NHS frontline staff – they don’t want to be called heroes they say. But we know they are the stars of recent times, many risking their own lives in the fight against Coronavirus every day that they go to work. And while we aren’t staying home as much as before (something to celebrate), protecting the NHS and saving lives remains as vital as ever.
Someone who is keenly aware of this through her own personal experience is Charlotte Pulver, a natural health practitioner from Notting Hill. Charlotte got ill with “very acute” Covid-19 symptoms in March; drawing on her two decades of natural healthcare knowledge she went into self-care overdrive. Boosting her immune system to fight the disease was her number one priority. As well as a good diet – vital in keeping the immune system in shape – and good hygiene, she began taking a range of supplements known to boost immunity.
“I felt better within two days,” she says.
Inspired by her recovery, and knowing NHS frontline staff face greater personal risk during the crisis, she wanted to help them to also be resilient and strong. She launched a fabulous initiative – to offer immune-boosting supplements to NHS workers, totally for free. She opened her contacts book, made some calls and the Frontline Immune Support Team was born. The team is made up of experts such as nutritional guru Patrick Holford (who donated his new book, Flu Fighters, to the pack); herbal and mycology advisor Martin Powell; homeopathist Tony Pinkus; essential oils advisor Maggie Tisserand; and researcher Dr Clare Relton.
The immune-protective pack they have devised contains Liposomal vitamin C; vitamin D; zinc; reishi-cordyceps complex (medicinal mushrooms); homeopathic remedies; and essential oils, such as the Frontline Oil specially devised by Maggie Tisserand, which can be used inside a diffuser or applied directly inside the nostrils as an antiviral guard.
While there is debate about vitamin C in treating coronavirus, Charlotte says: “If you have a virus or infection, vitamin C really does help,” and points to trial studies in China, Italy and the US that have shown positive results with its use for coronavirus patients. Vitamin D is important – at all times and especially in northern hemisphere countries when we go through sun-deprived stretches – but especially for anyone who has the virus, as it has been reported that Covid-19 sufferers tend to be vitamin-D deficient. Medicinal mushrooms help with adrenal fatigue.
Each pack contains goodies specially selected for their antiviral properties and their role in supporting the nervous system – vital when anxiety has been high. As well as offering immune support, these supplements and remedies are helpful to take at the onset of symptoms, to protect you and assist recovery.
With the pack’s contents being worth £210, the initiative has only been viable with the kind support of healthcare product suppliers including YourZookin, Ainsworths, Altrient, Cytoplan, MycoNutri, Bioinnervations, Pharmacal and Maggie Tisserand. Hundreds of NHS healthcare workers have received a pack – and requested another – and thousands are waiting. While over £21,000 has been raised so far to fund the scheme, more funds are needed to keep it going and to supply every NHS worker who wants a pack to give themselves the best immunity they can.
And if positive feedback is anything to go by, the packs are really making a difference to lives. In the words of Dr J Kwan, an NHS medical consultant on the frontline: “There is nothing more important than building your own immunity, resistance and resilience. This is why I am 100% supportive of this online fundraiser…The products are of top quality and are exactly what our body and mind need every day to fight this war against Covid-19.”
