Coronavirus
Dear Patients:
Our patients are worried, as many others are, about the “Coronavirus”. I would like to reassure you by getting you properly educated.
If you are worried about your immune health with regards to the virus, it is important to make a 15 min appointment with us (we can do these over the phone), to protect yourself. If you have kids and you are worried about them, it is important to talk to Dr. March.
If you are getting chemotherapy or are immune suppressed, particularly if your lymphocytes under 1.0, please call the office at (248) 798-2942 and make an appointment so we can preserve your viral immunity. Each of you is wonderfully unique; your situations are unique, and what works for you will not necessarily work for someone else.
The most important way to avoid contracting a virus is to avoid touching your face. This means: do not pick your nose, rub your eyes, or put your fingers near your mouth. To contract a virus it has to be delivered. The way to deliver a virus is to pick it up on your fingers and smoosh it into a mucus membrane. It is that simple.
The trend of stocking up on paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and Clorox wipes is unnecessary. The only thing that can kill a virus on surfaces is a bleach solution, but you can use regular bleach with water—it doesn’t have to be a special wipe. We clean our offices every morning with bleach. We use it to sanitize all high touch surfaces: doorknobs, chairs, counters, keypads, etc. You may do the same at home.
The reason handwashing is so important is that no matter how much people try not to, they do tend to touch their faces. Wash your hands frequently with soap and do not touch your face.
If you are frequently in doctor’s offices or hospitals and you are getting chemotherapy, or if you are immune suppressed, you must wear a mask. If you are traveling and seated near someone who is coughing, you should wear a mask. As far as we know Coronavirus is spread through respiratory droplets from coughing. If someone is coughing in your general area it does not mean you will get sick. To catch the virus it has to get into a mucus membrane, which, unless someone is coughing right in your face and it lands in your eyes or nose, means you have to touch your face with the finger that someone coughed on. Gloves are more important for our immune-suppressed population than a mask (even your nice winter ones are fine), but you still should not touch your face without washing your hands.
Please do not buy masks in bulk. If you need one, visit your hematology oncology office. Supply companies that supply hospitals are running out and medical technicians do need these when working with respiratory populations or doing procedures. If your medical staff is at risk then we will see a spread of airborne illnesses that can handicap us.
Supplements cannot treat a virus alone, but they are important to support your immune system and are entirely individualized. You must talk to Dr. Roy or Dr. March about what to take and you will likely need an adjustment to your supplement plan.
Coronaviruses are not new. They are an umbrella term for a bunch of respiratory viruses that can cause pneumonia. This is simply a new strain of these viruses and our immune systems are usually well equipped to manage them. Symptoms are cough, shortness of breath, and fever. They do not include stomach distress. In 81 percent of cases, symptoms are mild and there is no resulting pneumonia.
I am not sure why there is a media frenzy around this topic, but from my time in journalism I know, “if it bleeds, it leads”, and there is a general sense among Americans of feeling unsafe. This sentiment is not only profitable for companies that generate information but also seems to feed on itself and create widespread anxiety.
Our patient population at Associates of Integrative Medicine is vulnerable, but this is true of pneumonia in general. Even if our viral immunity is not perfect, we usually will not have as serious consequences from viral pneumonia as we do bacterial pneumonia.
I do not want you to be afraid. I do want you to reach out and I do want you to be protected in the right way. Remember, the foundations of health are the foundations of a strong immune system: 8-9 hours of sleep a night in a dark room; eating lots of well-washed fruits and vegetables; getting at least 30 min of exercise daily; focusing on our mental health, and remember what you learned in grade school….don’t pick your nose.
I will update you with new information as we get it. We do get minute-by-minute updates. Until then, if you are getting treatment or are in the first couple of years of survivorship, or if you are just worried, I expect you to make a 15 min appointment by phone so we can help you to be well and stay well.
With love,
Dr. Roy