50 mg daily, taken with a meal. If taking 50mg, try to get a supplement with 2-3 mcg copper. Preferred form: Zinc picolinate is my favorite form (good absorption and I've found it less likely to make you nauseous).
4. Selenium: 75-200mcg daily. A handful of Brazil nuts has the amount you need.
5. B2, B6 and Folate (B9): A few servings of fruits and veggies daily should provide most of what you need. Call me before starting a folate supplement if you're not already on one.
6. Vitamin C: 500-1000mg daily. Preferred form: sodium ascorbate or ascorbic acid are both fine.

Lifestyle

Your top priority for the next few weeks? Keep your mucosa happy! Adequate “snot” is the under-appreciated hero of preventing respiratory infections. Lower air humidity dries out mucosa, and allows virus-laden droplets to travel farther. Robust research points towards 50-60% air humidity as ideal to decrease respiratory infections. That means:

A. Hydrate - Drink enough water to make you urinate 6-8 times per day. Apart from right away in the morning, your urine should be mostly clear. **if you have kidney issues please don’t drastically increase your fluid intake.

B. Use a humidifier (especially at night) - steam humidifiers are best but more expensive. Mist humidifiers are perfectly adequate, provided they are cleaned weekly with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. A crockpot or pot of water on the stove, set to low and monitored, works just as well. Freshen the air by tossing in some kitchen spices like rosemary or thyme.

Herbs

First off, allow me to clarify something: Plants like echinacea and elder are to be used if you firmly suspect exposure or have started experiencing symptoms. Don’t take them willy-nilly - they are not meant to be taken every single day of winter. That being said, if you come into contact with an person who’s infected, if you yourself begin to experience symptoms, or you work in a healthcare setting where you’re almost guaranteed to be exposed, THAT is the time to start taking immune-stimulating herbs like echinacea and elder. Think 2-4 weeks max at a time. Longer than that, and the potential benefits diminish.

If you suspect exposure, my preferred directly antiviral remedy is ginger juice shots made from fresh ginger root. If you have a juicer, you can make these yourself (don’t make them more than a few hours in advance, they should be as fresh as possible). If not, you can find them (usually...) near the fruit juices and kombucha at the grocery store.

If you suspect exposure or begin to have symptoms, please call me or book a sick care appointment here. We’ll briefly discuss your symptoms and I’ll send you a custom herbal formula (included in the cost of the appointment).

My preferred immune-activating plants for this specific context include: andrographis, astragalus, violet, poke, and osha if you have it (use sparingly - it's endangered). Those are all pretty strong - please do your research and/or reach out to me or another qualified practitioner before taking them. I would NOT give those herbs to someone with any autoimmune condition.

I hope this helps. Please feel free to forward this information along to loved ones. Are you the loved one? Click here if you'd like to receive emails like these, including my monthly newsletter. 

Hang in there, and, if you get sick, call me.

-Alyssa