If you feel like you might have the flu, which is often designated as Covid-19, it’s very important to get professional help immediately. Since preliminary symptoms of Covid-19 take up to 3 weeks to develop, it’s always important to trust your own intuition, and if you find yourself having these experiences, please go see a general practitioner or hospital as soon as possible.
Apply these First Aid Measures while looking for help:
- REST. Resting helps your body heal. When you’re sick, your immune system works overtime to fight off the infection. It needs rest to keep up with all that extra work. That’s why it’s important to get enough sleep—between seven and nine hours a night.
Resting also makes it easier for your body to fight off viruses like COVID-19 and other illnesses. If you don’t rest enough when you’re sick, your body won’t be able to heal itself as quickly or effectively as it would otherwise.
- DRINK WARM TO MODERATELY HOT WATER REGULARLY. First, it will reduce your cough. When we cough, we expel air from our lungs, which becomes cold and can make us feel worse when we’re sick. Drinking warm fluids like tea or hot water thins out the mucus in our lungs and makes it easier to expel. This can help with the symptoms of a cold or flu!
Second, it will help clear out any congestion in your nose and throat. You know how sometimes when you’ve had a cold for a while, even after all the sneezing and blowing your nose, there’s still this stuffy feeling? Well, drinking warm fluids helps open up those passages again so that air can move through freely without getting stuck on its way through (which means there will be less coughing).
- STEAM INHALATION 3-4 TIMES A DAY. The virus enters your body through your nose, mouth, and eyes. By inhaling steam, you can clear out the mucus that makes it easy for the virus to get into your system, which will help prevent infection. When you’re sick, it’s especially important to stay hydrated with warm liquids like tea or soup so your body can fight off the virus effectively.
- STAY IN AN OPEN OR WELL-VENTILATED AREA. COVID viruses are airborne so they can be transmitted through coughing and sneezing. If you’re in an enclosed area, your chances of contracting the COVID virus are much higher than in a well-ventilated space. The more open the space, the less likely it is that someone will pass on their virus to you.
If you’ve been around someone who seems to be infected with the COVID virus and start feeling your own symptoms within 24 hours, it’s important to get out of the enclosed space as soon as possible so that others don’t get infected from you. If this isn’t possible (for instance, because you’re stuck in an elevator), try to avoid touching other people or surfaces where they might have coughed or sneezed while they were infected with COVID—this can help keep the virus from spreading further.
- DO INTERMITTENT DEEP BREATHING. If you’re worried about contracting covid or think you’ve already contracted it, the best thing you can do is practice good hygiene and keep your immune system strong.
One way to do that is by doing intermittent deep breathing. This type of breathing helps keep your lungs healthy, which means they’ll be better able to fight off any viruses they encounter. It also keeps your metabolism strong, which means you’ll be able to fight off infections faster if they do manage to get into your body.
Here’s how: Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed. Let your hands rest on each other in front of your chest. Take a deep breath through your nose, then exhale slowly through pursed lips until all air has been expelled from your lungs. You should feel this out-breath as a slight contraction in your abdomen or chest muscles; don’t push yourself too hard! Repeat this process 5 times every hour during periods when you’re not physically active (for example: at work).
- GET EXPOSED TO THE EARLY MORNING SUN FOR 30-60 MINUTES A DAY. This will help your immune system stay strong, especially if you’re cooped up in an office all day or live somewhere that restricts travel. If you know someone who has been infected with Covid and they’re contagious, try to avoid them as much as possible until they’ve passed their contagious period (generally about 1-3 days after symptoms appear).
- GARGLE WITH WARM TO MODERATELY HOT WATER (1 GLASS WITH ½ TEASPOON OF SALT). 1) Gargling will help to kill any bacteria in your throat, which could be making your symptoms worse. This is especially helpful for those who have been coughing up mucus or have had trouble breathing due to their illness. Gargling with warm water will help soothe sore throats and relieve pain from swollen glands in your neck. This also helps to relieve congestion by opening up nasal passages and loosening phlegm (mucus).
- HAVE ADEQUATE SLEEP EVERY NIGHT FOR 6 TO 8 HOURS. The body needs sleep to function properly. When you don’t get enough sleep, your immune system can’t do its job as well as it should, which makes it harder to fight off infections like COVID.
Sleep also helps your body recover from illness and injury, so when you’re sick with COVID or recovering from it, getting good quality rest will help your body heal more efficiently.
- EAT NUTRITIOUS AND EASY-TO-DIGEST FOOD (SUCH AS WARM CHICKEN SOUP WITH MUSHROOMS AND VEGETABLES). Nutritious food supplies your body with the nutrients it needs to fight off viruses, which are often nutrient-deficient. It helps keep your immune system strong and healthy, protecting you from future infections (including the covid virus). It also keeps your digestive system working at its best so that you can absorb all of those essential nutrients into your system without becoming constipated or bloated—which would not be helpful when fighting off an infection like the covid virus.
Presume to have Covid-19, don’t wait for the condition to progress nor wait for the Covid-19 test to be done. WAITING & DOING NOTHING IS OUR ENEMY’s (Covid-19 & other infectious diseases) GREATEST ALLY.
AGAPAN BAGO LUMALA!
Dr. Jim Sanchez
Hospital On Wheels
Friends Who Care
“Oh God, please grant me a mind that is simple but full of wisdom, a heart that is firm but full of compassion and hands that are strong yet soft when touching others’ lives.”