ARE YOU PART OF THE PROBLEM? OR ARE YOU PART OF THE SOLUTION??
From your friendly neighborhood Physician Assistant!
CoVID19 or the Coronavirus is here in the United States. Mandates have been issued. Medical experts including Dr Anthony Fauci have given their recommendations. Schools, businesses and places of gathering are closed or on notice. The overwhelming bottleneck of limiting the spread of viruses including influenza and CoVID is people in contact with each other. Social distancing is a public health initiative where we limit contact with others to limit spread of a contagious virus. That means limiting excursions outside of your home to what is essential. Let me repeat that essential activities do NOT include visiting bars, restaurants, theaters, traveling for fun, etc.
Staying at home IS going to be inconvenient, boring and hard!
But what happens when you, or your child or your parent has or is by someone who sneezes, coughs, wheezes? Do you know what is happening in their body? Do you know what is happening in your body when you are achy, tired, run down? What is happening when you feel short of breath, or having a fever?
You may not be able to self diagnose your condition accurately. Everyone has a unique immune system that responds with a spectrum of symptoms. Time also plays a huge role in figuring out what is the cause of your symptoms.
The Problem is that when we are trying to slow down a contagious virus, each persons body will have a different spectrum of symptoms and may feel well enough or perfectly normal because their immune system is fighting without their awareness!
That means when you hangout with someone who seems well, they may be fighting any number of viruses or conditions. But that proximity can allow passing of a contagious illness to you and those around you.
So when you socialize because you feel “ok”, and your friends feel “ok”, you may be passing viruses UNAWARE.
But how do you know WHO has WHAT kind of immunity? YOU CANNOT ASSUME that you ARE NOT going to pass along a contagious illness.
The likelihood is that we will be exposed and have what’s called a self-limited illness with most viruses. This basically means your not going to feel good, and you will be able to rest at home and let your body do it’s work!
BUT what about the people around you who are or have
1. Older people over 60
2. Asthma
3. Autoimmune issues: Lupus, RA, Diabetes, Crohns and other GI conditions,thyroid conditions, and MANY More!
4. Heart disease
5. Recent surgery
6. Post-partum
7. Anything that you can circle on a medical history!!
Can you see what’s invisible to you but inside the human beings around you?
Viruses and people’s health conditions are invisible but we are aware that they are around us. Take a moment to recognize that we are responsible for more than ourselves and our immediate family.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INVISIBLE!
We don’t need to panic or get swept up by fear. We DO HAVE TO BE MINDFUL of our own personal behaviors. We must practice a non-harming attitude towards ourselves and others.
We all as a community have rules to follow so we can all function and thrive. When we drive, most of us are going to slow down and stop at the RED LIGHT. You may see the occasional light runner, and our system does penalize those folks with a fine.
WE ARE WAY PAST THE RED LIGHT TURNING ON. Stay put and don’t run the light on slowing down this virus. Mind your own behavior and stop putting other people in harms way!
Take the time to do something meaningful at home and give our healthcare community a chance. Just understand that you too have a huge role in helping to preserve the health of others.
You don’t have to be a scientist to understand that non harming behavior is an essential part of being part of a community. I know you think you are helping by eating at your local restaurants and supporting local stores.
There are lots of posts on how you can help local businesses but please remember this is first and foremost about ALL of OUR HEALTH and WELL-BEING!
For those of you who need to know source of this information, I have a medical license as a Physician Assistant of over 20 year and am practicing in an Allergy and Immunology practice. I have a research background in Immunology and a degree in Molecular Genetics. I also practice behavior and lifestyle medicine as a yoga therapist.
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