21/03/2020
The College of Medicine and Integrated Health
Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Protecting the vulnerable:
Latest advice*
* Official guidance from the UK government, the UK NHS and World Health Organisation
As the latest strain of coronavirus moves through our communities the priority is to follow latest guidelines above to slow down the spread of the infection. Keep reading for some additional science-based suggestions for improving your protection.
We need to repeat agreed advice first: COVID-19 appears to be relatively contagious and there is already evidence that it can be caught before there are symptoms like coughing. This means that as well as airborne transmission it can be transmitted by direct contact. The advice is to wash hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water, or use high alcohol hand gels, (this must be more than 60% – vodka or other drinks are not strong enough for homemade sanitizers – try getting surgical spirit or rubbing alcohol from your pharmacy). Hand cleansing should be after any contact with surfaces other people may have touched and before you touch your face or food. Carefully dispose of tissues and other possibly contagious materials.
What more can we do? So far for over 80% of people who get infected, this strain of coronavirus is relatively mild, especially if you are young and relatively fit. The main care focus should be for people with pre-existing conditions. The data from China indicate that the most risk is for people with heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, lung disease and cancer, who are also usually older. This makes COVID-19 different from flu.
The science is rapidly helping us understand why people in these categories are getting harmed by this virus. We can now see 6 specific ways to increase protection against COVID-19. A key frontline in the defence against this coronavirus appears to be the cells lining the blood vessels (the endothelium): most of the recommendations below will help here. There is also new evidence emerging from Chinese clinicians that COVID-19 dangerously disrupts healthy bowel flora and so weakens the response to the infection: they recommend probiotics to reduce this impact.
These are all generally accepted health measures. However if you are in one of the risk groups above, now is the time to be more proactive. Many of the benefits are seen in a few days.
1. Cut back hard on refined carbohydrates and sugars, fats and alcohol. This will reduce the stress on the endothelial frontline caused by higher blood sugar levels.
2. Make sure your diet is dominated by vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts, green, black and herbal teas, and other plant foods (see below) They contain polyphenols and other constituents that protect the frontline. You can reward yourself with chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa for more of these!
3. For similar benefits take more spices like turmeric, ginger, cinnamon (use these in cooking, herbal teas or supplements).
4. Step up your exercise, if possible in fresh air.
5. Vitamin D will add to your protection especially if you have high blood pressure, so take in some sunshine too if you can and consider a good supplement.
6. Take probiotics to help maintain our normal gut defences (see below).
(This page is updated daily. New evidence is coming in constantly and a scientific review to support this 6-point plan is almost ready to be shared. Come back to this site in the next few days to see it)
Below are some home remedies with evidence generally for improving defences to respiratory virus infections in general. Although COVID-19 is different, the principle of improving resistance always applies and these approaches should be considered with anyone who is at higher risk. Remedies in red are most likely to be helpful given the new knowledge above.
In the event that you do contract the virus, the remedies we recommend elsewhere on this site to relieve the symptoms of flu and the common cold may also be helpful.
Home remedies with evidence for improving defences against upper respiratory viral infections
(click on each to learn more)
Fruit and vegetables
Mushroom supplements
Probiotics
Vitamin D
Exercise
Relaxation
Vitamin C
Zinc
