Some of you may know that I was down with COVID-19 recently. In a way, it was a good experience because we have been trying to keep the virus away from our system through lockdowns, and we have been trying to mitigate the damage the disease does to us through vaccines and booster shots.
Plus, there is some trepidation about going back into society in a bid to avoid COVID-19. Still, many people are catching the virus, and have no idea where they got it from! Me, included.
Many of my clients and students asked me how was it for me, what did I do to help myself during my enforced quarantine, what supplements did I take (if any), what was the experience like. So, I decided to share this in a blog post for everyone.
Firstly though, I would like to remind you that:
- Everyone experiences the virus differently, with different symptoms, side effects and after effects, so what I experienced may not be the same as what you may experience;
- Everyone has different levels of health, fitness and wellness, so our bodies have different abilities to fight the virus;
- Some of us may have underlying conditions, such as diabetes, heart-related issues, and other lifestyle diseases that exists, so again, we have different capabilities in terms of fighting the virus.
As such, the first port-of-call for you if you caught the virus would be either your medical practitioner or your government, whichever is required by law in your country.
And now – my experience with COVID-19 and what I did and what I consumed to help!
Negative or positive?
I had been feeling a bit rough for a few days, Monday (14 March) to Wednesday (16 March). It wasn’t too bad for the first two days, just a little tired and a little bit of a scratchy throat. But I had been having early mornings for work a few days in a row.
As a side note, you may want to notice your pets, especially if they are indoor pets who live with you. My cats were reluctant to come close to me from the 14th onwards, all the way up to around 21st or 22nd of March. I could see they wanted to come close, but they would stop themselves and then lie down about 2 metres away from me at the nearest.
On the Wednesday (16 March), I felt bad enough that – after the first session with my fitness client – I decided to call my two octogenarian clients and ask them if they would prefer for me to get tested before we decide if I should go over for their sessions. We decided I should get tested.
So I tested myself on 16 March (twice) and turned out negative, which was a relief. But I felt rough on Thursday morning, so decided to test myself again, and voila! I was positive. So I tested again, and again I was positive!
So what was “feeling rough” for me? Initially, it was
- feeling super tired all the time, unmotivated and lethargic
- having sore throat and congestion in both throat and nose
- feeling hungry all the time
- brain farts (i.e. totally forget what I was thinking / saying / doing even while doing it)
Over time, the following symptoms also arose:
- loss of sense of smell (I had to put the burning incense stick right under my nose to be able to detect even a whiff of it)
- some loss of sense of taste
- congestion moving from throat to nose and back to throat again on different days
- super itchy ears
- rash on my upper arms
Was I bedridden? No.
Was I suffering from inability to breathe? No.
Was I concerned about getting fat? Yes, because I had sugar cravings for cake like crazy!
My COVID-19 routine.
So in fact it was like a flu (which COVID-19 is). I mentally had to give up all my concern about loss of revenue (I honestly couldn’t work – even online). I had to let go of my routine of exercise (seriously, the illness left me winded after exercise even after I turned negative.
Every morning, I woke up, had my breakfast, then sat outside on the balcony with the doors closed (cats can catch COVID-19) and practised some pranayama (yoga breath work), which looked something like this.
- Five seconds inhale / five seconds exhale (like this, but no breath retentions – do not retain breath if you have COVID-19!)
- Three rounds 50+ expulsions of kapalabhati (skull-shining breath)
I used peppermint essential oil, as well as a respiratory blend from dÅTERRA while I did the breath work. This really helped me a lot, not just with clarity of air passages, but also with clarity of mind.
I did the pranayama work three times a day until the 9th day. I was in compulsory quarantine for eight days.
In terms of routine, I also brewed some cooling tea in the mornings and boil a wok of barley in the afternoon.
Aside from that, there was not much else I did actively to help myself, aside from rest – even ‘active’ resting like reading books and watching TV.
My COVID-19 supplements.
Right, on to what I consumed to help with COVID-19. The answer is mainly Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In fact, I don’t even know what some of them are. Eddy‘s relatives had the ‘Rona and had a bunch of TCM stuff leftover, so they let me have them all. And wouldn’t you know it, it lasted for my entire quarantine period, and I have some left over. Thanks to all of them for the help and support during my COVID quarantine.
So here’s a list of what I consumed:
- Some TCM pills (pictured below). Four pills, three times a day – they help to cool down the body, which I suppose is good to avoid undue inflammation and stress to the system;
- Some cooling tea (pictured below). I usually start the first brew early in the morning and use the same tea bag throughout the day (about four brews);
- Apple cider vinegar, which has antiseptic values and really clears the throat when taken together with (2) above;
- Barley water boiled with crystallised winter melon. Also helps to cool the body and helps flush out the kidneys. I heard and was advised to take coconut water as well, which has great cooling properties but (A) coconut water is more expensive and (B) I was in quarantine and only ordered from the grocery store downstairs what was available;
- Lots of carbs, multivitamins and vitamin C;
- Vitamin D when I sat on the balcony for pranayama.
- In addition, lots of self-reiki!
Anything else?
The Malaysian government asks for (although not obligatory) your temperature, your oxygen levels, your blood pressure and pulse. For this, Eddy purchased for me the following:
- O2 measuring device (which also gives a pulse reading)
- Digital thermometer
We already have a blood pressure reading machine.
The MySejahtera app required a questionnaire and a reading twice a day during the 7-day quarantine.
The third day.
On the third day (Saturday 19th March), I decided to do a home saliva test and it turned out negative. I still had pretty bad symptoms though, so I had no intention leaving the home, PLUS it’s an offence to leave the home during the 7-day quarantine period.
On the sixth day (Tuesday 22nd March), I took another home test – notwithstanding my GP advising otherwise because it was ‘no point’ – and I was still negative.
On the eighth day (Thursday 24th March), I took a rapid test at the clinic (the one where they stick the cotton bud up your nose) and that also turned out negative.
As I mentioned, I am glad to have experienced this in this mild form. Revenue loss aside (which was significant), it was an interesting experience.
My advice to you – keep healthy and do the daily breath practices. You can check out some breath practices below.