Home treatment advice of COVID 19 in India as a preventive measure and also for anyone who has the infection currently.
On March 25th 2021 I got my test for COVID 19 and the following day in the morning I got the result as positive.
From 26th March till 15th April 2021 – was one of the very intense times of my life.
Via this post I’d like to share some key points which worked for my family, close friends and me. Considering the way the second wave has spread in India, I am hoping this post will help someone.
With the heart breaking news of the condition of hospitals, oxygen cylinder supply, non availability of beds, medicines etc. I firmly believe that it is our duty to our selves, our families and the society to do EVERYTHING that we can do to firstly prevent getting infected, and secondly to treat it effectively at home if we get the infection.
Knowledge and Action is key for this.
My intent of making this post is to highlight some key points which worked for us. Many of these you may already know.
Some quick initial points:
- I am not selling you anything. You can buy some items required directly on your own. But I am listing below some of products I have used or recommend, to make it faster for you to start. I’ll keep updating these over time.
- This is not intended to be medical advice and is being shared for informational and educational purposes only.
- Please don’t take this strain lightly.
- No Silver Bullet: In my personal opinion a big folly is to seek a silver bullet – that single strategy or supplement which alone will take care of the virus. Each strategy or intervention plays a role. One should aim to do as many of these as possible, so we can stack the cards in our favor. Each strategy has a unique role. Some of these interventions may move the needle more than others.
- Sneaky Virus: In many cases of my friends and family, the infection got more severe after the initial week. From feeling totally fine, with slight fever in the initial few days of the confirmed infection, to very low oxygen saturation, bouts of cough, chest congestion and heaviness etc. may take a few days only.
This is why even if you are having mild Covid symptoms initially and feel strong and able, I recommend not letting your guard down. This time is crucial and depending on how you act, can keep this viral infection mild.
Don’t have Covid?
There is no better strategy than prevention. Please follow all guidelines around wearing a mask, washing your hands, not touching nose/mouth, social distancing etc.
Additionally please be prepared ahead of time. Taking action after Covid has entered your house gets more difficult and adds avoidable stress.
You or someone you know is COVID Positive?
Here is a detailed list of some of the key interventions/strategies I would recommend and ones which we tried when carrying out home treatment during those crucial 2 weeks.
| Things/Equipment to buy/have handy: | Importance | Why | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pulse Oximeter | Critical | Oxygen Saturation is a strong indicator of how the Coronavirus has impacted your lungs | |
| 2 | Thermometer | Critical | To know when to intervene with anti-pyritic like Crocin and also an indicator if your immune system is still fighting some pathogen in the body. | |
| 3 | Nebulizer | Critical | Direct delivery of the medicine to the lungs. | (please see this detailed post on Neblulizing with Hydrogen Peroxide & Lugol’s Iodine) |
| 4 | Blood Pressure machine | |||
| 5 | Glucose monitor | |||
| 6 | Oxygen Cylinder on rent as a SOS (critical in case of adverse situations) | As per the news there is huge shortage of Oxygen Cylinders. We must do all we can to avoid getting to this situation. |
| Key Vitamins/Minerals for Immunity | Why | How Much | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vitamin D3 via supplements | D3 is the master immune regulator. Every cell in our body has Vitamin D Receptors (VDR). Around 80% of people are deficienct in Vitamin D. | Depends on your current levels. If you don’t know your blood serum levels of 25 (OH), and have not taken regular supplements, then | Increased D levels will then make your body ‘absorb’ more calcium from your food as well. This is where taking Vitamin K (MK7) along with any supplemental D3 is important. |
| 60,000 IU sachets twice a week. This is a mega dose and will rapidly bring up your D levels. If you know your Vitamin D serum levels (25-hydroxy levels), and they are above 40 ng/ml, then taking 5000 to 10,000 Ius per day is fine. | ||||
| 2 | Vitamin D3 + other benefits via Sunlight | This is the best way to not only get your Vitamin D levels up, but the full spectrum light + near and far infrared spectrum + UV will help with blood pressure modulation, circadian rhythem and also improve your mood a bit during an infection. There are nuances to this, which I have shared more below. | 15 to 20 minutes of sunbathing with minimal clothing at mid noon (around 12:30 to 1 pm) when the UVB index is the highest. Do not get a sun-burn. More details below. | |
| 3 | Vitamin K2 | To ensure that the additional Calcium intake due to rising D levels does not lead to other calcification issues later on, it’s important to take Vitamin K2 supplement as well. | ||
| 4 | Zinc | Essential Mineral. Our body does not have a specialized zinc storage system which is why we need to pay particular attention to Zinc. It is a potent anti-viral and reduces both the severity and susceptibility of an infection. | Always look at the ‘Elemental’ zinc in the nutritional label. | Zinc Picolonate and Zinc Gluconate are recomemended. If you already have the infection, then consuming some that the Munical Corporation may give you, is fine. |
| 5 | Vitamin C | Vitamin C’s massive role in immune cells, as an anti-oxident and the collaborative role it plays with other nutrients and interventions like nebulized hydrogen peroxide. | ||
| 6 | Selenium | Selenium has a crucial role to play in the immune systems, particularly the functioning of neutrophils. | The highest source of Selenium are Brazil Nuts. 1 Brazil nut (soaked for a few hours) every day or every other days is adequate | Sunflower seeds and other nuts/seeds also have selenium in smaller amounts. |
Please Note:
- Always food first! Preferably locally grown and organic. Are you measuring your key nutrients intake? If not, chances are high that some of these ‘nutrients of concern’ for immunity may be low in your body. Also, if like me, you have a loss of appetite for the infection period, it’s wise to rely on quality supplements/other strategies so that we don’t make a bad situation worse by not paying heed to them. This is the time that your body needs regular supply of all the key nutrients so that the your immune system is empowered to fight the infection. I strongly believe in ‘Whole Foods First’ – but if there is a case for quality supplements then it is before the Covid Infection (to keep yourself topped up) and during the infection.
- Every nutrient plays a role to keep the body in harmony. The therapeutic adequacy of the above nutrients are closely related to immune function working well. They move the needle the most.
| Electrolyte: | Why | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) | Diarrhoea is a common symptom which can lead to electrolyte imbalance if not addressed in time. | Read my experience on how I overlooked this crucial part for the initial days. |
| 2 | Fresh Coconut Water | Nature’s electrolyte. |
| Herbs, Spices, Kaddas/Teas/Concoctions | How/Why | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (all of these have known anti-microbial and immune boosting benefits) | |||
| 1 | Turmeric & Black Pepper | Adding a pinch of black pepper powder to turmeric increases the absorption of turmeric by around 20 times. | |
| 2 | Ginger | ||
| 3 | Garlic | 15 minute method. Crush garlic and leave it for 15 minutes. This will convert Allin to the active beneficial compound called ‘Allicin’ which has all the key benefits. | |
| 4 | Fibre rich food & Fermented food | These ‘pre’ and ‘probiotics’ will help the gut microbiome to heal faster. | |
| 5 | Chagga Mushroom | ||
| 6 | Mulethi | ||
| 7 | Giloy | ||
| 8 | Tulsi | ||
| 9 | Dalchinni | ||
| 10 | Joshanda (product) |
| Daily Practices: | Why/How | How Much | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunbathing | |||
| 2 | Nebulizing with Hydrogen Peroxide & Lugol’s Iodine | 3 to 5 times a day | ||
| 3 | Jal Neti | Thrice a day | ||
| 4 | Steam | Direct delivery of the steam into the lungs.Any direct relief to the lungs, if you have moderate or severe symtoms give immediate relief. | Thrice a day | |
| 5 | Gargles | Warm saline water garles along with povidone iodine. | Thrice a day | |
| 6 | Breathing Exercises | |||
| 7 | Plenty of rest | |||
| 8 | Positive Self Talk | |||
| 9 | Meditate, Read, Reflect |
| Medicines (I took these) | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crocin | |
| 2 | Ivermectin | Please verify from your medical doctor if this is still recommended. My views are shared below. |
| 3 | Cough Syrup | |
| 4 | Sualin | |
| 5 | Antibiotics |
Additional Details/My Opinion on some points shared in the Covid master list:
# Vitamin C
- Vitamin C rich foods (seasonal fruits and vegetables)
- Vitamin C rich dried super foods (Moringa, Aamla powder etc.)
- Vitamin C rich supplements which are made from whole foods. I bought one which has Aamla + Spirulina.
- Vitamin C supplement from chemist. Usually Limcee or some such brand is sold. Most of them have only ‘Ascorbic Acid’ and not the full spectrum Vitamin C and most of them have the synthetic version (the Vitamin C is made in the lab). I still recommend keeping a couple of strips handy.
# Electrolyte
One of the common symptoms of COVID-19 is diarrhoea. This swiftly leads to electrolyte depletion in the body if not addressed in time. Further propounded by lack of appetite in some cases, it’s very easy to get depleted real fast.
Not taking care of your electrolyte balance can also lead to clearly avoidable visits to a hospital.
ORS: 1 sachet of ORS in 1 Litre of clean filtered water. I also added 1 full lemon’s juice to it to get more Vitamin C and finished the whole bottle over 8 to 10 hours time.
My Experience:
This was particularly useful for about 8 days when I was severely depleted on 30th March. I had diarrhoea from 28th March onwards for a few days. The stools became normal only after another 2 weeks.
It was my oversight in walking around, not having coconut water in the morning and ORS. I realised I had not eaten or had any calorie for about 14 hours – which suddenly hit me. I felt very weak, dizzy. My pulse went to 40 and I felt like I was swooning.
I called my Doctor friend and sought his advice for this. He recommended ORS daily. I also asked if I should get the drips in case I needed the IV. He concurred and as a backup, I got the following delivered home:
- Ringer Lactate (RL) 4 bottles
- I/V Set
- I/V Cannula 18 no/ 20 no or Scalp Vein no 22.
- Injection Emeset if required.
Thankfully I doubled down on taking the ORS mixture I shared above and also sipped on 1 full fresh coconut water per day. It helped me avoid getting on IV / drip.
One of my close friend’s Mother had to be in the hospital for 3 days due to electrolyte imbalance. She had also overlooked taking the ORS solution in those critical days.
Since I had some diarrhoea as initial symptoms, it indicated that there could be electrolyte imbalance/depletion if it is not addressed daily.
Fresh Coconut Water: I had 1 to 2 full coconut water each day for about 10 days (in addition to daily 1 packet of ORS).
# Turmeric + Black pepper
Turmeric is well known for it’s amazing properties including being an anti-viral.
When you have it with a pinch of black pepper, we increase the absorption by upto 20 times.
I tried to have half to 1 teaspoon of organic turmeric with couple of pinches of black pepper powder either added to a home made concoction (with ginger etc.).
On days I didn’t have the concoction or kadda, I added it in a tea spoon, put 2 pinches of black pepper in the spoon, and then gulped it down with water.
The absorption is also better if you have it with some sort of fat. So I would have this along with almonds/walnuts which were soaked overnight.
# Fibre rich + Fermented foods
The gut microbiome will likely suffer during this time, due to the medicines (particularly antibiotics) which will be administered.
While I had lost my appetite for a few days and was forcing to have the bare minimum to avoid the situation from getting worse, I tried to each more fibre and also fermented foods (especially sauerkraut which I had prepared a few weeks back). Sauerkraut it possibly the cheapest and one of the top nutritional bang for the buck foods. It has lots of Vitamin C, range of bacterial species which help seed the gut, fibre etc.
In my recovery phase I am taking 1 to 2 table spoons of sauerkraut daily.
# Sunbathing:
I took sun bath at around 1 pm everyday. This is generally the most potent time location the UV B rays to reach us.
I only wore my boxers and sun bathed for about 15 to 20 minutes in total (8 to 10 minutes front side and 8 to 10 minutes back side).
Exposing our naked skin to direct sunlight at this time (not the early morning rising sun light, which has many other benefits in terms of circadian rhythm alignment) is the best way to naturally produce Vitamin D in the human body.
Please note that this is direct sunlight, with no cloth, glass screen or sunscreen on the skin to block the important UVB rays.
The important point is to avoid getting a sun burn and to have ‘safe’ exposure to the direct sunlight. Since I have been doing this regularly since 2014, it’s easier for me to stay in the sun longer as well.
Sunlight in mid-noon also allows us to get the full spectrum light benefits. Not only visible light, but also the important UV index and the Infrared spectrum.
# Jal Neti
Everyone should do this preemptively (first day of any kind of symptom) and more so during the infection.
Add 1 teaspoon of non-iodized salt to 500 ml of filtered water.
Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the above solution, if you have Baking soda at home.
# Gargles
Doing gargles with saline water thrice a day. And also gargles with warm water + Povidone Iodine.
# Steam
We added fresh neem leaves, some spices like clove, dal chini, eucalyptus essential oil (100% pure organic & therapeutic grade) + the Green capsule from Chemist for steam (it has menthol and eucalyptus).
# Plenty of Rest
In my case, I didn’t have much energy to do anything else other than resting. It gets better over time as the condition improves.
# Meditate, read, aim to stay positive and take stock of your life.
We all know the role that mindset and our beliefs have. This is particularly true during challenging times like Covid infection.
And please avoid watching news and other media.
# Crocin in case the fever runs high (more than 102 F) and body ache.
My understanding is that fever is a good sign and indicates that the body’s immune system is doing it’s work. The rise in temperature allows the host (us) to become less viable for the microbes.
So I monitored my temperature closely. When it was over 102.5 (I had 103 F as well), and the accompanying discomfort or body ache was getting difficult to bear, I took Crocin.
I think it would be unwise to have Crocin or any other anti-pyretic at the hint of some rise in body temperature.
I look at it as a tool for comfort, to be used intelligently and sparingly – so as not to sabotage the work of our immune system to fight the pathogen, and also ensuring that the discomfort or the temperature does not go so high to cause some other damage.
# Ivermectin
I had it for 4 days (one every day). There was news about WHO not recommending it. But there are also thoughts by natural health experts that Bill Gates who is the top donor to WHO has an agenda of pushing his vaccines. Some of the drugs which are known to be of help are being intentionally questioned or some side effects are being highlighted, despite their clear help in adverse situations.
# Cough Syrup
Any good cough syrup. I got 1 bottle of Benadryl and 1 bottle of another cough syrup provided by the MC.
# Sualin
I find Sualin very soothing and effective for throat related issues.
If you want to go totally natural, then making a hot tea/concoction with Mulathi (the active ingredient in Sualin) and Giloy will be good as well. I have also put a small piece of mulathi in my mouth and simply swallowing the juices over few hours.
# Antibiotics
Although this is a virus (which means Antibiotics will not work for the virus and will only cause harm in terms of decimating your microbiome), there are some conditions which also start simultaneously.
I reluctantly did a course of 5 days of Ezethromycin and Allegra, as recommended by a close doctor friend. I understood the sense of this and didn’t want any other underline bacterial infections to make the problem worse.
This was my first antibiotic after about 6 years being fully aware of the havoc it causes to the microbiome.
# Herbs, Spices, Kaddas/Teas/Concoctions
There are plenty of messages and videos being shared about making some kind of kadda so I won’t go into the details.
Typically for the purpose of Covid relief, the following (all or some of them – whatever you have handy at home) will be used:
- Ginger
- Mulathi
- Giloy
- Turmeric
- Black pepper
- Tulsi
- Dalchini
- I had some Chagga mushroom powder. Chagga is a medicinal mushroom used for hundreds of years and is particularly potent for ‘Immunity’.
- I also got hold of ‘Joshanda’ and another pre-made Kadha Powder.
From a purity standpoint, these may have some ‘permitted preservatives or additives’ which is usually a red flag for me. But during those critical 1 week period, I used them.
Most times I’ll make tea with these pre made powders, and then add the above things (all or some of them depending on what is available) to further add potency to the tea.
This was particularly effective at night time (15 to 30 minutes before going to sleep).
It helped in reducing the bouts of coughing at night.
I am sure there are many other ingredients which can be added. But the above is what I used and found it easy to get hold of the ingredients.
I sincerely hope that you found this information useful. Please feel free to share with your friends and family.
Medical Disclaimer:
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a Medical Doctor. You must consult your doctor before acting on any content on this website, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition. The publisher of this content takes no responsibility for possible health consequences of any person or persons reading or following the information in this educational content.
9 comment(s)
Jasmit Singh Juneja
I know this message of mine is coming quite late... But hats off to you Pancham for not shying / hiding but instead sharing your […] Read MoreI know this message of mine is coming quite late... But hats off to you Pancham for not shying / hiding but instead sharing your experience with COVID in such a wonderful way... I'm all the more proud to have you as a friend and wish you, Nosheen and your little star all the goodness of life! Read Less
Pancham Prashar
to Jasmit Singh Juneja
Thanks a lot Jasmit for you wonderful message. I really appreciate it! I am pretty sure my message is coming way too late :) I […] Read MoreThanks a lot Jasmit for you wonderful message. I really appreciate it! I am pretty sure my message is coming way too late :) I hope we all stay healthy and take control of our health - by doing our own due diligence, questioning what listen in mass media, keeping the right company and finding the science in a lot of age old/ancestral ways of living. Read Less
Nick Pullano
Pancham! Glad you guys recovered. How much of this were you doing beforehand? When do you think you'll be able to get the vaccine?
Pancham Prashar
to Nick Pullano
Thanks Nick. Vaccination drives are going on and it's taking time due to the large population and also shortage of vaccines in many places. From […] Read MoreThanks Nick. Vaccination drives are going on and it's taking time due to the large population and also shortage of vaccines in many places. From the checklist I was actively taking care of my vitamin D intake (mostly via sunbathing), selenium (brazil nuts and other seeds/nuts), Zinc and Vitamin K2. This was all in addition to a fairly well planned out whole plants based lifestyle (mostly organic directly from local farmers). But when the Covid symptoms started showing and the test confirmed it as Covid, I started all things listed (nebulizing, gargles, steam, teas/concoctions, herbs and some medicines. All of these contributed in varying degrees in 'home recovery'. I really hope we are able to tide through this real soon now. Read Less
Nebulizing with Hydrogen Peroxide & Lugol’s Iodine for COVID/Coronavirus and Flu – Pancham Prashar's blog on health, nutrition, biohacking and human longevity.
[…] my life and helped avoid hospitalization. I did several other things which are common knowledge as shared in this post, but Nebulizing using Hydrogen […] Read More[…] my life and helped avoid hospitalization. I did several other things which are common knowledge as shared in this post, but Nebulizing using Hydrogen Peroxide (H202) and Lugol’s Iodine (LI) was the most unique […] Read Less
Geetika
Thank you so much for sharing Pancham. Extremely informative and useful.
Pancham Prashar
to Geetika
Thank you Geetika! Please share with anyone who may benefit from this. We need to do all we can to avoid getting the infection and […] Read MoreThank you Geetika! Please share with anyone who may benefit from this. We need to do all we can to avoid getting the infection and then to effectively treat it at home. Read Less
Sanchit
Thank you so much Sir for sharing the valuable information. It is very helpful and I am following your recommendations.
Pancham Prashar
to Sanchit
Thanks Sanchit! Please share with your family and friends. Prevention and planning will really help us deal with this viral infection well, and prevent it […] Read MoreThanks Sanchit! Please share with your family and friends. Prevention and planning will really help us deal with this viral infection well, and prevent it from becoming so severe that it we need hospitalisation or oxygen. Please be safe. Read Less