By Jondi Gumz
The coronavirus can cause pneumonia and breathing difficulties but antibiotics are of no use. Since the virus is new, there are no drugs undergoing clinical trials.
At Yoga Within in Aptos, the owners emailed their students to say they are washing surfaces, doorknobs and light switches before and after each class. They asked students to bring their own mat, wash their hands before and after class, and to stay home if feeling unwell.
Local, state and federal health officials urge people to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds to reduce risk of infection.
The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians recommends supporting your body’s immune function by: Eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, fiber and healthy fats, getting enough sleep and reducing stress.
The Institute for Functional Medicine, founded by practitioners that look for the root causes of disease, advises: Stress reduction, sleep, exercise and eating nutritious vegetables and fruits.
Andrew Saul, a nutrition researcher and editor of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, reported the Shanghai government has recommended people with coronavirus be treated with high-dose intravenous vitamin C.
He shared a YouTube video of Dr. Richard Cheng, a Chinese-American medical doctor in Shanghai, reporting on a case study of a 71-year-old grandmother with diabetes and heart disease living in Wuhan and confirmed by the hospital there to have COVID-19.
Her daughter had been taking 20 grams a day of oral Vitamin C as a preventive measure and advised her brother, sister-in-law and parents to do the same. After her mother was moved into the intensive care unit, she urged the attending physician to treat her with intravenous Vitamin C. After 20 days of 10,000 mg of Vitamin C, her mother was moved out of intensive care to a regular ward.
The daughter has not developed an infection and neither has her daughter or her brother, sister-in-law, or father, all of whom were taking high doses of oral Vitamin C.
Cheng said Vitamin C produces hydrogen peroxide, “a powerful germ-killer that kills bacteria and virus when the dose is high enough.”
He noted a recent positive clinic trial of intravenous Vitamin C. A randomized trial in 2019 with 139 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer followed for 23 months suggested that high doses of Vitamin C with chemotherapy could slow the disease.
His conclusion is that Vitamin C can be used to help a patient cope with a severe viral infection.
“There is a whole lot to gain, not much to lose,” he said.
On March 5, Dignity Health Dominican Hospital announced restrictions on visitors to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Only one visitor per patient per day is allowed, and visitors must be at least 16 years old. Patients and visitors can enter only through the main entrance or the Emergency Department.
Masks are required for Emergency Department patients experiencing fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, and/or nasal congestion. Anyone with those symptoms and wanting to visit a patient is asked to wait to be symptom-free for at least 48 hours.
Dominican communications manager Claire Henry said, “We are prepared to identify, isolate, and treat any potential patient who seeks care at our facility.”
She said the hospital has supplies and equipment needed for any suspected or confirmed COVID-19 patients, and is “continuously assessing the volume of supplies.”
She also said training has been added for staff for using personal protection equipment while treating patients who may have COVID-19.
For information on the differences between COVID-19 and flu, visit https://dignityhlth.org/COVID-19vsFlu