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Yesterday, I discussed the mental fortress: you own your
thoughts, and you control your thoughts, and your thoughts
control how you feel.
So
what else is in the toolbox to help stay centered? If
you are feeling unglued, in addition to eating well, getting
rest and exercise, activate your vagus nerve.
This nerve is connected into your brain and runs from the
head down into the belly. When you activate it, it
tells your fight or flight system to simmer down now (Want
a laugh? Watch this old SNL). In medical terms,
this means it deactivates your sympathetic system (fight or
flight) which causes panic, fast breathing, cold hands, GI
disturbances, racing thoughts, elevated heart rate, etc.
So what do you do? Sit in a quiet room and take 10
slow deep breaths; fill your chest and let your belly
expand. You will feel better. Want some
information about the vagus nerve that wanders with many
branches from the head down into the belly? Click
here!
The
data:
Today, some very encouraging news. Our models, based
on daily incoming data, strongly suggests our plan of
staying home is having the expected impact. Previous
models were predicting that the surge of new and severe
COVID-19 patients was going to cause a total decompensation
of our health care system. This seems unlikely now. I
do not want to diminish the horrendous situation still going
on in New York City as well as additional hot spots being
reported today. Nevertheless, the original prediction was
for 250,000 deaths; now, the death toll prediction is
61,000. This is still a huge number (the same number
as drug OD's or suicides in the US in 2018). Find some
comfort in that fact that sheltering at home, social
distancing, hand washing, etc, are all working!
The numbers:
US:
432,438 cases
14,808 deaths
3.4% fatality rate (up)
Maryland:
6,185 cases
138 deaths
2.23% fatality rate (stable)
(17.5% of tests in MD are positive; 35,344 total tests;
1,348 have been hospitalized)
Diagnostics and
Therapeutics:
·
Hydroxychloroquine (HC)+Azithromycin+Zinc
therapy - more data any day; I am encouraged by preliminary
info. Published today however was some
constructive criticism about the original French 20 patient
study.
·
Japan's influenza drug,
Avigan, is in clinical trials and also looks promising.
·
Israel has an intervention
using pluripotential cells that re-order the immune system.
This is showing excellent success in very ill
patients with respiratory failure.
·
My group is closer to the
FDA taking notice of us, but we are not there yet. Our
drug, a steroid compound, could be used in the 20% of the
infected people who are either transitioning toward
respiratory failure or on a ventilator. Thanks to all
of you who have given us leads to get this in front of the
right person.
On a musical note:
Relax while you listen
to this
song by Enya.
On a lighter note: (thank you LJ)
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