I RECOVERED FROM COVID - My experience, thoughts and tips!
When sailing on calm waters, it is easy to take control of the helm and navigate towards the true North. You just need to stay the course. However, when the tides of emotion are high, and the sky is overcast with apprehension, confusion, and isolation, it can appear impossible to know which way you are really heading. You wrestle just to control the ship, let alone steer "true north." It is in these moments of desolation and despair, doubts creep in — which way north truly is, despite where your compass may be pointing! Indeed, during the current pandemic, all of our boats have been rocked upside down by a situation far beyond our control and thrown in open waters, we all are desperately trying to find some direction, some clue to point towards the North!
Having sailed through the COVID infected waters, I can only thank the Almighty that the onslaught of the infection was navigable for all four of us. Anchored safely in a comfortable mind and body space, I am typing away at my keyboard as there's so much I want to share. My heart goes out to all the families whose loved ones are battling with this dreadful slayer; I pray for their early and complete recovery and ask God to give them all the strength they need at the moment!
It was like any other day we woke up to, a beautiful June morning, except that none of us were aware that we were struck by the most notorious virus of the millennium or probably the only one of its kind witnessed in human history so far. The one we had been meticulously trying to evade all these days, was winking mischievously at us, from its newfound home — ‘our bodies' saying, "Hello! I am here!" and the four of us actually rode the Kübler Ross Grief Cycle - from 'denial' that it must be a common flu, plummeting down to 'anger' or actually 'frustration' to put it more accurately, mercifully saved from bumping into 'depression', pulling ourselves into 'bargaining' with the limited choices we had and finally rising to 'acceptance' — It's going to be okay. No more running away from it. Now that the calamity has finally struck, we might as well prepare to recover from it as quickly as possible.
My friends, I want to take a meaningful pause here, to draw your attention to a sad but cruel reality of 2020 where the fear of CoViD has far superseded the reality of actually being infected by corona. So much so that if your symptoms are such that can be managed at home, you are advised not only by your well-wishers but even the doctors to not get the 'COVID testing' done, lest it turns out positive!
Why? Well, it's the each-day-a-new-ordinance issued by our government that's doing nothing to provide any respite to the COVID-infected person/family; if at all, it’s just making life more difficult for them. For it is not a mere line on your Aarogya Setu app, turning Red from Green but it spells withdrawal of every service including the basic, essential ones with one poster outside your home that says you are COVID +ve. It’s social ostracisation at its worst. It is like drawing the last bit of oxygen from your lungs and asking you to breathe normally!
And the biggest paradox of this pandemic — when you most need the comforting word, you are abandoned by your very own, pressurized by the ruthless demand of this highly contagious pandemic and that truly hits the hardest!
Unfortunately, stigma has exacerbated the suffering from every major infectious epidemic in our history, but in the current Covid-19 pandemic, it has crossed limits beyond our imagination. The need of the hour is to stress the relevance of SOCIAL DISTANCING as opposed to SOCIAL ISOLATION.
Luckily, we suffered just mild to moderate symptoms but still, it was not easy for us to sail through the self-quarantine period. Every day was like being in a boat with two broken oars rowing against the current. Yes, it was that challenging!
So I'll urge all of you reading this piece that if you come to know of anyone in your circle of friends/relatives/neighbours who have contacted COVID; even if you can't be there for them physically, just be there for them morally, emotionally, mentally — a phone call, a listening ear, a word of comfort, a prayer for their well-being will mean a world to them at the moment, and most importantly don't forget to offer food. Don't feign ignorance and wait for ‘them’ to reach out to you. Remember ‘they’ are at their weakest. Please don't shy away from extending a helping hand, even if it is just to offer moral support! It's just a little something we all can easily do and must do to uproot the Social Stigma that’s strongly taking hold in our minds. Let’s do our bit to ease the enormous pain that’s being inflicted by this pandemic.
Coming back to the virus, I wonder, if like us humans, the virus too, is keeping a track of how many conquered so far and jotted down- four more before going about in search of the weakest spot to attack because that’s what it enjoys doing the most! I cannot thank God enough for giving our body the amazing ability to heal on its own and I'm sure the minute our temperature rocketed upwards, sending its first SOS, almost 30-40 trillion cells must have started working overtime to bring the body back to its natural equilibrium, put simply, the natural defence mechanism of our body must have been activated to defeat the invading pathogens.
Now that we had already contacted the deadly virus, the only way to combat and overpower it was by strengthening our immunity. Since our 'Gut' is the place where the healthy bacteria meets the naughty virus, so it was absolutely essential to keep our GI tract ready with an unlimited supply of healthy warriors. Luckily we all were on a healthy diet, eating the right kind of food packed with nutrition, had been taking all the necessary vitamins, exercising regularly, and needless to say, all of it paid. To catapult our recovery, I inevitably, turned to Ayurveda, to look for homemade immunity boosters.
Here’s sharing with you the immunity boosters I gave to my family to combat the nasty virus and speedily restore to our healthy selves!!
KADHA: Kadha is an Ayurvedic immune-boosting drink that includes herbs and spices which are typically boiled in water for a length of time, allowing all of the medicinal benefits to be extracted. Once boiled, you can sip the kadha multiple times during the day. You can even store it and then reheat just before consuming it.
Ingredients:
1-inch root of raw turmeric peeled and grated
1-inch root of ginger peeled and grated
7-8 whole black peppercorns
5-6 cloves
1-2 sticks of cinnamon
1 black cardamom crushed
3-4 green cardamom crushed
1 stick of mulethi crushed
12-15 tulsi leaves
honey - optional
In a pan, take 4 litres of water and add all the ingredients. Boil the content until about 1/4th water is evaporated and 3/4th is left. Cover and keep it to be consumed throughout the day. If you choose to add honey, warm the concoction, and add just before drinking it. This quantity sufficed for the four of us to be consumed thrice a day.
Ginger Tonic: Ginger, one of the oldest medicinal foods on the planet, derives its therapeutic properties from gingerols, which makes it anti-viral and anti-bacterial as its high in antioxidants and other nutrients that help to boost the immune system and fight harmful free-radicals and viruses like fever, sore throat, and an upset stomach. In traditional Ayurvedic practices, ginger is used to increase Agni (digestive fire), and naturally detoxify the digestive tract; aiding in the removal of toxins and promoting blood circulation to help open up sinuses. Because ginger is an anti-inflammatory, it can be used to reduce pain and autoimmune flare-ups that can come with a weakened immune system.
Ingredients:
1- inch of fresh ginger peeled and crushed
juice of 1/2 a lemon (freshly squeezed)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
dash of cayenne pepper
honey - optional
Bring a cup of water to boil and let the crushed or grated ginger steep in it for about two minutes. Squeeze in the juice from half a lemon for that healthy dose of Vitamin C! Add in a tablespoon of raw, unfiltered (with the ‘mother’) Apple Cider Vinegar as it is known to rid the body of nasty bugs. Sprinkle a dash of cayenne pepper as it helps to increase blood circulation. Add honey if you want it sweet. Sip it hot. Serves one.
Bone Broth: The immune-boosting superfood, bone broth improves our gut health, enabling the immune system cells to function effectively and prevent pathogens from moving from our digestive tract to the rest of the body. Glycosaminoglycans (or GAGS) found in bone broth continuously restore the intestinal lining, resulting in improved intestinal functioning. If one is deficient in certain nutrients like amino acids or essential minerals, bone broth can help make up for the lack. And, if dealing with gut issues, bone broth is an easy-to-digest source of nutrients as it helps the gut to heal.
Ingredients:
Bones from a whole chicken
2 stalks of celery roughly chopped
2 large carrots roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
1 onion quartered
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
few sprigs of fresh herbs like coriander or parsley
salt to taste
freshly grounded pepper to taste
Place the chicken bones into a large pan and cover with water. Do not exceed about 2/3 full.
Add the veggies and herbs.
Bring to boil.
Reduce the flame to the lowest setting.
Partially cover and simmer for at least 2 hours. You can cook it longer, but I would say no less than 2 hours. The longer the better!
Let it cool and add the apple cider vinegar.
Strain and store in the refrigerator.
Heat the required quantity and have it if not twice, at least once a day.
The Golden Latte: Last thing to bed!! Turmeric is often referred to as the most powerful herb on the planet. This anti-inflammatory spice provides a wide range of health benefits, and thanks to curcumin, the compound in turmeric, boosting our immunity is one of them. Under Ayurvedic practices, turmeric has been prescribed to treat a variety of ailments from digestive issues to coughs to fighting off infections. And more recently, turmeric’s extremely potent medicinal properties are used in the treatment of cancer.
Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp powdered turmeric or freshly grated turmeric
1/2 tsp crushed ginger
1 green cardamom
1-2 whole black peppercorns freshly crushed (consuming black pepper with turmeric helps the body absorb curcumin, the active constituent of turmeric)
pinch of cinnamon powder (a delicious spice with impressive immunity-boosting effects)
1-2 strands of saffron - optional (saffron benefits not only the palate but its immunomodulatory effects hold a great deal of promise in treating various viruses.)
honey or organic jaggery powder - optional
Add all the ingredients to one cup of milk and bring it to boil. Cover and let it simmer on low flame for 1-2 minutes. Turn off the flame. Strain. Add honey/jaggery if you like it sweet and blend nicely with a coffee blender for that extra frothy finale!
Sprinkle a few strands of saffron. Serves one.
I have already stretched this article a bit too much but if you've stuck till this far, do share these tips with as many as you can. You just might end up benefiting someone who’s in dire need of some light from somewhere.
The most crucial practice to be followed through all of your quarantined days is to diligently take steam and do gargles, minimum three times a day! It surely helped in keeping our cold and cough at bay. If possible have a separate steamer to yourself and take herbal steam. Add 5-7 tulsi leaves, 7 mint leaves, and 1/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) to the steamer.
I had placed a small jar of pink Himalayan salt and betadine for gargles in every washroom along with a tumbler and we would gargle 3-4 times a day alternating between saline gargles and betadine gargles.
Make sure your nose is not dry. We used to add a drop of warm herbal ghee to each of the nostrils at night and used to rub the inside of our nose with medicinal camphor oil before taking steam. I have shared the pictures of all the products. (above)
In addition to all this, monitor your temperature and oxygen level regularly, strictly follow your doctor’s advice and be diligent with the intake of your medicines, keep yourself sufficiently hydrated, eat light nourishing meals at regular intervals. As you start recovering and gaining your strength back, start moving your body (do light exercises or yoga) but before that adequate rest is an absolute must as that helps the body to heal faster. Since you are in quarantine so that means the absence of all house help and you are left on your own to fend for yourself thus it becomes imperative to understand where to draw the line. I'm saying this because in spite of my family telling me otherwise, I would every day clean the rooms and the washroom ignoring my body's need for rest, and hence it took me the longest to recover.
And yes, try to keep yourself free from stress. I know it's easier said than done but trust me, that's the 'Ramban' to restoring to good health at the earliest. (meditation and Pranayama really works wonder to combat stress)
These are a few measures we took to strengthen our immunity and to combat COVID and today after strict self-discipline and a self-exile of fourteen days, on our road to recovery we stand, physically healed, mentally more resilient, and emotionally strong!
A close friend who heads one of its kind functional medicine center in India (DAIVAM), shared few useful tips which I’m sharing here as these can be a good safeguard to protect or fight against COVID. They can be easily incorporated in our daily routine and should be made a ‘must’ in present times!
#Take herbal steam minimum once a day.
#Do either betadine or saline water gargles minimum once a day.
#Supplements that should be taken by everyone during the Pandemic:
1. Vit C - 2000mg per day divided in four times so a tablet of 500mg x 4 times a day
2. Magnesium Chloride: 1000 gm once a day or 25gms magnesium chloride dissolved in 1000cc of water and 15 to 125 cc orally every six hours.
3. Vit D: 25000 units daily
4. Zinc: 50mg
5. Selenium: 200-400 micrograms daily
