Dr. Thompson and The Village Clinic want to C.U.R.E. illnesses using widely known resources and teachings.
March 31, 2020 | Dr. Thompson & The Village Clinic
Friends and Family in the community, we all know that Coronavirus 2019 aka COVID-19 is a brand new and scary illness that is attacking all around the world.
But we don’t really know how it gets to us and how to get rid of it. Doctors, scientists, authorities, and all of us are working on figuring out while keeping ourselves safe.
Well-known symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing but Coronavirus 2019 may be contagious before a patient starts showing symptoms. That means that people can get it and pass it on without even feeling sick or looking sick.
If you think you have COVID-19 call your doctor’s office, urgent care, or the ER first so they can prepare to take care of you. If you feel your situation is life-threatening, call 911 right away.
Practice Self Care during Challenging Times and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds repeatedly throughout the day:
- Don’t meet new people in person
- Don’t meet with anyone living outside your immediate household
- Wear a mask as appropriate (see Michigan Department of Health and Human Services or CDC recommendations)
- Don’t touch your mouth, eyes, and nose
- Soap and water are the best cleansers
- Use hand sanitizers if you do not have access to soap and water
- Pay attention to social distancing (6 ft away from another person)
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Keep your hands in your pockets unless you have a gut feeling that it’s not safe
- When using an alcohol-based hand sanitizing rub, make sure it contains at least 60% alcohol
- Get good refreshing sleep
- Eat vitamin C rich foods: tomatoes, red, green and yellow bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kiwi, orange juice, papaya, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes.
- Intentionally reduce interaction with surfaces
- Beware of gas stations, use gloves to pump gas, and touch as few surfaces as possible
- If you must go into a store take only your form of payment and car keys to reduce the chance of contamination
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze by coughing/sneezing into your elbow or covering up with tissue or handkerchief or the like
- Wear a mask if you have a cough to protect yourself and others
- Promptly dispose of tissues in the trash after use
- Clean surfaces thoroughly before touching them but wear gloves.
- If you start showing symptoms of the virus or flu, contact your healthcare provider or health department immediately
- Keep babies and young children at home.
- Don’t visit grandma, grandpa, or other older people (that live independently) but keep in touch constantly by phone
- Stay at home when you are sick unless it is life-threatening
While you are staying home to break virus transmission in the community:
- Take breaks from watching the news
- Listen to the authorities
- Pray for each other
- Pray and meditate on positive thoughts
- Talk to family and friends daily
- Read a book
- Learn something new
- Follow your usual routine inside your home
- Take a relaxing bath
- Burn essential oils
- Prefer warm or room temperature not cold beverages
- Explore holistic remedies
- Unfollow, block, ignore and delete negativity
- Stop and think before doing anything
- Start journaling and write down what happens in your life daily.
- Take a walk around the house or in the immediate vicinity of your home but stay at least 6 feet away from another person
- Practice deep breathing
- Eat healthy to strengthen your immune system
- Monitor yourself and household members for unhealthy responses to stress and call your doctor’s office, urgent care, the ER, or 911 for help as appropriate
Pay attention to updates from your local, state and national authorities. Additional information can be found at CDC www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.htm and WHO video updates on www.youtube.com
The Heath Cabinet is a new print/media series from our friends over at The Village Clinic. The content will consist of scholarly and evidence-based viewpoints that focus on solutions aimed at controlling hysteria around health crises, exploring access to care, and improving the quality and value, with an emphasis on proven treatments, programs and policies, and analysis of various outcomes.
