It is undeniable that the mainstream media conversation about the pandemic is dominated by fear mongering, and there is little talk about what individuals can do to stay healthy, and more importantly, become healthier, apart from practicing social distancing and wearing a mask.

But that is not the entire conversation. There are whole communities of health practitioners and educators that are applying — and having to defend — treatments and protocols that are non-invasive and effective. These alternatives are available. We just need to seek them out.

We have a lot to talk about — immunity is a vast topic even if we’re just focused on practical applications. Over the next several weeks I’m going to be producing material focused on this topic because, well… it’s just too important to stay quiet.

Today, I’m reporting on the work of three different practitioners that are treating Covid-19 cases successfully with somewhat varied approaches. Right off the bat, please notice that there’s not ONE right course of treatment. Just as with any problem, the treatment of Covid-19 has more than one solution. But there are common threads in the work of these doctors. So, without further ado, let us talk Covid-19 treatment.

Dr. Miriam Rahav, M.D. — New York City.

Dr. Miriam Rahav is a triple-boarded physician in the fields of internal medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, and functional medicine. She is also an acupuncturist, a Fulbright scholar and an all-around an indefatigable student of healing and medicine.

Dr. Rahav explains that at least one clear aspect of the novel coronavirus mechanism is that it binds to heme (iron-carrying) molecules and dissociates the iron, threatening the body’s ability to acquire and transport oxygen —which alone makes for a more favorable environment for the virus (viruses reproduce in anaerobic environments) AND creates a lot of oxidative stress in the lung tissue from iron molecules gone “rogue.”

Her patients appear to be suffering from altitude sickness — like, “air hunger.” Have you ever exercised to the point of feeling like you can’t get enough air and you get lightheaded, feel like you’re going to vomit and your muscles start to hurt? That’s how it feels, but more intense and ALL the time.

Her main treatment is high-dose vitamin C, administered both orally and intravenously. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, helping clear the excess oxidative stress, and also as an alternative oxygen delivery system. “Excess” vitamin C surrounds the cells and breaks down to generate hydrogen peroxide, which delivers oxygen to the cells.

In a few patients, she has also used hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc with good results. Covid-19 seems to impair zinc’s ability to get into cells and hydroxychloroquine — in some way not well understood — is a zinc ionophore, that is, a zinc transport molecule. Incidentally, quercetin and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) found in green tea are well studied zinc ionophores.

Take a listen to the fabulous interview she gave. She offers great insights on public health policy, medical education and “bootstrap” immunity. There are things in your pantry you can use to boost your immune system right now!

Dr. David Brownstein, M.D. — West Bloomfield, MI

Dr. Brownstein is a conventionally trained board-certified family physician, one of the foremost practitioners of holistic medicine in the US, and the medical director of the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, MI. His work has been recognized by the American College for the Advancement in Medicine and the American Academy of Integrative Medicine.

As of April 17th, the Center for Holistic Medicine had treated 100 patients either diagnosed with Covid-19 or suspected Covid-19. None of them has ended up in the hospital and all of them have recovered or are recovering well. Dr. Brownstein and his staff have accumulated a wealth of clinical experience in the treatment of Covid-19 and he has a lot to teach medical professionals and the public at large.

Dr. Brownstein developed a protocol comprised of oral use of vitamins A, C, D and iodine, in addition to a healthy diet. He defends this protocol not only as excellent immune system conditioning but as an appropriate first line of treatment for Covid-19.

The clinic, of course, has resources for patients with more severe cases. These include nebulizer therapy with hydrogen peroxide and iodine, ozone therapy and intravenous nutrient therapies. I want to point out that while these therapies require medical supervision, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be widely available. These are relatively simple interventions, and instituting them would be much more efficient and cost-effective than the use of respirators. At this point the data clearly show that patients who end up on respirators due to Covid-19 complications will most likely die.

Dr. Brownstein is committed to changing the conversation around the treatment of this disease and has been posting on his blog almost daily, including video testimonials with his patients.

Update

This is the notice in Dr Brownstein’s blog as of May 15, 2020

Dear CHM Patients-

I want to let you know that we have been ordered by the FTC to stop making any statements about our treatment protocols of Vitamins A, C and D as well as nutritional IV’s, iodine, ozone and nebulization to support the immune system with respect to Coronavirus Diseases 2019 (COVID-19).

According to this letter:

“It is unlawful under the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C Sec. 41 et seq. to advertise that a product or service can prevent, treat, or cure human disease unless you possess competent and reliable scientific evidence, including, when appropriate, well-controlled human clinical studies, substantiating that the claims are true at the time they are made. For COVID-19, no such study is currently known to exist for the products or services identified above. Thus, any Coronavirus-related prevention or treatment claims regarding such products or services are not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. You must immediately cease making all such claims.”

What this means is that I will not be able to blog, post, tweet, email, etc. for awhile.

I want you to know that CHM is NOT closing. I am still here and so are my colleagues. It is my honor to be your doctor.

To All Our Health! ~DrB.

Dr. Shelese Pratt N.D. — Louisville, CO.

Dr. Pratt is a naturopathic doctor in practice since 2004. In her clinic she integrates a number of modalities — nutrition (diet and nutritional supplements), botanicals, environmental medicine, classical homeopathy, and hydrotherapy — to develop personalized treatments for her patients.

Dr. Pratt also highlights the importance of taking care of the immune system in a proactive way. She makes clear that all the Covid-19 cases she’s treated thus far were her patients beforehand, which implies they all had an established health care routine.

What I like about this example is that she has been treating Covid-19 cases with telemedicine exclusively, which means that her protocols make ample use of nutrition therapy — diet and supplementation — homeopathic remedies in some cases, and not very much else. Even without access to vitamin C IVs or ozone therapy there’s a lot we can do if we are proactive.

Dr. Pratt highlights the importance of using a pulse ox (pulse oximeter) to monitor oxygen saturation at home and be able to communicate effectively with a health care provider in a telemedicine setup. I think that anyone who is at hight risk of contracting Covid-19 and/or is immune-compromised should learn to monitor their temperature and oxygen saturation.

In terms of supplementation, Dr. Pratt is using vitamin C, both in powdered and liposomal forms — high doses of regular ascorbic acid tend to irritate the GI tract, whereas the liposomal form doesn’t — vitamins D and A, liposomal glutathione, zinc (glycinate is her favorite form) and quercetin several times during the day.

She makes a point about the importance of staying well hydrated and even using an electrolyte formula to make sure. This is her favorite.

This conversation she had with Dr. Ben Lynch is empowering and illuminating.

And there you have it! These are only a few examples of practitioners using non-invasive therapies to treat Covid-19, but there are thousands of practitioners educated in holistic, integrative and/or functional medicine principles who can help. The only way we can demand better health care is by educating ourselves and seeking out better options.