How I Kicked the “Mexican Beer Virus’” Butt.
IMPORTANT: Please read this entire post at least 2-3 times and be careful to understand it, then print out a paper copy to keep in your house and refer to. It can be easy to read through something and say, “Ok, that's cool” and then forget most of what you just read. You don't want to do that this time...
After almost 2 years of successfully dodging covid with a strong immune system by doing the exact opposite of the official guidelines (I went outside daily, exercised a lot, didn’t use hand sanitizer, hardly ever wore a mask, ate healthy food, took elderberry syrup, refused the vax, etc.), I finally caught it when several people close to me had it. I wasn’t particularly worried because I’m an herbalist and I’ve always had good success killing viruses with my herb allies and other holistic techniques, but since this is a new franken-virus, not one of the natural ones that I’ve had loads of experience with, I didn’t want to take any chances, so I pulled out all the stops and hit it with everything I had. I was especially careful to not allow it into my lungs. It usually starts - like its relatives the common cold and seasonal flu - in the nasal passages, then moves down the throat and into the chest via the virus-containing mucus that drips down your throat. Excess mucus is your body's attempt to flush itself out, but if you allow that mucus to go other places in your body, it will carry the virus there as well.
Results: After the first 24 hours, I felt like the virus was dead and I was in recovery mode. Then, a couple days later, it started to creep back a little, so I blasted it a second time with another sweat bath, multiple neti pot sessions, and all the supplements. That finished it off and I recovered over the next few days. Overall, it was like a very mild cold - a runny nose, slight fatigue, I coughed a couple times and had some achy-ness for a few minutes (a sweat bath made short work of that).
Yes, I confirmed that it was in fact covid by taking a home test. I used my own swab. Call me paranoid if you want to, but I just don't trust the swabs that come with the tests, especially after finding out that some of the early tests from China (!?!) were found to be contaminated with the same virus they were meant to test for. Also, I do acknowledge that there was so much fraud with this debacle that it's hard to really say for certain what “Covid” truly is, so just take this whole post to mean, “I got sick with whatever “it” is and this is how I got well.” The discussion of what “it” actually is can wait for another day. At the end of the day, this program works.
My parents (both in their 70's) caught it about the same time I did and followed a lot of this program (though not all of it) – in addition to living good, healthy immune-boosting lifestyles in general – and they had about the same results. They experienced it as a mild cold with few symptoms and recovered quickly with no complications.
The most important parts: After having experienced this for myself, I believe that the most important parts of the program are the sweat bath, neti pot, and fasting. And, of course, make sure you stay hydrated. The other parts are important too, but if you can only do some of the program, make sure it's those.
My goal: Viral load – Think of it like a race. A virus enters your body and starts reproducing. Your immune system sees it and releases non-specific immune cells like macrophages to go fight the virus. These destroy some of the viruses and slow them down a bit, but most importantly, they gather information that your body then uses to educate specific immune cells like T-cells on how to laser-target that specific virus. Once enough of these newly educated specific immune cells are released, it's over. The virus is toast! The problem is it can take several days (or longer, especially if you're in poor health) to release enough of these educated specific immune cells, which is why it feels like you're fighting a losing battle for the first several days.
Since your immune system is basically in a race with the virus to see who can produce enough of their troops to achieve victory first, anything you can do to slow down the virus and knock down its population will help give your immune system the upper hand (and reduce the duration and severity of the illness). Therefore, a lot of this program is directed toward keeping your viral load (the total number of virus particles in your body) as low as possible until your immune system can release the cavalry.
This protocol is my usual anti-viral techniques and supplements plus a few extra things to specifically target “the Rona.”
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I Moxa-ed my kidneys: This is the first thing I did, as soon as I noticed the initial “uh-oh” feeling where the fatigue hits you and you know you've caught something. It’s an ancient Chinese TCM technique that increases “jing” (energy and power). I did this because I reasoned that my body would need lots of strength and energy to fight this thing off. You place a “moxa box” over your kidneys (just above the bottom of your rib cage on your back) while lying down in the prone position, place some moxa (specially prepared mugwort) in the box and light it on fire. It burns like incense. You lie there for a few minutes enjoying the gentle warmth from the box on your back, then take the box off and go about your day. That's the whole treatment.
This treatment may not be appropriate for everyone. Some constitutions are already over-stimulated and giving them more energy wouldn't be a good idea. I suggest you see an acupuncturist or other practitioner of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) to find out if this treatment is appropriate for you. I'd been doing it under the supervision of my acupuncturist for a while, and only when I felt depleted.
Coffee enema: I did one of these shortly after noticing that I was sick. Before I even had the test results. This is VERY powerful. It's like doing a colon and liver cleanse and a week of juice fasting all in the space of 1-2 hours! You'll feel cleaner than you've ever been before. It flushes out the colon and (by nerve reflex) the liver as well and up-regulates (increases the action of) an enzyme that enhances glutathione, the body's “master antioxidant.” There are lots of videos on youtube showing how to actually do a coffee enema so I won't describe the actual process here, but here are some important points to make sure you get it right:
Use only organic whole bean coffee and grind the beans fresh yourself each time you make the coffee. This helps prevent toxic mold from growing in your coffee. You can also look for special enema coffee online. DON'T USE DECAF. The caffeine is a big part of what makes a coffee enema do what it does.
Make the coffee with distilled water (or at least filtered water). When you inject something into your colon, you absorb MUCH more of it than if you'd taken it orally, so you want to be VERY careful to only inject things that you want in your blood. Tap water has Chlorine, Fluoride, and other nasties that you don't want to absorb – they would also destroy your microbiome (good bacteria). Also, never inject alcohol or saltwater (it would dehydrate you) into your colon.
Start with a mild coffee – like 1 teaspoon coffee in a quart of distilled water, then work up gradually to using 3 Tablespoons of coffee in a quart of water.
Insert the enema tip only 1-2 inches or so into your rectum. Any more is not necessary and could damage the colon wall. Some people I've told about coffee enemas were under the impression that you feed several feet of enema hose up into your intestine! DON'T DO THAT! It's not a colonoscopy!
Never inject HOT coffee into your colon. Let it cool to slightly warm or room temp. I like it slightly warm as this helps relax the muscles in your colon and prevent cramping. Test it on your wrist like you would a baby bottle to make sure it's only just barely warm.
This is the enema kit I use and recommend:
https://www.aussiehealthco.com/collections/enema-supplies/products/clear-silicone-enema-bag-kit“Bleed the line” first (let the coffee flow through the tube until it starts coming out the tip to get rid of the air in the tube) so you don't inject a bunch of air into your colon (it's not the end of the world if you do inject some air, it will just give you gas), lubricate the enema tip and yourself with some castor oil, coconut oil, or whatever organic oil works for you, lie down, insert the tip and open the valve; when you start to feel a little full, close the valve and remove the tip. Stay lying down and try to hold on to the coffee for 15 minutes, but if you can't make it the whole 15 at first, that's ok. After the 15 minutes are up, sit on the toilet, relax and release the coffee along with anything else that comes out. Take a moment to rest, then repeat until you've used up all the coffee. Try to inject a little more each time until you’re using about a quart each time..
Do this at least once a day until you get the results you're looking for.
Some people like to put down some towels, pads, or pillows and lie on the bathroom floor. Once you get used to doing it, you might even want to lie down on your bed and read a book or listen to music while you wait. The less you move around, the easier it will be to retain the coffee.
You'll be flushing out so much stuff that it's important to replace some water and electrolytes during and after the enema. When people have problems with coffee enemas, it's usually because they did many enemas in a single day and didn't replace their electrolytes. There are two good ways of doing this: 1) Drink a glass of vegetable juice and a glass of water; 2) Drink at least 16 ounces of water with a small pinch of good quality salt like Himalayan pink salt – I also like to add a squeeze of lemon juice. You can do this during or immediately after the enema.
To clean up, just rinse out the enema bag and clean the enema tip with soap and water and you're done!
After you've been doing coffee enemas for a while, you'll want to clean out the hose because coffee residue can accumulate. I like to run some water through the tube, then feed a wire through the tube and attach a twisted up pipe cleaner or small strip of cloth to the end of the wire, then pull it back through the tube. You can also buy replacement tubes.
To help prevent cramping so you can hold the enema longer, you can put a hot water bottle on your belly and/or massage Stomach 36, an acupuncture point below your knee (there are charts online that will show you where the points are). If the room is cold, you can also throw a blanket or large towel over yourself.
Neti pot: This thing is an absolute miracle! It's shaped like Aladdin's lamp and works like it too (provided you're wishing for clear sinuses). It's a way of washing out your nasal passages, basically an enema for your face. Each time I used mine, I would have several hours of no-more-runny-nose. Then it would start to come back a little and I'd use the neti pot again... and again – until it stopped coming back. This helped to drastically reduce the mucus drainage.
They usually come with instructions, and if not, there are plenty of videos online. Just make sure that you use DISTILLED water. Don't use any other kind of water. It needs to be sterile. You don't want to be putting microscopic creepy-crawlies in your nasal passages right next to your brain! Even tap water can have bacteria and parasites in it and you don’t want to take the chance.
When you put the sea salt in the neti pot water. Use VERY LITTLE. It doesn't take much. Just a tiny fraction of a pinch. If you get a burning sensation, use even less.
There's a learning curve to get the angle of your head just right, but once you get used to it, it becomes pretty straightforward and easy.
Sweat bath: The point of this is to get your temp. up and give yourself an “artificial fever.” A fever is one of the things your body does to destroy viruses and other invaders. Unlike allopathic medicine which works AGAINST your body's efforts to heal itself, the healing philosophy I practice, called “vitalism” teaches us to “observe nature and help it in its course.” In other words, your body wants a fever, so help it have a fever. The important thing with ANY fever is to keep yourself hydrated. If you get de-hydrated, the fever can cause damage. Dry fevers can kill! Moist fevers are safe.
You just run a very hot bath, as hot as you can stand it (but don't scald yourself, please); then make yourself some hot herbal tea. Best are herbs like yarrow (Achilea millefolium), ginger (Zingiber officinalis), etc. because they help you sweat. Drink 2-3 cups of this tea while you're in the bath. This is a very important part of the bath. It raises your internal temp, helps you sweat out gunk, and keeps you hydrated while you're doing all that sweating.
Keep a cold washcloth handy – if you start to feel light-headed, put it on your forehead for a couple minutes. Stay in this bath for at least half an hour. Then get out and take a COLD (not cool) shower. This doesn't have to last long. 30-60 seconds is enough. I don't do the cold shower every time, but it does add to the benefits of the bath and helps the artificial fever last a little longer.
Fasting: Is it, “Feed a fever and starve a cold.” OR “Feed a cold and starve a fever?” Actually, the answer is, “STARVE EVERYTHING!”
Whenever I catch anything, I immediately stop eating and start a juice fast. Here's how to do it right:
– Eat no solid foods at all.
– Drink FRESH home-made vegetable juice (I used carrot and celery this time), clean water, and caffeine-free herbal tea – at least a gallon per day of total liquid for a typical adult. Children less by weight. Figure 1 ounce of liquid per pound of body weight per day.
– If you feel hungry, drink more juice.
– If this is your first fast, don't keep it going for too long. Let your body tell you when it wants to break the fast. Most people lose their appetite when they come down with something. That's your body's way of telling you it wants to fast. When it starts craving food again...
– Re-introduce normal foods gradually after a fast. If you break a fast with something heavy like a big fatty meal, you'll be sorry! Instead, start with some broth, then some fresh fruit, then a green salad with only veggies and a little vinegar or lemon juice, then something soothing and easy on the stomach like some oatmeal, and then go back to normal (but healthy) eating.
– At first, you'll feel very hungry (drink more juice or water), then you'll start to get used to it. You'll probably notice a LOT more energy. Much of your body's energy is used on digesting food. When it doesn't have to do that, it can use the energy for other things like fighting off a virus. Fasting has a lot more benefits as well (anti-aging, disease prevention, re-setting the immune system, fat loss, etc.), but that's beyond the scope of this blog post.
– If you have a medical condition that makes you doubt whether you can fast safely, do your homework and make sure before you try it, but most people can fast safely with a little guidance.
Hydrate: You should already be on top of this if you're doing a fast, but I wanted to put an additional note here. Covid and other viruses (and some other diseases too) often cause the body to get a fever. Many people feel uneasy or even scared around fevers. DON'T BE. It's part of your body's immune response. It helps your immune cells work faster, weakens pathogens - including viruses (there's evidence that covid is especially susceptible), and does a few other things as well that tip the balance in your favor. NEVER EVER try to get rid of a fever, with drugs or any other method, unless there is something like a head injury that could cause the fever to get out of control. Your body can tolerate a surprisingly high fever with no damage PROVIDED that you stay well hydrated. A DRY fever can cause damage (e.g., brain injury), so don't let yourself get dehydrated when you have a fever. Drink an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day (a gallon is adequate for most adults) and have a little pinch of salt once a day to keep from losing all your sodium (the electrolyte that is the easiest to lose).
Spit: Don't ever swallow your mucus when your sick. Spit it out, even if you're constantly spitting, though with the sage and neti pot that probably won't be the case. As I mentioned earlier, viruses can travel down your throat and into your lungs this way, so don't give them the opportunity. This goes along with the whole “reducing your viral load” thing I talked about earlier. As Hagrid says to Ron in one of the Harry Potter movies, “Better out than in.”
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Daily Supplements:
Elderberry syrup: (Sambucus nigra) The black elderberry is an amazing anti-viral. It “inactivates” viruses, making them unable to enter your cells. If they can't get into your cells, they can't reproduce – giving the advantage to your immune system. I took a tablespoon of the syrup 5-6 times a day.
Sage tea: (Salvia officinalis) The great herbal decongestant, dramatically reduces the amount of mucus your body produces, aiding in the effort to keep mucus from going down into your chest. Only use this when your mucus is thin/watery. It will dry it out. If you use it with mucus that's already thick (dry) it can make it drier and thicker. If you have thick mucus, I would use something moistening like mullein leaf or chickweed herb (see below).
Echinacea: (Echinacea angustifolia / Echinacea purpurea) This is a non-specific immune stimulant. It helps your body release LOTS of macrophages to get started educating those T-cells. I usually take a BIG dose (like ½ oz of the tincture) all at once (feel free to chase it with some water) at the beginning of a virus to give my body a head start. It doesn't really “treat colds” like most people think, but it will help ensure that your body has plenty of these immune cells that it's going to need plenty of.
Sweet Wormwood: (Artemisia annua) Think of this as the herbal equivalent of Ivermectin. Ever notice that the two synthetic drugs that work in treating this thing have been used for years in the treatment of malaria, which is more like a parasite than a virus? As Alice said in Wonderland, “Curious-er and curious-er...” I took about ½ dropper of the tincture several times a day.
Fir needle: (Abies spp.) You can also use pine needles (Pinus spp.), but Fir needles are what I happened to have at the time and they are used very similarly. I took about ½ dropperful several times a day. It clears the lungs and also seems to help counteract the protein shedding coming from covid-vaccinated individuals which can harm the un-vaccinated.
Elecampane root: (Inula helenium) I took a tincture of the root (1 dropperful several times a day) to keep my lungs clear.
Mullein leaf / chickweed herb: (Verbascum thapsus / Stellaria media) Cooling and moistening. Use a tea of one or both of these if your mucus is thick. 2-4 cups a day until mucus thins out.
MSM: (Methylsulfonyl methane – not “main-stream media” which is highly toxic ;-) I take about a ¼ - ½ tsp. of the powder stirred in water - once a day. This is a natural source of sulfur that, among other things, helps keep tissues moist. I've found it very helpful for protecting my throat, nose and other tissues from getting chapped and irritated.
Zinc: 15 mg zinc gluconate in a lozenge once a day.
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Protocol from my Chiropractor friend (Thanks!):
She gave me this protocol several months before I got covid and told me about how well it works with her patients. In her experience, those who start following this protocol at the first sign of covid, have much milder symptoms and recover more quickly. I included this in my own protocol and I believe it added to the effectiveness of the overall program. There are a lot of study summaries on PubMed about each of these and their anti-viral effects if you want to check them out.
Here’s what she recommends:
Vit D: 5,000 IU's / day
DHEA: 5-10 mg / day
Iodine: 1,000mg / day
Melatonin (I prefer the liquid): Up to 10 mg before bed.
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Extras: These aren't essential but if you want to give your body some extra help, adding these things to the program will only make it better.
Red light therapy: There is a ton to talk about here and it's worth reading a book or two on the subject if you're so inclined. The short version: Get a GOOD red light therapy device that includes near infrared (NIR) - I used one called DNAVibe, which you can buy online – I put it over my thymus gland in the center of my upper chest and let it run for 20 minutes or so. The light uses some complex chemistry involving uncoupling nitric oxide from adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) to basically give your cells more energy to do what they're already trying to do. Giving your thymus more energy is a good thing when you have a virus.
Cinchona bark: (Cinchona officinalis)The herbal equivalent of HCQ (hydroxychloroquine). This is usually used as a tonic to help the body rebuild and recover after a fever. It's a small-dose herb so use sparingly and don't take too much. I put about ½ teaspoon in one of my many cups of medicinal tea when I felt like I was in the recovery phase. Just once. I do feel like it pushed my healing along a bit.
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Just in case: Ivermectin. This is the synthetic prescription – a class of things I usually avoid like the plague, but in this case, since this is a weird franken-virus unlike all the natural ones that we've been dealing with for centuries, I wanted to have a plan B - just in case. This is the drug that honest doctors are finding extremely effective for their patients who have covid. I know several people who have taken it with good success. Some got it through America's Frontline Doctors, some got it from Mexico... I looked it up in the Physician's Desk Reference and found that the reported side-effects are very minor (this is fairly unusual for synthetic drugs – even common OTC pain relievers have worse side-effects). I am not a doctor and am not prescribing this for anyone (or even recommending it – only saying that I kept some on hand just in case), but you might think about contacting America's Frontline Doctors to see what they advise for you.
I didn't end up using this. My own protocol was more than sufficient. But it gave me some peace of mind knowing it was there since we don't have countless generations of experience using herbs with covid like we do with most other diseases and I didn't know for sure what to expect. Like I said, this was plan B.
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What is an “immune-boosting” lifestyle?
Years ago I learned a rhyme that has helped me keep in mind the foundational parts of a health-building lifestyle:
The best six doctors anywhere,
and no one can deny it,
are sunshine, water, rest, and air,
and exercise, and diet.
These six will gladly you attend,
if only you are willing,
your ills they'll tend, your cares they'll mend,
and charge you not a shilling.
As I mentioned earlier, I stayed healthy and built a strong immune system so covid was super-mild for me when I did finally catch it, by doing the exact opposite of the CDC/government's recommendations. I went outside almost every day and got lots of exercise in the fresh air and sunshine, drinking plenty of water, then I ate good healthy food (no junk) and rested well every night as a result of my days’ activities. The government recommendations of staying inside, avoiding human contact, and mask-wearing (along with several other things), caused not only a lot of psychological problems to get worse, but also severely weakened the immune systems of everyone who followed them, making them MORE susceptible to catching covid and causing it to spread faster and be more severe... in my opinion (and there is data to support this). I've found that, in life in general, you can make very wise decisions by simply asking what the government recommends, then doing the exact opposite. Ditto for any advice given on pretty much any subject by “the establishment” whether it involves, health, finances, faith, relationships, politics, car repair… you name it!
Give your body what makes it work better and avoid those things that cause it to work poorly and you will get good results.
There's always more that you can do to help your body heal. This is just what I did with the time I had available and the supplies I had on hand at the time and it worked very well for me.