News of the Covid-19 virus originating in Wuhan China began to emerge in December of 2019. I had already booked a trip to Sri Lanka and watched with a growing sense of dread while staying with friends in the central highlands and the northern province as Covid infections began to spread rapidly around the world.
New York City was already going into lockdown by the time I returned. Like so many other people, I watched the news on a nightly basis and was horrified by the graphic coverage of overwhelmed hospitals and medical personnel and people dying during the first few months of the pandemic.
Politicization
Covid-19 has unfortunately become so highly politicized by rightwing extremists. For that reason, I realize that no matter what I say on this issue, I’m bound to offend some people.
Far right extremists around the world have been some of the main purveyors of anti-vax and other wackadoodle conspiracies.
Here in the United States, rightwing media such as Fox, Newsmax, Breitbart and the now nearly defunct One America News Network are less concerned with presenting factual information and instead construct a narrative to support their agenda. Rightwing media also relies heavily upon “wedge issues” to create polarization and rile up the crazies.
Rightwing media outlets such as Fox are little more than bullshit factories. Their anti-vax, anti-science and anti-common-sense campaigns may be good for ratings and yet they have resulted in millions of additional cases of Covid infections and deaths.
Fox is registered not as a news organization, but as entertainment entity. Rather than being called Fox News, they should be referred to as Fox Propaganda. Since they are not a credible news organization, they should also be banned from White House press briefings.
Vaccination has also used by Russian trolls and sophisticated bots as a “wedge issue.” The same troll accounts that had been used to influence the US election have tweeted extensively about vaccines to create social discord and distribute malware.
Russian trolls typically play both sides, tweeting pro- and anti-vaccine content in a politically charged context. Their intention is to erode public trust in vaccination, exposing us all to the risk of infectious diseases.
Those same bots are now promoting pro-Russian – anti Ukraine conspiracy theories.
mRNA Vaccines
I am not anti-vax, but I do have ambiguous feelings or concerns about vaccines, as they all have risks and side effects. A small percentage of people do have adverse and at times severe reactions.
Vaccines have largely eradicated diseases such as smallpox and polio that have killed and crippled millions. Without the tetanus vaccine, you risk of having bacteria enter your body through a wound or cut. The bacteria creates a poison that can create severe muscle contractions known as lockjaw making it hard for a person to open their mouth or swallow.
The mRNA vaccines were and still are effective up to a certain point. Many people who have been vaccinated and boosted have and are continuing to become infected with Covid. The vaccines are said to reduce the severity of symptoms in those who contract Covid. The problem is that the virus keeps mutating at such a rapid pace.
Newer variants of Covid are far more capable of evading immune defenses resulting from antibodies from prior Covid infections or vaccinations. That makes these newer variants more transmissible.
Masking and social distancing
It frustrates me that so many people are not taking Covid seriously. Covid is definitely not over, despite the fact that so many people are attempting to move on.
Masking and social distancing have helped to slow the spread of Covid. But many people started taking their masks off on planes and other forms of public transportation the moment one of Trump’s appointed judges stuck down the CDC’s masking guidelines.
No it is not like the flu
Many people are disputing the risk of Covid infections. Having worked with numerous individuals who contracted Covid, it’s quite obvious to me that the impact upon one’s health is considerably worse than that of the flu.
Many people I know have been infected and I keep hearing of new infections all the time. People are till dying of Covid. At least four people that I’ve known personally have died of Covid. Considering that I’ve worked with thousands of people in both individual and group settings, I’m sure there are more deaths that I’m not aware of.
People who have become infected with COVID-19 might experience organ damage affecting the heart, kidneys, skin and brain. Inflammation and problems with the immune system can also happen.
Even those who experience mild symptoms initially are at significant risk of developing “Long Covid.” Those who contract Covid are also at risk of lasting cognitive impairment.
Long Covid
Long covid is a disabling disease that can occur from even mild or asymptomatic covid, sometimes appearing suddenly weeks after a seemingly resolved infection, and yet it seems to largely be going ignored.
I don’t know how to verify these statistics, but I’m reading that one in five people who contract the virus ends up suffering from long covid. The most commonly reported Long Covid symptoms include:
- Fatigue, fever and fever and respiratory issues including difficulty breathing or shortness of breath and cough
- Neurological or mental health issues, including difficulty thinking or concentrating
- Headaches, sleep problems, dizziness while standing, sensations of pins-and-needles, loss of smell or taste, and depression or anxiety
- Joint and muscle pain are also common
- Heart issues including chest pain and fast or pounding heartbeat
- Digestive symptoms that include diarrhea and stomach pain
- Blood clots and other vascular issues
- Changes in the menstrual cycle
- Symptoms will in many instances get worse after physical or mental exertion
- It can also lead to the development of conditions such as diabetes or issues with the heart.
What can we be doing to protect ourselves?
I’ve been asking myself this question since the start of the pandemic.
The first year was scary. There was no vaccine, many of us were cloistered in our homes and the number of infections and deaths kept climbing with every passing day.
Spending so much time in India, Sri Lanka, China and living on the Navajo Indian Reservation has exposed me to all kinds of pathogens. I have on a number of occasions become seriously ill. In these instances, I’ve had to rely on traditional remedies to recover.
For all this time, I have continued to search for any information on traditional remedies used to treat Covid-19.
A word of caution
All of us are, to some extent, are flying blind when it comes to Covid. Our governments, scientists and doctors are, for the most part, doing the best they can with the knowledge available to them to address the crisis by preventing illness and saving lives.
A lot of people are also relying upon natural means to boost their immune systems. That appears to be working for some, but I also know of instances of people utilizing natural approaches that have contracted Covid-19 and died.
Are there remedies that can help to boost our immune system?
As I said, I’ve been searching since the beginning of the pandemic for any remedies that can help to strengthen the immune system.
I also need to state that I am not a physician, and I am not prescribing.
I have no means of proving conclusively that these supplements or medicinal herbs will either prevent or lessen the severity of Covid infections, but I will share what I have found to date:
I am seeing a lot of conflicting information or opinion in the clinical literature posted online. There are numerous articles both pro and con on a number of these supplements.
You can also find some of this information posted in clinical trials posted on National Institute of Health’s (NIH) website
NAC
According to the NIH’s website “NAC (N-acetylcysteine), has been used in clinical practice to treat critically ill septic patients, and more recently for COVID-19 patients. NAC has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating characteristics that may prove beneficial in the treatment and prevention of SARS-Cov-2.”
Other recommended supplements include:
- Quercetin
- Reduced Glutathione
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
- Astragulus
- Curcumin
- Reishi, Chaga and Cordyceps Mushroom
All of these supplements have numerous health benefits, including immune-boosting, anti-aging, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. Reduced glutathione, for instance, is said to inhibit viral replication.
This is not by any means a comprehensive list, as there are many other supplements and traditional remedies that possess antiviral properties.
I suggest that you do your own research. Look up each of these supplements to discover their health benefits, potential side effects and any contraindications.
You can save a lot of money buying astragulus, curcumin and reishi, chaga and cordyceps mushrooms in bulk powder. Be especially careful with the curcumin though because it can easily stain clothing, and it can easily get all over everything if you’re not paying close attention.
Recommended interventions
A number of the people I’ve spoken and worked with that have contracted Covid and are suffering with Long Covid have told me that hyperbaric oxygen, and the Meyer’s IV cocktail have made a significant difference in their recovery.
Hyperbaric Oxygen helps to reverse hypoxia, reduce neuroinflammation, and induce neuroplasticity.
Meyer’s IV Cocktail helps by providing you with a concentrated infusion of immune boosting supplements such as Vitamin C and Reduced Glutathione.
Physician and Herbalist Dr. Stephen Buhner who claims to have had successfully treated Covid-19 infections has published several PDFs in which he describes his treatment protocols.
https://www.stephenharrodbuhner.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/coronavirus.txt.pdf
https://www.americanherbalistsguild.com/sites/americanherbalistsguild.com/files/coronavirus-1.pdf
People are overwhelmed and many have their heads in the sand and are now trying to get back to normal life, but as always, denial and avoidance just makes matters worse. Which means the situation with Covid get worse before it can get better.
Take care and stay healthy!
Dr. Stephen Harrod Buhner’s Herbal Antibiotics talks about how you can use medicinal herbs safely and effectively to prevent and fight off a wide range of viral infections. The book is available in paperback and Kindle versions.
You can also download his free HERBAL TREATMENT FOR CORONAVIRUS INFECTIONS PDF
©Copyright 2020 Ben Oofana. All Rights Reserved. This content may be copied in full, with copyright, creation and contact information intact, without specific permission.
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