51. Recovering from Covid.

I’ve heard from a lot of people about the difficulties of recovering from Covid. Apparently, many feel exhausted, weak, and unable to resume normal activity for weeks, and sometimes even a month after the worst of the infection has subsided. Unlike the flu, where you might feel lousy for a week before you return to normal activities, that is not the case with Covid.

I thought it would be helpful to give you some information about what might be going on and what I recommend to help with recovery. It occurred to me that the recommendations I made to prep your body also work with recovery. 

Two things come to mind when I hear about these long recoveries. You may have heard that sometimes the virus can trigger an event called a cytokine storm, which means the immune system goes into hyperdrive. The resulting inflammatory process is an attempt to kill the virus but it also damages cells and sometimes organs in the body. For whatever reason, the immune system is turned on and it can be hard to turn it back off.  I have some recommendations if that happened to you.

I’m also hearing about people being “reinfected” by the virus. The general consensus is that rather than there being a second infection, it’s likely that these people never fully recovered and the virus is lingering in their system. Others have speculated that Covid might be acting like Herpes, Chicken Pox, and HIV where the virus becomes dormant and then resurfaces when the immune system is stressed. I have some recommendations for that as well.

Reishi Maintain and Reishi Nerve Blend contain properties that modulate your immune system, meaning they help bring your immune system into balance. If the virus is still causing an inflammatory response, these mushrooms contain properties that calm an overactive immune system. The good news is that they can also boost your immune system to help fight off any residual viruses if needed. It sounds like a non-sequitur but they do both and they’re a great solution to these viruses.

By the way, I either grew, ethically harvested or had the mushrooms sent to me by a friend who lives in the woods of Maine.

If your immune system hasn’t completely fought off the virus, a week of one of these might tip the scale in your favor: Gone Viral or Anti-Viral Tea. They contain a variety of plants with antiviral properties because plants are also susceptible to viruses. 

These are not for prevention and meant to only be taken during an active infection. Stop taking when symptoms subside and don’t take longer than 10 days.

*** Be sure to eat probiotic-rich food while taking either of these, since they can also kill some of the healthy bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live in your gut, (your microbiome).

*** These work best when taken at the onset of symptoms or in this case, after the worst of the symptoms are over. If you are at the point where you are having difficulty breathing, have a fever, cough, sore throat, diarrhea, by all means, take these, they will help but please also reach out to your doctor and ask about being tested for Covid.

*** Monitor your breathing rate by counting how many times you breathe in a minute - at rest. If your breathing rate is over 20, call your doctor and ask about going to the hospital. (Your breathing rate might normally be high if you have COPD or Asthma - check with your doctor.)

I also developed a tea to treat lung infections called Reclaim Your Lungs . Mullein and Violets contain bronchodilators - which relax and open airways, allowing more air in and more oxygen into your blood. Violets also contain properties that move toxins out of the body via the lymph system. Mullein contains expectorants, which move fluid and phlegm up and out of the lungs. If the lungs are cleared, more oxygen can enter your body. The plants in this tea also contain properties that coat and soothe inflamed lungs.

I mentioned above that when the body is stressed, you’re more susceptible to infections. That’s because sustained stress causes your body to release the chemical Cortisol - which can turn off the parts of the immune system that fight infections.

Spiral Herbal Remedies Organic CBD Oil works great for pain, depression, sleep aaaand is great for anxiety/stress. This means it counteracts the effects of cortisol. This oil is taken under the tongue in very small doses so it can be absorbed directly into your blood.

You might also try CBD Body Soothe. Some people report that applying CBD to the skin works as if they've taken it under the tongue. We have endocannabinoid receptors on our skin, so that makes sense.

There are also Teas made from a variety of calming plants. Some are intended for bedtime because they’ll make you drowsy, others will work during the day.

Ashwagandha is calming and is brain tonic so it’s great for focus and memory. 

Eucalyptus Chest Rub is like Vicks Vapo Rub - only it’s organic and toxin-free. It can open airways, so more oxygen can get into your body.

Sacred Bee Propolis Spray is great if you have a sore throat. Mullein flowers contain painkillers and propolis comes from beehives. When tending hives, this is scraped off during cleaning. Bees use propolis to seal up holes in the hives. It also contains properties that can boost your immune system.

As I mentioned above, if you're feeling lousy, the virus has probably damaged cells inside your body and you’ll need to supply your body with the nutrients to rebuild them. That means you need to pay attention to your nutrition. (This is true as prevention as well.) My multivitamin tea Vite-Achoo contains all of the vitamins and minerals you need. And it’s more bioavailable than a pill because it's in liquid form and is more easily absorbed into your gut. It also happens to be great for allergy season.

My Chai Chai Chai Tea is also full of vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy immune system. It will also keep you very regular because the plants stimulate digestion. This helps flush things out of your body. If you go to my previous blog post (#40), there are guidelines for good nutrition.

The last thing I wanted to say is that this is a good time to call in your crew. If you’re exhausted, chances are you aren’t eating well. This is the time to ask for help. See if someone can set up a schedule so people can drop off food daily. A well-balanced diet contains all the nutrients you need to rebuild your body. Don’t be afraid to ask. It’s likely that most of us will have to ask at some point.

In the hope that these remedies might speed your recovery, use the coupon Quickrecovery for a 10% discount through June 11.