“Cough in your corner” was the mantra repeated over and over in my kindergarten classroom upon our return from spring break. We had a healthy January and February but travel and a week apart introduced a new strain of germs to our group.
COVID took a big bite out of me over two weeks ago. It began innocently enough with laryngitis and a stuffy nose. The third day brought a throbbing headache which I recognized as a COVID symptom. The fourth night was wrought with night sweats. High fevers and brain fog were next. The final symptom was the loss of my sense of smell. I was exhausted despite sleeping over fourteen hours a day.
Sitting in an Ancient Minerals magnesium bath for twenty minutes helped with my recovery. According to PubMed Central, magnesium is an essential mineral or element for immune health. Our bodies can’t “make” magnesium, we must get it from outside our body. Transdermal sprays and creams are a quick and effective way to replenish magnesium levels and prevent deficiency. Vitamins C, D, and zinc are also recommended by PubMed Central to boost the immune system while recovering from COVID.
Unity Point Health suggests eating a teaspoon of local honey and gargling with salt water to soothe a sore throat and cough. Hot tea and broth are also recommended to ease COVID symptoms.
Amy Galper, noted aromatherapist, has a protocol for regaining one’s sense of smell after COVID. Olfactory dysfunction affected five to fifteen percent of COVID patients in a review by the CDC in 2022. That number has increased to sixty percent in 2024.
Four times a day I individually inhale jasmine, lime, eucalyptus, and cinnamon essential oils. This process is a treatment option for people with olfactory dysfunction. I have been sniffing the oils for several days now and I can actually get little whiffs of coffee brewing.
Regaining one’s sense of smell is important for a patient’s quality of life, and it is a safety issue. Smell is a form of emotional support, but it also warns you about gas leaks, rotten food, and other dangers.
The new CDC Covid guidelines recommend returning to work after 24 hours of being fever free without taking fever-reducing medication. The key change is five days versus ten days of isolation. My symptoms started improving so back to work I went, not 100% but better.
When the first cases of COVID emerged in March of 2020, the WHO stated that none of the American population had any specific immunity against the COVID pathogen. At least 98% of the U.S. population now has some degree of protective immunity against this severe illness. The CDC 2024 Yellow Book states that hybrid immunity protects with long-term durability against severe COVID illness.
In the spring of 2023, the federal declaration of Covid-19 as a public health emergency ended. As of the end of 2023, nearly one in four adults had still not caught COVID . The CDC stopped its case counting as part of its Covid tracker because states stopped reporting the information. Despite elevated levels of COVID, hospitals are reporting that they have avoided large-scale spikes in admissions.
“That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
Kate Emery General is a retired chef/restaurant owner who was born and raised in Casper, Wyoming. Kate loves her grandchildren, knitting, and watercolor painting. Kate and her husband, Matt are longtime residents of Cambridge’s West End where they enjoy swimming and bicycling.
