The COVID-19 virus has presented the world with a health situation of heightened stress and concern, so I want to personally take a moment to share with you some facts regarding this coronavirus, suggest ways to easily help safeguard your family during this time, and hopefully ease your mind.
Viruses have long-affected the human population (that’s just part of life!) but the “newness” of this particular virus in people, has created a great (albeit potentially over-exaggerated) fear of the unknown. Therefore, educating ourselves with reliable information is one of our greatest strengths in situations such as this.
Here are the facts…
What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses which may cause illness in animals or humans. Many times these viruses are first spread to humans from wild animals. They commonly cause respiratory infections in people. Fortunately, our species has encountered (and thrived against) a multitude of other known coronaviruses.
What is COVID-19? COVID-19 is the name of the current infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus.
How is a coronavirus spread? These viruses are spread by droplets from the mouth or nose in the form of mucous and saliva, exhalation, runny nose, coughing, and sneezing.
What are the symptoms of the virus? The symptoms of the virus are very similar to other cold and flu strains, but could become more serious in immune compromised individuals. The most common symptoms of the virus include: fever, tiredness & dry cough. Other symptoms may include: body aches/pains, congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea.
How long does it take from contracting the virus to showing symptoms? The “incubation period” means the time between catching the virus and beginning to show symptoms of the disease. Most estimates of the incubation period for COVID-19 range from 1-14 days, most commonly around five days. Meaning you can feel well and look well, but still be carrying (and spreading) illness, before you notice you are personally sick. However, this is very similar to other viruses and explains how illnesses seem to “spread silently and quickly” or “cause sudden outbreaks.” Although this is understandably scary, it is common in the cycle of infections.
Should I wear a mask to protect myself? Only wear a mask if you are ill with COVID-19 symptoms (especially coughing) or are caring for someone ill with symptoms. Instead of wearing gloves, simply wash your hands. Please DO NOT unnecessarily purchase/overuse personal protective equipment that is essential for those who are actually ill and needed for healthcare providers who are in constant contact with sick individuals and require these supplies. Feeding into mass-hysteria and over buying essential healthcare items creates a supply shortage, is highly counterproductive and may be harmful for those in actual need of this equipment.
Should I worry about COVID-19? Illness due to COVID-19 infection is generally mild, especially for children and young adults (as directly stated by the World Health Organization.) However, it can cause serious illness in the elderly or other immune compromised individuals (ie. those with cancer, lung conditions, heart conditions, and autoimmune diseases).
Your health, our health, and the health of our community is of our utmost concern everyday.
What are we constantly doing to help safeguard you while visiting our office?
- Maintaining our cleanliness policies by regularly wiping down and disinfecting tables, surfaces, & equipment with medical-grade disinfectants throughout the day.
- Thoroughly washing hands.
- Providing you trustworthy, factual, and reliable information. We will continue to provide you up to date guidance as needed and welcome any questions or concerns you may have about COVID-19 or other health topics.
- Asking that any ill individual or caretaker of a sick person remain home and not come into the office. As with ANY infectious disease, our policy is that that you kindly remain home if you are unwell or closely caring for a sick family member, so as to avoid spreading illness unnecessarily to other patients and our Hartland staff. Particularly if you (or anyone in your household) is running fever, coughing, or has a sore throat at this time, we ask that you maintain respect for our healing space by NOT coming into the office until your ENTIRE household has been symptom-free for at LEAST 7 days! (Remember, you can still carry and spread illness for weeks even if you don’t feel sick.)
How can I protect myself and others, while preventing spread of the virus?
While the spread of a new virus can be scary, humans have encountered countless viruses during our existence. A healthy level of caution is appropriate but panic is not productive. So let me instead encourage you to channel your concerns into actions to better protect yourselves, your loved ones and our community…
The best ways to prevent the spread of any virus is with good respiratory hygiene and thorough hand-washing. Since this virus is spread by contact with infected droplets the easiest and most effective ways to avoid infection are:
- Regularly wash your hands with warm water and lots of soapy bubbles! (The mechanical process of scrubbing and rinsing hands is preferred over simply using a sanitizer gel.) I recommend singing the ABC’s slowly while you wash so you more adequately clean. You may use an alcohol-based sanitizing gel as secondary, quick option if you cannot wash hands.
- Maintain polite respiratory hygiene! This is a simple habit our parents taught us as children. Ensure that you cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, your hand, or your bent below when coughing or sneezing. Then dispose of any tissues and wash your hands.
- If you are unwell, STAY HOME! Should you find yourself ill with COVID-19 symptoms (or any other flu/virus symptoms) use common sense & courtesy by avoiding contact with others and staying home. (Especially if running fever, coughing, or experiencing a sore throat.) However, if you are having difficulty breathing or experiencing more serious symptoms, call a medical professional in advance of an appointment and follow their directions for care.
- Maintain a 3-foot distance from sick individuals (especially those who are coughing and sneezing).
- Avoid touching your face, mouth, eyes, or nose after touching public surfaces so as to prevent bringing virus particles that may be on surfaces into contact with your own body.
- Wipe down commonly contacted surfaces of your home (such as doorknobs, toilets, sinks, kitchen table, refrigerator handles, phones etc) with antiVIRAL products once daily. (Anti-bacterial solutions are not effective against viruses.)
- Avoid crowds when unnecessary, but don’t be afraid to get some fresh air, sunshine, and live your daily life!
- Avoid fueling undue hysteria and hygiene supply shortage by unnecessarily stockpiling everyday essentials such as soap, toilet paper, filtered water, hand sanitizer, gloves, and medical masks. These behaviors are counter-productive to greater community illness prevention.
Other ways to naturally encourage a strong, adaptive, and healthy immune system are:
- GET ADJUSTED when you are well! Keep your immune and nervous systems strong and adaptable by maintaining monthly wellness adjustments. However, as with all other illnesses, we ask that you do not come to the office when you are sick or caring for sick individuals, and until symptoms have been absent from your entire household for at least one week.
- SLEEP! Being well rested with 6-8 hours of sleep each night is necessary for adequate immune function and bodily repair.
- Be consistent with your normal immune strengthening regimen. Maintain a diet low in processed foods, sugars, and excess carbs. Feed your body plenty of colorful vegetables, lean proteins, and hydrate with water throughout the day. Utilize vitamins and supplements to boost your immune strength such as: a daily multivitamin, daily probiotic (80% of your immune system lives in your health gut bacteria!), and Elderberry syrup/supplement (shown to have antiviral properties). You can find my favorite medical-grade supplements on our Hartland Dispensary here: https://us.fullscript.com/welcome/hartlandchirowellness
For our fact source reference, more information, and to stay up-to-date on reliable health information, visit https://www.who.int/
Rest assured, that this too shall pass in time. And I encourage you to maintain your healthy lifestyle by implementing the suggestions above, staying informed, avoiding fueling exaggerated hype, and maintaining a keen sense of hygiene with respect to yourself and others.