What happens if I get sick?
What happens if my parents get sick? My spouse? My kids??
How do we care for COVID-19….
During these uncertain times we start to question what to do and how to do it. We wonder the what ifs and want to be prepared for every possibility. Aside from stocking up on healthy foods and taking the right supplements, what should you do if you do become ill and need to treat yourself or a loved one for COVID-19?
Below is some information that can help you to be prepared to take care of yourself.
REST IN QUARANTINE. First and foremost, your body needs rest! You need to make yourself comfortable in an area of your home where you can stay isolate from other family members to hopeful prevent the spread to them. You need plenty of sleep and be sure to have connect with others through phone, FaceTime and text to keep that human contact!
PLENTY OF FLUIDS. This is definitely not new information when it comes to treating a virus of any kind, but it is worth repeating over and over again. Keeping your body hydrated is key for healing, especially with a fever.
USE A HUMIDIFIER OR DIFFUSER. Keeping moisture in the air will be important for this respiratory virus. This will help with dry cough and shortness of breath that many experience with this illness.
TAKE ANTI-VIRAL SUPPLEMENTS AND MEDICATIONS. Dr. Brenner is scanning the literature, listening to webinars, talking with other physicians around the clock to learn as much as we can about this. Since COVID-19 is new, we do not have any randomized controlled trials to look to. What we currently have is reports of anecdotal evidence and other viruses to help guide us in what treatments or options for immune health may be beneficial. So we take this information for what it is worth.
TAKE COUGH MEDICINE. Not only does treating your cough make you more comfortable as you fight the virus, but it is important to manage your cough to reduce the spread of airborne droplets.
MANAGING YOUR FEVER. This virus has shown that ibuprofen and NSAIDS actual cause more problems than they do good, which is counter-intuitive to what we normal think with fever management. It is recommended that you let your body work to fight the infection and do not take Tylenol or acetaminophen at the first sign of fever. If you are experiencing very high fever or you are extremely uncomfortable as a side effect of fever then utilize Tylenol or acetaminophen for management. Again, this is a new virus and we are learning as we go, so monitor new information that may become available.
SEE A DOCTOR. This is very important–CALL your physician if you are experiencing symptoms. Do not just go to an ER or Urgent Care. Your physician will advise you on coming into the office, being tested or quarantine and management. Testing is very limited and we hav heard is it is being reserved for frontline healthcare workersPreventing the spread means taking precautions such as these to not gather masses of sick patients in our healthcare offices.
GO TO THE ER. As stated above, if you are starting to experience symptoms or think you have been exposed, the ER is NOT the place for you. Go to the ER if you experience:
- Severe shortness of breath
- Declining clinical status
- Persistently high fever for several day
Read our previous recommendations to support a healthy lifestyle
The statements made regarding these products/treatments have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products/treatments are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The Federal Food, Drugs and Cosmetic Act requires this notice.