Our Family’s COVID Protocol

As soon as I shared in an email that our family had successfully weathered the COVID-19 virus, I immediately started getting replies asking the same questions:

What protocol did you use?

Did you use a protocol?

What supplements did you take?

I promised to try to share soon. And although this may not be “soon,” I’d love to share what we had on hand.

During the whole pandemic, I’ve been convinced that fear and anxiety would raise stress levels and reduce immunity. July 1 of 2021, the CDC released a report that confirmed what I believed: yes, in fact, fear and anxiety disorders are the second-leading cause of severe outcomes for those who contracted the COVID-19 virus.

Cardiovascular disease was in the first spot, but I’d like to point out that diagnosable fear and anxiety disorders made it all the way to number two. I can’t even imagine the decrease in mental and physical health people have experienced during this pandemic simply because of gripping fear and anxiety, the undiagnosed kind.

Whether one contracted COVID or not, whether one had a severe or mild case or not, we know that stress was already the cause of 80 to 85% of adults’ doctor visits before the pandemic. Research is clear that stress has a major impact on our bodies.

And I don’t think any of us need a researcher to tell us that fear, anxiety, and stress have increased since March of 2020. Do you agree?

So even as I show you this plethora of products that we had in our house, I want to make one thing clear: I worked hard to strike a balance between feeling prepared and wise and avoiding feeling anxious and fearful.

I do believe that there’s a difference. I believe that you can read about the virus and take precautionary measures and yet not allow your mental health to be impacted. That’s not to say I did everything perfectly. I am certain that for many reasons throughout this pandemic, my own stress levels and mental health have taken some big hits.

However, ironically, I don’t think it has anything to do with being afraid of the virus. I felt like I wanted to read up on various protocols, and I wanted to invest some money in having some items on hand. I also didn’t want to invest all the money in all the things.

What I will share in this post is quite a bit of a hodgepodge between some very common and popular advice that you can find just about anywhere in the natural health world along with specific protocols from Dr. Elisa Song, Dr. Bryan Ardis, and a homeopathic Banerji protocol. I’ve also thrown in a product or two that I already had on hand that was great for a general broad-spectrum anti-microbial action. Couldn’t hurt, right?

So this is definitely not all of any of those protocols, nor is it a protocol in itself. It’s just a story to read. A story about a mom who bought some things and used them when her family had COVID.

Now is a great time to mention that I’m not a doctor, nurse, or medical professional of any kind. This is not to be taken as medical advice. And if you happen to purchase or use any of these products, it is at your own risk and your own discretion. I’m just sharing my story. Thanks for understanding.

Now without further delay, I will jump into the products we had on hand in a few different categories.

Immune Boosting and Protection I Used When Traveling

If you’ve kept up with my story, you’ll know that my family got the gift of COVID while I was at a conference out of state. There are certain products that I have always taken with me when I travel, well before the pandemic, and a few that I’ve recently added.

The following is a list of what I personally was using before and during my family’s COVID experience. I had no routine but would just sort of grab one whenever I felt like it or when I passed it on my nightstand or bathroom counter.

Some of my family members used some of these items very occasionally, but none as many as me. 

Xlear Nasal Spray

Because my kids have dust allergies, we have used various forms of nasal sprays and rinses for the past three to four years. I bought this brand after Dr. Elisa Song recommended it at the beginning of the pandemic for general protection.

The one in the picture has a few extra essential oils and is much stronger, so I would only use that one occasionally, and when someone around you is sick or you are starting to feel a scratchy throat or runny nose coming on. Here is a different link for a version without essential oils.

If you are feeling extremely cautious or something is going around your kids’ school, I would use this product every day after school to clear the nasal passageways. I have heard that after using it, a COVID test may be inaccurate for the next 12 to 24 hours. Word to the wise.

3rd Rock Silver Infusion Chelated Silver Oxide Spray

I’ve spent quite a number of hours chatting with the founder of 3rd Rock Essentials. He is a chemist and extremely brilliant, and he stands behind this chelated silver 150%. The spray is great to take a few squirts at a time, any time of day, any day of the year. I also use it to refresh my mask when I’m traveling in airports, and it can stand in as hand sanitizer as well. (Use the code KITCHENSTEW for 20% off!)

Beekeeper’s Naturals B.Immune Throat Spray

Our whole family has used and loved this throat spray for quite a few years. In the picture, you’ll see old packaging but the new stuff has exactly the same active ingredient. One thing: propolis.

You can read more about propolis here or listen to my interview with Carly of Beekeeper’s Naturals, but basically, propolis is the antibiotic of the hive. It’s something that’s great for a scratchy throat; and I tend to use it rather often, especially if something is going around or I’m traveling. It’s very soothing on the throat and safe for people of all ages over one year old. (Take 20% off with the code KITCHEN20.)

Megacidin Biocidin Probiotic Throat Spray

This spray is a random new one for me, and no one else in my family has really used it. I use Biocidin’s toothpaste, and last time I made an order they had a sale on this throat spray, so I was hooked. What can I say?

I feel really good about it though because when I was at that conference, I stayed in an Airbnb with some other health professionals. They actually had the same product with them and touted it very high up on their own immune-boosting regular daily protocol. It’s a mixture of a few probiotics and biocidin, which is very anti-microbial. I’m not sure I would use this every day all year long. But for cold and flu season, it’s been a new friend.

True Cellular Formulas CytoDefend Immune Support

I’ll be totally honest here: I was handed this as a sample at that conference. But I was glad to have it with me for a small boost of vitamin C, zinc, and a few helpful herbs.

Vibrant Blue Oils Sovereign Tea

If you’ve been following you probably have heard about this product. Jodi Cohen, the founder of Vibrant Blue Oils, handed me a sample at that conference, saying that I may need it for the flight home to protect from shedding.

Now here’s the thing – I don’t know if I’m completely on board with the idea of vaccine shedding. But I know lots of people, including myself, who have had cycle irregularities, including breakthrough bleeding and extra heavy cycles, either after having been vaccinated for COVID-19 or having been around someone recently vaccinated.

We know that clotting is also a risk of both the vaccine and the virus. Pine tea oil, the primary ingredient in Sovereign Tea, is known to reduce symptoms of clotting. Jodi is a magnanimous researcher and did a lot of reading before blending the seven different essential oils in Sovereign Tea. I was more than happy to use it on my way home and put it on all my family once I got there.

The oil has been a regular mainstay in my life when I am out in crowds since then. Who knows if it has protected us against any serious adverse reactions from the virus or encounters with vaccinated individuals? But here are the anecdotes I’ve collected so far:

• The two cycles I’ve had since using this oil have been the very lightest of my entire life.
• One of my team members also has had a wonderful experience with a more appropriate cycle and less bleeding than usual.
• A friend of mine mentioned that whenever she gives blood she gets poked multiple times because her blood clots and gets stuck. I gave her some two days before she donated, and she had absolutely no problems.

Now, these are all just individual examples, not research studies. But I’m highly encouraged and definitely will continue to use up this bottle and have already bought a backup for the coming months. I apply the oil to the top of my collarbone and a bit around my neck so that I can smell it when I’m out. Or I’ll just grab the bottle and inhale a few deep breaths here and there. When I traveled, and when my husband had COVID and I was sleeping in his bed, I did add a drop to my water as well.

Supplements We Take Regularly That May Support During a Pandemic

Being in the natural health world, it’s just about impossible to go through life without having some regular supplements. We have a big purple basket full of bottles of pills that my family takes, either regularly or occasionally. These four are some that at least one member of the family takes as part of their regular daily regimen, but have also been listed as being helpful for this particular virus.

• Vitamin D3 plus K2 – It’s hard to avoid reading how much vitamin D helps the immune system. Some say not to supplement, but five of the six of us regularly take vitamin D. It’s important to pair with K2, because of the synergy in processing. I’ve found Seeking Health to be the most affordable. (For young children, get the liquid drops at Raise Them Well.)
• Zinc plus selenium – Again, zinc is very well known for boosting immunity, but it should never be supplemented longer than two months unless there’s copper included (because it can leach copper from your system). This blend has zinc at a medium dose, some copper, and selenium, which was on Dr. Ardis’s protocol. He thinks everyone should take some every day if you’re not eating two to three Brazil nuts daily. I added the supplement to our adults’ regimen this fall.
• Just Thrive Probiotic – For many, many years now our family has rotated probiotics and taken them on a daily basis. Just Thrive and Seed are some of our favorites. (Use the code Katie15 for 15% off at JustThrive!) But I think as long as you are taking a good one, having a healthy gut is the basis for your entire immune system. Related: read my reviews of all the probiotics we’ve tried here.
• Glutathione – Only Mom in the family has been taking glutathione for a few years to support my own health weaknesses. I can barely remember what it’s for but once I saw it on a number of COVID supportive lists, I wasn’t about to cut it from my own regimen. I’m the only one who takes this daily, however.

Digestive Health to Support the Immune System

Had I written this post one week ago, I would not have included these two items. However, I just saw both of them on a list from Dr. Hyman about having a robust immune system. He said that when your digestion is better, your immune system is better. That makes great sense, so I’m tickled that I’ve taken each of these almost daily for the last two or three years:

• Betaine HCl – I’m not very picky on my brands with HCl, but I take two to four before every meal. You can figure out if you need HCl by doing an HCl challenge described below.
• Earthley Wellness Digest Support – This product is called “digestive bitters” and can be made DIY, but I just don’t have time for that, so I buy it very affordably from Earthley. I add one squirt to my water at every dinner, and probably should at every meal.

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HCl Challenge

To figure out if your stomach acid is up to par, take one capsule of HCl 20 minutes before a meal. If you don’t feel any discomfort or heartburn, your body needed at least that much HCl. The next day, take two capsules 20 minutes before a meal. No discomfort or heartburn/acid reflux type of feeling? You guessed it – your body needed that. Take three the next day.

This is supposed to go on until you feel that burn. And then you know that with every meal, you should probably take one less capsule than you just hit. When I did this challenge a few years ago, I got up to 13 capsules. Thirteen! I gave up and decided that I’m not going to swallow that many capsules every day anyway, so I decided to just go with four and hope that I could build my system a little better. Now I noticed that if I take two, three, or four and wait too long to eat, I do feel a little burn. So I’m pleasantly pleased that my own stomach acid is probably getting better.

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If you don’t need any HCl, it’s still a great idea to use digestive enzymes. Some of my kids take the Enzymedica brand, while others prefer the chewables from Seeking Health.

Friends, if we’re going to spend a lot of time, money, effort, and love making really nourishing food for our families, we might as well spend an extra 50 cents for them to digest it well.

Supplements We Add If Anyone Is Sick in the House

It’s hard to run around in the natural health world during this pandemic and not run into the recommendations for the following:

• vitamin C
• vitamin D
• zinc
• quercetin

And as you’ve seen, we already use vitamin D regularly. If anyone in the house was sick, I would give everyone some form of zinc, some form of vitamin C, quercetin, and the addition of this liposomal glutathione. Again glutathione was on Dr. Elisa Song’s immune support list, and I added some to my last Seeking Health order in the summer. Paleovalley’s Vitamin C is made from whole foods, and you can get 15% off automatically loaded at this link.

I don’t know if this is a bonus or not, but this glutathione liquid, which does need refrigeration after opening, tastes absolutely horrible. Practically unbearable! I think my kids only got one or two doses in before they waved the white flag. I’ve been trying to take it regularly to finish the bottle. But if you subscribe to the philosophy that if it’s horrible tasting, it probably works, then this is the most effective supplement in the world Lol! 😉

Germ Killers We Add with a Positive COVID Test

Whenever someone goes down ill, I’ve been giving them more than just a few sprays of 3rd Rock Essentials Chelated Silver Oxide (use the code KITCHENSTEW for 20% off!). We get out the big bottle and use a spoon! This goes for both COVID and any other virus or bacteria that’s run through our house this fall (and there are plenty).

The CytoDetox was another bottle put in my hands at the conference that I used when my family was sick. It’s sort of a tertiary option, but good for getting junk out of the body of any kind, whether toxins or pathogens.

I bought the melatonin spray because of Dr. Bryan Ardis’s protocol. Many people have had the experience of insomnia during COVID, which has led some to hypothesize that there is a link between our proper melatonin development and how deeply COVID gets its claws into a person.

I decided I wanted to have this inexpensive supplement on hand just in case. Our family didn’t really have any insomnia with COVID, so I didn’t open it then. But during another virus, both my husband and I were having a terrible time sleeping, so I grabbed it. I am very happy with that choice. Overall, I’m still experimenting and so I don’t have a brand to recommend. This was just what was inexpensive while I was ordering other supplements.

COVID Homeopathy Regimen

As you know, I’ve dabbled in homeopathy for years and finally took a beginners class written by Joette Calabrese in the fall of 2020. Since then, I’ve been trying to experiment more with homeopathy. We haven’t always seen success, but when we do, it’s pretty decisive and there are no side effects. All of that, plus the affordability of homeopathics and the fact that they never expire, makes me want to use them as much as possible and see what happens.

I read the Banerji doctor’s protocol for COVID that they released in 2020 and made sure I had all the remedies ordered and in one place. I nearly packed them up to take with me to my conference, but I was so glad I didn’t. I could easily text my husband the instructions on where to find the document I had downloaded (in our shared Dropbox) as well as how to find the well-labeled bag of remedies so that he and my son could both start the regimen.

This was the least expensive investment I made in preparation and precaution for COVID.

Word to the wise, it’s not easy to keep up on this many homeopathics in one day. So I recommend making a chart and checking things off for each of your family members. Taking homeopathics has to be done apart from food, water, and other remedies, so it just takes some organization and forethought.

RELATED: How to find and take the right homeopathic remedies

Here’s the link to the regimen for you to download for yourself. Again, I find that they are very affordable; and another benefit of homeopathics is that they never, ever expire, even after decades.

Our Bottom Line with COVID-19

Ultimately, there’s no possible way I can say that any of these helped even 1%. The human body is just too complex! 

We may have had the exact same experience with COVID with or without these products and investments. The exact same family members may have gotten it and avoided it, and we may have had the same extremely mild cases for both of them.

However, I mentioned at the beginning that I tried to strike a balance between avoiding fear and anxiety and also taking precautions. I wanted to take precautions partly so that I felt secure. It’s a lot easier to say, “I’m not afraid” if you feel like you have some agency in the situation.

Spending a few hundred bucks on supplements and immune boosters and pathogen killers was worth it for me to feel like I knew how to take control back if COVID tried to enter my home. And in fact, that’s exactly what these supplements did for me. I never felt afraid. I felt confident. I felt secure. I felt like I had options and was at least a little bit in control.

My husband said he absolutely expected that if he ever got COVID it would be easy for him. And when that’s exactly what happened, he wasn’t surprised. Had he gotten a really rough case, well, we would have been surprised. But that’s what living in a fallen world full of viruses and imperfections can bring you.

My hope for you, my dear Kitchen Stewardship^® community, is that no matter what you feel unafraid of, you feel confident in your body’s immune system and its ability to fight the pathogens in the world. I hope this has been an interesting tour of our “medicine cabinet” for you. And even if you find one little thing that you want to add to your own protocol, I’m happy to have helped.

[question]Share below if you have anything to add that you’ve tried![/question]