Mark Hoch, MD COVID-19 Protocol

This COVID Protocol was created by:

Mark L. Hoch, MD, DABIHM

Diplomate American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine
Co-Chair Past Presidents Council:
Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine
Bush Medical Fellow

According to studies and a long history of successful use by many holistic doctors, natural remedies tend to improve this type of viral infection much more quickly and shorten the duration and severity of symptoms of infection by several days more than medications. This has proven true over the first 18 months of the pandemic and is the way to go for folks under 50 years old and all people without co morbid health conditions. Even some research based conventional medical doctors are recommending starting treatment of Covid-19 with a ‘Nutraceutical Bundle.’

Natural remedies also have the benefit of being affordable and being able to be stored and used at home when you need them. They are also easily accessible without a prescription.

However, for people over 65 especially if you have co morbid health conditions: e.g diabetes, obesity, heart, kidney or lung disease… starting medications early is a good idea.

KEY: Be Prepared.

Have what you need at home. Just like you keep a fire extinguisher in your house to put out a little fire ASAP before your entire house (body) is at risk of burning down, stock up on what you need to deal with this virus which has been going around the world for over twenty months now.

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals are contracting COVID so please be prepared either way.

If you have mild symptoms, fever, sore throat, congestion, some body aches, loose bowels use the protocol below. DO NOT start at urgent care or the emergency room.

First, be aware that they will not be able to help you. Secondly, if you go to a medical facility you risk putting other people, including frail patients who could die from corona virus, and health professionals who need to be well to take care of critically ill people at risk.

If you are very sick with strong cough, debilitation, shortness of breath then consult your doctor immediately as it is important to be evaluated urgently and medications may be very helpful for you.

I Recommend a Multi-Prong Approach to Treatment:

Why? Because it works! It has worked well in my hands for a long time and is confirmed by studies.

At the first sign of stuffy nose, sore throat, sinus drainage, cough, body aches do the following.

Do not wait until you are sick for days or getting very sick as that can put you in grave danger. Do not listen to ignorant people who do not know clinical medicine or how to treat this.

Follow these steps.

You will find details on how to do them below, followed by how to get the recommended products.

• Limit exposure to others.
• Decrease the viral load in your system: use nasal irrigation and throat rinses that wash away or kill the virus where it enters your system. That will minimize the chance of spread of virus down to the lungs and into your blood stream where it causes the biggest problems.
• Kill the virus: Vitamin C.
• Ramp up your immune system: Use herbs to fight it from the inside.
• Older folks with co-morbidities also call your doctor

Nasal Irrigation

You can do this 2 to 3 times a day with a bulb syringe, a neti pot or even a small cup. Nasal irrigation is important because it washes the virus out of your nose. It also washes away the things that cause your nose to swell up.

PREPARE YOUR NASAL IRRIGATION SOLUTION:

• 6 ounces of filtered or bottled water warmed up to body temperature (not hot!)
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt or table salt
• Pinch of baking soda (not baking powder which contains aluminum)
• Add a squirt or 1/8 teaspoon of 3 % hydrogen peroxide if you have it.
• Using the neti pot or syringe, tilt your head sideways over the sink (top of head lower than your chin) and slowly pour half of the solution into your right nostril while breathing through your mouth. Let it run out the other side of your nose or down into the back of your mouth and spit it out. Repeat with the other half of the solution into your left nostril.

Throat Rinses

Gargle with 3% hydrogen peroxide for 5 to 10 seconds 3 times a day for the first 2 to 3 days. You can get this at a pharmacy or grocery store. This will kill the virus in your throat where it multiplies. Gargling with salt water may help you feel better but will not kill the virus. Can also be used preventatively.

Vitamin C

High dose Vitamin C stops viruses in experiments and in human bodies.

Look for powdered, (Buffered better tolerated) vitamin C as you will need high doses for a serious viral infection.

Take 2000 mgs. every 2 hours and if getting sicker even every 30 minutes. For children ages 6-12 years use 1000mg at same intervals and if less than 6 years old 500mg at the same intervals. If it causes loose bowels decrease the dose.

Vitamin C capsules are fine too but you will have to take several so look for 500mg or larger capsule if you go that route.
I do not recommend Emergen-C as it has only 500 mg of C, and contains sugar, which suppresses the immune system.

When your body needs vitamin C you can take very high doses with no ill effects (over dosing when healthy can cause loose bowels) I have taken 24,000 mg per day and others have taken doses as high as 2000mg every 6 minutes to treat active pneumonia. That was over 50,000mg per day with no ill effects.

Vitamin D

Improves immune system response including turning on genes in white blood cells that make anti-viral proteins

5000 i.u. twice a day with food with fat

Zinc

Lozenges of Zinc acetate or gluconate 18-22mg 4 times a day (no citric acid)

OR

Zinc capsules 30mg to 50m up to 4 times a day with food

Sulfate, Citrate or Picolinate are good choices (best absorbed forms).

Take with food to improve absorption and minimize nausea.

Quercetin

250 to 500mg with each dose of zinc will help the zinc get into your cells where it helps shut down the virus.

Immune Support

Get Your Immune System on the job.

Do not just rely on external factors.

Rapid Immune Response combination herbal supplement by Gaia Herbs.
Over The Counter version of this is GAIA Quick Defense.

For adults: take 2 capsules, 5 times a day for 2 days. For children ages 6-12: take 1 capsule, 5 times a day for 2 days. Again start as soon as you have symptoms.

OR

*Astragalus/Echinacea Compound™ David Winston Herbalist and Alchemist
60 drops 3 to 4 times a day for adults.

30 drops 3 to 4 times a day 6-12 years old

Other good places to find immune support products are through reputable Chinese Medicine professionals and Naturopathic doctors (ND’s) who trained at 4 year accredited colleges of naturopathic medicine.

Course Of Treatment:

Continue the above remedies until you feel better, which is often in just 2-3 days if you start at the first sign of infection, versus being sick for 10 to 30+ days if you wait until you have a full-blown infection.

Additional Treatment

For vulnerable people:

This includes people who have diabetes, obesity, heart or vascular disease, kidney disease, chronic lung conditions (chronic all the time asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis) or tend to get very sick every time they get an infection.

Consider medication treatment when first symptomatic with lab test proven Covid.

Aspirin 325mg /day, and one or more of the next 3 drugs listed.

For people not improving or getting worse on the above protocol after 48 hours and have lab proven COVID

start medications with
Aspirin 325mg /day, and one or more of the next 3 drugs listed.

By Day 5+ of symptoms:

If improving be in touch with your doctor and stay the course as indicated by your specific situation.

If worse strongly consider adding Steroids as below and maybe also the Cyproheptadine.

Medications:

*#1 Aspirin

325mg 1 pill daily with food for 30 days. Full dose Not baby aspirin.
The most deadly aspect of Covid-19 is microscopic blood clots and aspirin reportedly works best against the mechanism by which. Covid causes blood clots.

Ivermectin

0.2mg per kilogram of body once a day or if needed and some doctors are finding 0.4mg per kilogram of body weight once a day.

Anti-viral and potent anti-inflammatory. This medication has long been approved for human use by the FDA and is on the WHO list of essential medications. Have a doctor prescribe it. Important early on.

Do not be fooled by ignorant people (or disinformation tweets by the FDA and spread by the media) who say this a medicine only for horses. Get the human version at a pharmacy. 3.7 Billion doses taken by HUMANS, very safe.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)

200mg twice a day for adults. Lower dose for children.
Needs a prescription, has some anti-viral properties, keeps the virus out of cells and from reproducing.
Very important to take with Zinc above especially if you are not taking Quercetin.

Again, do not be fooled by people who quote fraudulently made studies to make it look that HCQ is dangerous or does not work. Cardiologists have used it in ICU patients very safely.

Fluvoxamine

50mg 2 twice a day for 1 day then 1 twice a day for 5 to 10 days for adults.
Needs a prescription, has anti-inflammatory properties by blocking inflammation pathways early and also helping prevent serotonin dumping by platelets that is related to organ damage later in disease.

Few studies on this medication but results have been very promising especially in helping to keep people from needing hospital care.

If better in 5 days likely can stop, if not continue for 10 days

Monoclonal Anti-bodies REGEN-COV 1 hour intravenous infusion at urgent care or in emergency department. Especially if older or very sick. Can be very helpful but very expensive especially if you do not have insurance.

*Steroids:

Very important mid to late in the game if things are progressing and not getting better by day 5.

Prednisone by mouth especially if you have systemic inflammation.
40mg per day with food for adults, lower dose for children.
Get prescriptions from your doctor.
Low dose Medrol is not good enough

Inhaled budesonide (Pulmicort) 180 mcg twice a day for lung symptoms
or another steroid inhaler if you have one on hand. By prescription

Cyproheptadine

Needs a prescription

8mg two to three times a day for adults. 4mg three times a day for 6-12 years old.

For later in the game, i.e. getting worse day 5to 7 or later.

Anti-histamine with serotonin blocking effects
Best used if needed later IF getting worse or not improving by Day 5 to 7 of clinical illness. Clinical trials are ongoing but taking incredibly long to get the results.

Remdesivir probably is not helpful (may be harmful) and the above medications have a better track record of actually getting people better and at much lower cost.

If you are in this category, colostrum products can also be helpful to add another layer of protection if infected with COVID 19, especially if you have GI symptoms and diarrhea.

These are NOT necessary for everyone. They contain immune globulin proteins which soak up and help fight off all kinds of infections and other immune stimulating compounds.

A dose is 2 grams of immune globulins. I recommend the concentrated powders below. Capsule forms are also available but may only contain 500mg per capsule ( so you would 4 capsules of that strength to get 2 grams)

Products And How To Order

Use the URL: https://wellevate.me/mark-hoch

Once on the site you will create a log in and can order. Those who already have a Wellevate account can just sign in and order.

If these specific products are not available you can find others on this site and hopefully in your local health food store. Products recommended and the companies that make have been vetted by Dr. Hoch and are known to be of excellent professional grade quality and purity. They have also been stored properly to maintain their effectiveness.

Be aware the same cannot be said for many products on the internet including via Amazon that may be counterfeit or improperly stored.

Immune Support:

Rapid Immune Response 2 caps 5x a day for 2 days. #40 enough for 2 people Item Code RX-AD

OR Quick Defense same as for Rapid Immune Response. #20 enough for 1 person Item Code QUICK

OR *Astragalus/Echinacea Compound 2 fl oz David Winston Herbalist Alchemist
Item code H10112

Kids Echinacea Supreme 2 oz.
Item Code: ECH49
age 9 mos. to 2 yrs. 15 drops in water 4 times a day
3-6 yrs. 30 drops (1 full dropper) in water 4 times a day
7-12 years 60 drops (2 full droppers) 4 times a day

Vitamin C:

Potent C Guard™ Powder 8 oz by PERQUE. Heaping 1/2 teaspoon is close to 2,000mg per dose in 2 or more ounces of water. Item Code PERQ3
Thorne Buffered C Powder 8.32 oz 1 scoop. Item CodeT55027

Metabolic Maintenance Vitamin C Powder 1 lb (not buffered) is a good option for big families Item Code VITCP

Vitamin D take with food with fat in it

Thorne D-5000 caps #60
Item Code T38013

Vital Nutrients Vitamin D3 #120
Item Code VID3

Zinc:

Lozenges:
Life Extension Enhanced Zinc 30 veg lozenges
Item Code L96136
suck on one 4 times a day

OR

Capsules:
Vital Nutrients Zinc Citrate 30 mg 90 vegcaps Item Code ZINC3
1 capsule 2 to 4 times a day with food

OR

Perque Energized Double Zinc Guard 100 tabs Item CodeENER9
1 capsule 2 to 4 times a day with food

OR

Allergy Research Brand they have 25mg and 50mg

Quercetin

Thorne Quercetin Phytosome 60 caps Item Code T00435
250mg one per dose with zinc
OR
Other brands, Solary, Jarrow, others.

Colostrum Products:

IgG Protect Powder by Orthomolecular 1 scoop twice a day
Item Code R03715

OR Douglas Laboratories Colostrum Powder 2 g 1 scoop twice a day
Item Code COLP

OR IgG 2000 by Xymogen 1 scoop twice a day

Other things are helpful too. This is not an exhaustive list but a comprehensive and effective one.

Take advantage of your local resources.

I am grateful to have many here in Asheville including being able to pick up herbs at the Herbiary on Market Street and at our local Classical Chinese Medicine Professionals.

Again: Stock up and keep product in your house like you keep a fire extinguisher. If your house is on fire it is too late to go to the store to get an extinguisher.

I hope these tips were helpful for you!
Prepared and on the road to health with you,

Mark L. Hoch, MD, DABIHM