Living with covid-19: Gargling with betadine has been my saviour

It finally happened. I, too, have been hit by coronavirus. The news spread like wildfire and people rushed to offer advice. From drinking kaadha made out of black pepper to chewing on turmeric, I’ve heard it all.

There is, however, one piece of advice I’ve received from a doctor which is helping me get through this tough time. It’s gargling with betadine.

Just so you know, I’m still in my quarantine period and have been following a strict routine to kick this virus out of my system.

This is how it all started

Well, losing my sense of taste and smell made me suspicious. Hence, I decided to get myself tested. The results confirmed my suspicion when the result came out to be positive. I did have a sore throat but it could have been due to eating ice-cream in the middle of the winter season.

I was given a few medications but apart from those, I was told to gargle with betadine solution. At first, I didn’t think this would make any difference but still went through with it because I didn’t want to leave any stone unturned in order to get well.

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To my pleasant surprise, it worked like magic. It took less than 2 days to soothe the discomfort I felt in my throat.

This is why gargling with betadine worked

Betadine gargle solution has povidone-iodine in it, making it antibacterial and antiviral in nature. By now, we all know that coronavirus attacks the respiratory tract. When you’re gargling with betadine solution, your throat acts as a window and ensures the solution’s antiviral effect can reach your system.

In fact, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, gargling with a povidone-iodine solution can help you in removing pathogens from your throat and respiratory system. You should ideally gargle with it thrice a day, recommends the study.

Another study published in the journal Infectious Diseases and Therapy, noted that betadine gargling is effective for SARS-CoV-2 and MERS patients.

So, what’s the process?

1. Take a glass of warm water. Sip and check the temperature.
2. Add 5ml of the betadine solution to the glass and mix it well.
3. Take a sip, look above using your neck, and gargle 10 to 15 times.

After a gap of 4 hours, repeat it again. Do this thrice a day to flush coronavirus out of your body. What’s more, it may just help you deal with bad breath and other oral issues.

The timeline I followed is:

• Right after brushing in the morning
• After lunch
• Before sleeping

I swear by this betadine solution to soothe the throat discomfort that comes with covid-19!