Author: Dr. Ron Gazze, MD
Umcka is a South African plant that’s known as a natural remedy for colds and coughs. This is the one we are giving to people who think they’re coming down with a respiratory-based viral infection:
1) Begin using Umcka when concerned about exposure to a viral infection or within the first 48-72 hours of any cold symptoms (and later, if you’re worried about infecting others). Start administering Umcka by Nature’s Way (available at Whole Foods, Nutrition World, and Vitamin Shoppe, among others). Use 1.5 X the dose listed on the box at least 3 X daily (ideally between meals) for 7-10 days for an actual illness (or until a few days after your exposure is finished, for prevention). I recommend the elixir or the cherry syrup form of Umcka ColdCare, the elderberry syrup form of Umcka Cold & Flu, or the orange-colored form of Umcka Cough Syrup.
If I were particularly worried, there would never be any 8-hour period (from a few days before a trip or the first moment of concern for at least a week and even more until a few days after the concern has faded) that I failed to take at least one dose of Umcka.”
2) Take 4,000-10,000 IU of vitamin D3 every day, with food. My goal would be to get/keep 25-OH vitamin D blood levels 55-80, in case that matters to you and your PCP.
3) Don’t forget to add 4000 mg of the fish oils DHA and EPA daily, in divided doses, with food. Either from food or fish oil capsules, UNLESS there’s a medical reason not to take it.
4) Hydrate well, and get plenty of the electrolytes potassium, magnesium, and calcium with food or supplements.
5) Use plenty of iodinated table/sea salt (as tolerated, also consider gargling with iodinated salt after being out)
6) Consider vitamin C supplements, between 500-2,000 mg daily in divided doses with food.
7) Consider zinc supplements and lozenges as tolerated.
For SYMPTOMS:
1) Check with your doctor before taking an OTC NSAID such as ibuprofen 800 mg (4 of the 200 mg OTC pills) 3 X daily with food or naproxen 440 mg (2 of the 220 mg OTC pills) twice daily with food. You can substitute with a prescription NSAID given by a doctor (such as diclofenac 75 mg twice daily with food or celecoxib 200 mg once or twice daily with food). Sometimes, one may need a stronger anti-inflammatory medicine—such as a burst and taper of the corticosteroid dexamethasone.
2) Use plain Mucinex 1200 mg guaifenesin twice daily as an expectorant. If you need a cough suppressant during the day, ask your doctor for Tessalon Perles (benzonatate) 200 mg every 6-8 hours. Do NOT use any OTC products containing dextromethorphan as a cough suppressant or prescription narcotics if you have COVID-19.
3) Use anesthetic sprays and lozenges as needed, and drink steaming liquids like chicken broth and chamomile/honey tea. Use frequent warm gargles with water, salt, and/or baking soda. Use AYR Nasal Saline GEL several times daily.
4) Start quercetin 500 mg 3 X daily with food or 1000 mg twice daily with food.
5) Call your doctor and/or hospital ASAP if you think you need other prescription medications or if it otherwise worsens in an unexpected way.
For PEDIATRIC PATIENTS:
1) OK to take Ibuprofen at an appropriate weight-based dose 3 x daily with food for the next one to two weeks without fail.
2) OK to use AYR Nasal Saline GEL several times daily, and also consider gargling frequently with warm salt water if needed for upper respiratory inflammation.
3) OK to use the Chloraseptic spray if throat discomfort despite all of the other stuff above.
4) OK to take PLAIN Mucinex 1200 mg twice daily for a week or two for the congestion, if necessary.
5) Child dosage of quercetin, Umcka, and most of the other anti-viral herbs:
Children younger than 16 mostly can be given half of the adult dosage. Infants/Toddlers have usually prescribed one-quarter of the adult dose.
6) What is considered a high-dose vitamin D3 supplement:
- 1,000 to 1,500 IU a day for infants.
- 2,500 to 3,000 IU a day for children 1 to 8 years old.
- 3,000 to 4,000 IU a day for children 9 years and older.
- 4,000 to 10,000 IU a day for adults.
7) Plan to rest more than usual for a few weeks and to get excellent fluid/electrolyte hydration. Let appropriate doctors know ASAP if there are any other concerns for anyone in the family.
About the Author:
Dr. Ron Gazze, MD is the executive medical director for NEE/FPL where he is responsible for providing primary care and coordinating other medical care for many of the corporation’s leaders and team members with complex cases. He is also the corporate medical subject matter expert which includes his involvement with the pandemic team. Dr. Gazze first saw patients within the corporation in 2004. Prior, Dr. Gazze served as a hospitalist in what is now the Excela system in Western Pennsylvania, as a medical director for a United States Veteran’s Administration Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (VA CBOC) in Washington, PA through Sterling Medical, filled various per diem roles related to his UPMC residency, taught/wrote/edited for The Princeton Review, helped to develop medical board examinations for the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), served as a research assistant at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), and served as teaching assistant at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU).