Our goal at BreatheMD is to do everything possible to keep people with COVID19 from going to the hospital. From the beginning, we have provided curbside breathing treatments and IV fluids and more recently, monoclonal antibodies.

We have now expanded our services to include treatments that are normally only done in hospitals: IV steroids (Solumedrol), IV vitamin C , IV Tylenol, IV famotidine (Pepcid), IV antibiotics, and oxygen. Dr. Bowden follows the FLCCC protocol and believes in aggressive treatment with safe medications such as ivermectin to help patients with COVID19.

For patients out of the danger zone, Dr. Bowden prescribes medications based on the FLCCC protocol and advises patients on nutritional supplements and other modalities to recover more quickly. She has both in-person and telemedicine appointments available for patients with COVID19 needing support.

Recommended over-the-counter supplements (updated):

Vitamin C 1000mg, twice a day (we offer injectable Vitamin C in our office)

Vitamin D 5000U + Magnesium + Zinc. It is important to take magnesium when you are taking Vitamin D as large doses of Vitamin D can deplete your body’s magnesium supply. We recommend this supplement: Magwell. The dose on the bottle is for 2 capsules a day - we recommend 3 - 4 capsules a day. The side effect to look for is diarrhea - lower your dose if this occurs.

Quercetin 250mg, twice a day

Zinc 50mg, once a day (take this in addition to Magwell)

Lactoferrin 100mg, once a day

Manuka Honey

Curcumin 500mg, twice a day

Black Seed oil (Nigella Sativa) 80mg/kg, twice a day

Melatonin 10mg before bed

Diet:

Follow a low-sugar diet. Viruses and bacteria feed off sugar - this is why diabetics are more prone to infection.

Drink 8 - 10 glasses of water a day. If you are dehydrated, you are more prone to fever and it becomes a viscous cycle. Come get IV Fluids and IV Tylenol at our office if you can’t get enough fluids at home.

Drink hot tea, chicken noodle soup. Warm salty fluids decrease swelling in your upper airway and improve circulation.

Exercise:

If you lay in bed, your lungs collapse. Rest, but don’t lay in bed. Get up at least once an hour. Take walks outside if possible. Buy an incentive spirometer (Amazon sells them) and use it every hour while awake (this device is a cheap and effective way to expand your lungs.)

Irrigations:

Gargle with a solution of Betadine and water three times a day. Add 2 tablespoons of 10% iodine/poviodine (Betadine) to a cup of water. Gargle but don’t swallow. Betadine is available in the first aid section of the drugstore.

Rinse your nose with saline + 1/4 teaspoon betadine three times a day.

Infrared Sauna:

If you are fever-free and not dehydrated, spend time in our infrared sauna at least 3 times a week. Infrared sauna has been proven to lower inflammation and increase circulation.

Respiratory Care:

Place a heating pad on your chest to increase circulation to the lungs.

Use a nebulizer or a humidifier to inhale salt water. Mix the water in a Neil-Med sinus rinse bottle using 2 packets of saline instead of 1 and add to your nebulizer or humidifier.

Take Mucinex with plenty of water to thin your mucous.

Spend time in our salt cave. We offer 1-week packages for patients with respiratory illnesses. The salt particles in the air absorb irritants and decrease airway inflammation. We also have therapists from BreatheFit lead private respiratory therapy sessions every Wednesday in our salt cave.

To schedule an appointment or learn more about how we can help you fight COVID19, please go to COVID Treatment and Recovery on our website.

All doctors have been prodded by their patients to prescribe a Z-pak, and most, if not all, have begrudgingly succumbed to that request at some point. The reluctance is universal and has less to do with the patient crossing an unspoken boundary and more to do with the physician not wanting to add to the huge problem of antibiotic-resistance.

Some important facts:

Between 90 - 98% of acute sinusitis are viral and won’t respond to antibiotics.
There are over 200 viruses that cause the common cold.
Only 5 - 10% of sore throats are caused by strept throat.
The average duration of an upper respiratory tract infection is 7 - 21 days.
The average duration of a cough is 18 days.
The most common cause of ER visits in children is from adverse side effects from antibiotics.
Z - pak’s increase the risk of fatal heart events.
The incidence of antibiotic-resistant infections in the US is currently over 2 million per year and climbing.

At BreatheMD, we use next-generation DNA sequencing to identify what is living in the sinuses of patients with chronic sinus problems, whether it’s bacteria, viruses or fungi. The test identifies 100% of microbes within a sample with 99.9% accuracy, provides information about antibiotic resistance, and gives an appropriate antibiotic recommendation if necessary. For more acute infections, we are able to test for strept throat and influenza virus on-site.

The common cold cannot be cured with a pill, but here are some things to do to shorten its duration:

Do everything you can to thin the mucous.
- Hydration
- Saline irrigations at home, adding a drop of baby shampoo and betadine to each batch
- Mucinex, an over-the-counter medication that thins the mucous (but make sure to take with a full glass of water)
- Stop taking (or lower the dose) allergy pills that thicken mucous (unless your allergies are severe)
- Plenty of hot tea and chicken noodle soup
- Slow down your caffeine intake
- Hot showers/steam room
Rest. Listen to your body.
Sinus Therapy at our clinic to drain the mucous
Echinacea, turmeric, elderberry, ginger, and vitamin C
Infrared Sauna to decrease inflammation and increase circulation
For night-time cough, warm up a dollop of raw honey and swallow (don’t give to infants under 1).
Cold air through the mouth can trigger cough so focus on nasal breathing if possible. At night, keep the room warmer than usual if mouth breathing is an issue.

Please feel free to add any tricks you’ve found helpful to kick your colds in the comments section.