Updated: July 2022
Home-Based COVID 19 Prevention
Dealing with COVID 19 requires a multi-prong approach. Unfortunately, in the US there has been little discussion among the so-called experts on simple strategies that you can employ at home to reduce your chance of becoming ill from COVID.
Notice those last three words – ill from COVID. Chances are highly unlikely that you will avoid becoming infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 whether you are vaccinated or unvaccinated. The SARS-CoV 2 virus that causes COVID is ubiquitous. You are not going to escape it.
The COVID-19 vaccines do not stop the virus from entering your nasal passages or your lungs. The primary goal of a vaccine is to prevent you from getting symptoms from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, or at least minimize those symptoms so that you do not require hospitalization, or even die from it.
You need to take to steps to boost your immune system. Boost your immune system. This will pay better dividends for you than relying on masking and social distancing. You have no control if the person next to you is wearing a mask or maintaining their distance (assuming those strategies are effective).
You can control what you can control – so control it. Take control of the condition and function of your immune system. Get your immune system tuned up by taking the following nutritional supplements.
Here are the doses of nutritional supplements I recommend to my patients.
- Vitamin D3: 5,000 IUs daily
- Vitamin D: 1,000 to 2,000 mg daily (higher dose if weighing over 200 pounds)
- Zinc: 30 to 50 mg daily (higher dose if weighing over 200 pounds)
- Quercetin: 500 mg daily
- Melatonin: 6 mg at night (may cause drowsiness)
Why These Nutritional Supplements?
So why these particular vitamins?
Vitamin D has been shown to reduce the number and severity of upper respiratory tract infections which are primarily viral in origin. Vitamin D minimizes the cytokine flare that occurs with COVID. This cytokine flare damages several biologic processes that lead to a rapid downward spiral many times leading to death. Studies show the benefit of vitamin D in COVID-19 patients: by preventing multi-organ damage, controlling the cytokine storm, and controlling inflammation.
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant also shown to be effective in minimizing symptoms of COVID 19. When it comes to COVID-19, vitamin C has been shown to shorten hospital stays, duration of mechanical ventilation, and reduction in mortality from sepsis.
Zinc may be the most important supplement in this list as it actually may stop viruses including SARS-CoV-2 from replicating. This essentially halts the infectious process triggered by the virus. There is a problem with zinc, however. To maximize its effectiveness, it needs a carrier molecule to get it into the cells. These carrier molecules are called zinc ionophores.
Prescription medications like hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are zinc ionophores. Ivermectin also appears to be a zinc ionophore, in addition to having other properties that appear effective in disabling the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Guess what else is a zinc ionophore? Quercetin.
That’s why it is on this list. Quercetin is a polyphenol and a natural anti-inflammatory and has anti-thrombotic effects (prevents blood clots frequently seen in COVID patients and COVID vaccinated individuals). Plus, quercetin is a zinc ionophore. It has been shown to inhibit the replication of certain rhinoviruses that cause the common cold.
A recent study on 152 COVID patients concluded, “Quercetin is a safe agent and in combination with standard care when used in the early stage of viral infection, could aid in improving the early symptoms and help in preventing the severity of COVID-19 disease.”
Unlike ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine which require a prescription, quercetin can be obtained as a nutritional supplement, though you may have to go to a health food store to find it. Quercetin is found in the following foods: onions, kale, elderberry, okra, apple peels, cranberries, and asparagus.
Melatonin is a strong antioxidant and has anti-cancer effects. It also stabilizes blood vessels that become inflamed and leaky with COVID-19. Melatonin also has anti-viral properties.
Take The Fight to COVID-19
Take the above supplements to boost your immune system. Patients most at risk for complications from COVID-19 are the elderly (decreased immune systems), the overweight, those with diabetes, and those with hypertension. Exercise and eat a low glycemic diet the combination of which will help you lose weight and control your blood sugar and blood pressure improving your odds of surviving COVID-19 should you get it.
Do not rely on COVID-19 vaccinations alone.
