FALSE: DO NOT SHARE
Claim:
An onion poultice can heal COVID-19.
Answer:
This is false, there are no known treatments for COVID-19 at this time.
FURTHER INFORMATION
In this video shared on WhatsApp, a woman claims that she had symptoms of COVID-19, which felt like ‘an attack on my lungs’, and that instead of calling 999 as suggested to her by the NHS 111 helpline, she decided to try an onion poultice, which she says helped relieve her symptoms. She invites everyone to try this.
This is contrary to medical advice, both from the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Health Service (NHS).
WHO clearly states that “People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should self-isolate and contact their medical provider or a COVID-19 information line for advice on testing and referral. People with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should call their doctor and seek medical attention”.
In the UK, the NHS says that “If you need medical help for any reason, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. If you have symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature or a new, continuous cough), use the 111 coronavirus service”, which will advice you what to do.
As we have previously written, claims that herbal remedies can cure COVID-19 are false. WHO currently says that “at this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. WHO will continue to provide updated information as soon as clinical findings become available.”
WHO also recommends the following basic protective measures:
In this video shared on WhatsApp, a woman claims that she had symptoms of COVID-19, which felt like ‘an attack on my lungs’, and that instead of calling 999 as suggested to her by the NHS 111 helpline, she decided to try an onion poultice, which she says helped relieve her symptoms. She invites everyone to try this.
This is contrary to medical advice, both from the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Health Service (NHS).
WHO clearly states that “People with mild symptoms who are otherwise healthy should self-isolate and contact their medical provider or a COVID-19 information line for advice on testing and referral. People with fever, cough or difficulty breathing should call their doctor and seek medical attention”.
In the UK, the NHS says that “If you need medical help for any reason, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. If you have symptoms of coronavirus (a high temperature or a new, continuous cough), use the 111 coronavirus service”, which will advice you what to do.
As we have previously written, claims that herbal remedies can cure COVID-19 are false. WHO currently says that “at this time, there are no specific vaccines or treatments for COVID-19. However, there are many ongoing clinical trials evaluating potential treatments. WHO will continue to provide updated information as soon as clinical findings become available.”
WHO also recommends the following basic protective measures:
- Wash your hands regularly with soap and water, or clean them with alcohol-based hand rub.
- Maintain at least 1 metre distance between you and people coughing or sneezing.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
- Stay home if you feel unwell.
- Refrain from smoking and other activities that weaken the lungs.
- Practice physical distancing by avoiding unnecessary travel and staying away from large groups of people.
SOURCE
World Health Organization (WHO) – Coronavirus, Overview/Prevention/Symptoms
National Health Service (NHS) – Advice for everyone, Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Origins of Claim
FULL TEXT OF CLAIM
Hello everyone, my name is *****, I live in England, and I’ve just been very ill with the Coronavirus. I have not been tested because testing has stopped in this country. But I had all the symptoms. They were very mild and manageable at first for a good few days, and then suddenly escalated into what felt like an attack on my lungs and pneumonia. […] I called the medical helpline, 111, and they were not able to advise me further than saying to stay at home and to call 999, the emergency number, if I got into severe breathing difficulty. Now I am not a doctor, and I am not a health expert, by any means. But I am someone who is used to using plants and natural remedies, natural therapies, to heal myself and to treat myself. And I’ve kept the doctors at bay for the last 25 years, at least, doing that. And I was not going to just sit and watch it turn into a 999 call. I thought, I’m going to at least try to do something if I can. The reason I’m making this video is because in the process I have found one thing in particular that everyone can do, and that helped me tremendously. And I want to share it, in case it helps other people too. Now, I had no idea how to treat pneumonia, that was not something I ever had to deal with. So I turned to my literature. And I have this book, it’s called Kitchen Medicine, by Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal. […] And to my surprise and relief there is a chapter on pneumonia in this book. And the number one remedy for pneumonia, you will be baffled by it’s simplicity, is onion. There are several pages of description of the medicial properties of onion, and also a recipe for an onion poultice to heal pneumonia. Well I thought, I have nothing to loose, it was getting bad to worse very quickly. So I tried. […] The one thing that immediately turned it around was this.
