Community advice on how to stop coronavirus in its tracks...

(Updated 20th July 2020)

The World Health Organisation has repeatedly stressed that the best way to stop CoronaVirusN2019 is to be hygienic (hand-washing regularly and avoiding touching your face) and boost up your immune system. 

Click here and then scroll down, for our Covid-related update Risk Assessment

Here are some tips on how we can protect our loved ones and ourselves. 

(Please feel free to share this with your families and friends.)
 
One thing just to remind everybody: Covid-19 is a VIRUS, not a bacterial infection.  Viruses only respond to our immune system, so taking unnecessary course of antibiotics will not help, but can actually harm - as antibiotics can lower your immune response by affecting the stomach. Recent data from the Italy outbreak also suggests that taking ibuprofen actually accelerates the multiplication of the virus and is related to a more serious course of the disease. (Read the relevant Lancet article here). So if/when you suffer symptoms of the virus, stick to paracetamol and aspirin to mitigate the fever. 

The following tips are also helpful as the world enters the (normal) flu season, but please be aware that these are not endorsed by Newton Prep: they have been gathered from reputable newspapers and health columnists, but we are not setting ourselves up as medical experts!
 

TIPS TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM 

Start taking:

• High levels of Vitamin C – viruses do not thrive in an environment high in Vitamin C. Take 2000 to 3000mg a day (for the whole family:  If anybody gets an upset tummy, just reduce that person's dose) FOODS HIGH IN VIT C – Thyme, cabbage, parsley, onions, lemons, limes and oranges.
• Zinc – children up to 12 years - 8mg, Adults – 15mg.  FOODS HIGH IN ZINC – Ginger, Pumpkin Seeds, Meat ( good quality), Lentils
• Vitamin D3 – 2-4000iu’s (less for children higher for adults) and get out into the sun
• Probiotics (multi strain) – 10-50 Billion cells a day (Strong stomach = strong immune system!)
• Manuka Honey (UMF +15) – 2 tsp a day – one teaspoon in the morning and one teaspoon at night

Essential oils - EOs are excellent to start burning in your room and in your homes. Our first point of contact for viruses is our nose.  If you are burning antiviral essential oils around you this will help ward off the virus before it enters your system.  

• Doing inhalations with the oils (a few drops into hot water) is a great way to make sure that if there is any virus lurking in your nose, you kill it before it has a chance... 
• Which oils? - Tea Tree, Lavender, Clove Bud, Lemon, Ravensara and Eucalyptus Globulus - use all or choose three from this list – diffuse in your house, spray into the rooms with a spray bottle and make your own mix (1 Tablespoon of base oil – Olive, Sunflower, Almond – add in a mix of up to 10 drops of the above oils).  
• Rub your mix daily on the spine and the soles of your feet. Concentrating at the top of the spine, behind the back of your head, on the ‘Big Bone'.

Other herbal tinctures you might want to get and start giving your family- Oregano oil  (5- 10 drops a day if you have the pure oil – be careful as it is very strong); we would suggest 5 drops in the morning and 5 drops in the evening OR if you have the pills, take 500mg 2 x a day OR Echinacea – 500mg a day 
 
Drink lots of good quality water!!! Water is crucial for everything but especially to help flush things out of our body.

Keep good hygiene – washing hands after you have been out and carrying anti-bac handgel with you

A Helpful Recipe: Immunity Boosting Tea: Refuse the flu, infuse the brew!

One of the Britons who first contracted COVID-19 in Wuhan, back in the first days of the pandemic, has gone on record as saying that he is sure he beat the virus by drinking an old-fashioned hot toddy. When the South China Morning Post looked back on the SARS outbreak one year afterwards, in 2004, they were flooded with testimonials as to the effectiveness of their "Anti-SARS Drink" which was the Chinese version of the hot toddy - less whisky, more ginger... 

Here is the 2020 version: whisky optional (obviously!), go heavy on the ginger, and add thyme for its antiviral, high vitamin properties! 

• Juice of one lemon
• 1 handful of fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2 inches of fresh ginger (pounded so juices are released)
• Manuka honey +15 (or just a good local honey for us ordinary, non-rich mortals) to taste but we recommend 2 teaspoons for therapeutic value
• 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 clove of fresh garlic – (perhaps just add this in at night so you don’t smell of garlic all day!)

Put the thyme into a cup or teapot and pour hot boiling water on top and let the thyme sit for 15 minutes.  Remove the thyme after it has infused into the water, then add in all the rest of the ingredients. Crush the whole clove of garlic at the end and leave all the bits in.  You can double the recipe and drink throughout the day. 
 
Lastly, the professionals tell us, do not PANIC– stress lowers our immunity!  And not every fever or flu-like symptom is hard evidence that you have the coronavirus!  It is, after all, also flu season so be vigilant and smart but don’t panic!

Let's look after our Newton community!