George Washington died from a combination of tonsillitis and severe anemia. The anemia was not a result of the infection or some other disease, but the physician-recommended blood-letting which was thought to be cutting edge science at the time. Get rid of the diseased blood and the body can get better. Makes sense, until we learned.
The point is that new information always arises and we must adjust our ideas and recommendations based on that. That is what legitimate, honest and ethical science does.
At the start of the pandemic, even Dr. Fauci was not recommending mask wearing but that quickly changed. At the start of the pandemic, doctors were very quick to put people in respiratory failure from Covid on ventilators, standard care for most respiratory conditions causing severe breathing problems. But now, ER and ICU doctors try as hard as possible to avoid intubation favoring oxygen, chest physical therapy, constantly moving patients and using aggressive medical treatments like antibodies, steroids, antibiotics in some cases as well as other proven treatments.
I had a rather negative post last week about Ivermectin and wanted to clarify some things. First of all, this is a very effective drug to treat parasitic infections in humans and animals. It was FDA approved for that in the 1990’s. It is so effective that it’s developers received a Nobel Prize in medicine in 2015. It is NOT a “horse drug” as the CDC has recently been claiming. It is used in horses and all cattle for that matter, but it is also used in humans. I also explained how it may help in treating Covid infections. Although it may be helpful, many have taken things a dangerous step further and started taking it at very high and dangerous doses and even preventatively. Many have suffered side effects and there have been deaths.
There was a post about how some gunshot-wound victims in the Midwest could not get proper care because the EDs were overrun with ivermectin overdose patients. These may have been exaggerated but even one ivermectin overdose patient is too many. These cases distract physicians and take away from the care of other really sick people. We don’t need more problems to deal with. There is enough stuff going on already.
As a tool in treatment, it may be effective but to take it as prevention or as an alternative to vaccination makes no sense. It’s like taking a dose of an antibiotic everyday just to prevent a possible case of tonsillitis. It’s also like taking a drug to treat symptoms rather than figure out why a disease is happening in the first place and fixing that (a concept sorely lacking on our “modern” medical system). The argument that taking ivermectin preventatively in areas where transmission is high is ludicrous because, ALL areas in the US have high transmission rates.
SO what do you do if you get sick? Well, don’t just sit around quarantined hoping that things get better.
- Hydrate. Water is what we evolved on. Not soda or “vitamin water”.
- Rest. Sleep is crucial.
- Eat a healthy, plant based diet which is full of antioxidants and minimizes inflamatory foods like sugar, anything processed or anything originating from an animal.
- Work on your stress levels. Stress and anxiety were the second highest complaint in those admitted to ICUs with severe Covid cases, after being overweight.
- Supplement wisely:
- Vitamin D3
- Melatonin
- Quercetin
- Zinc
- Vitamin C
- A good quality multivitamin (I use one called Complement Plus).
- Aspirin. Baby is OK
- Medications as needed. I don’t have the best answer here. Certainly with significant aches and pains, a few doses of steroids like dexamethasone can really help decrease inflamation. As far as the more controversial meds like Zithromax, Hydroxychloroquin and Ivermectin go, it has to be on a case by case basis and the patient must be looked at as a whole. If you are really sick, please go to the hospital an get checked out.
In the mean time, prevention is the key and it does not come in the form of a pill, but in our daily actions and behavior.
VACCINATE. Without question, it is STILL the most important strategy we as individuals and more importantly, as a society, MUST implement to get this disease under control.
MASK UP! It is also STILL an extremely important part of the strategy to prevent infection and spread.
DISTANCE and VENTILATE. Avoid crowded, tightly packed places. Get fans. Open windows.
HYGIENE. Do it wisely, but don’t overdo it.
GET HEALTHY. Physically and mentally. Eat well, Move more, Love more and Stress less.
Stay safe and be well.
AC