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It's
Tuesday! For me it's been 42 days since my office has been
closed. Nevertheless, my commitment to you remains the same.
I guess it's not surprising to anyone that the virtual world
can provide a temporary solution to our present
restrictions. To me, this isn't a substitute for
face-to-face personal care. I enjoy being in the office,
seeing my patients and interacting with them. There is
nothing better than providing hands-on care, and when there
is a problem to solve, exchanging a smile, a hand placed
reassuringly on the shoulder, and the development of an
in-person plan to start the healing process. In fact, this
is equally as important as any medication or other remedy. I
love my job, and you, my patients, are part of my extended
family. I am hopeful that we will soon be able to safely
return to the office, picking up where we left off.
We have a lot to look forward to: warm, sunny days, flowers
and trees with blossoms, birds singing, bees buzzing. Frogs
at night making a racket. And hopefully, seeing family and
friends as restrictions are relaxed a little bit with
adequate social distancing. A new world and yet we are
adaptable. Adaptability is one of the strengths of
humankind.
Remain vigilant, be resilient, accept uncertainty and make
the best of the moment. Get your sleep, eat in a healthy
manner, get your exercise and get some sunshine. Find ways
to control your stress, listen to music, watch a movie, or
read a book; take a walk, practice yoga, try meditation.
Don't forget your vitamins, in particular, vitamin D-3, at
least 2000 units a day, and a multivitamin. Other
considerations that I have talked about before: taking
omega-3 fatty acids in the form of algal DHA, 250-500
mg/day, unless you are getting plenty of this in your diet
from foods such as 2-3 servings of oily fish per week. Also,
take the spice turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon in your coffee every
morning or an over-the-counter supplement. If you have not
seen my Persona interview from several weeks ago about
nutrition, click here to view it.
The numbers:
Maryland:
20,113 cases -/- 929 deaths -/- 4.6% fatality rate (+71
deaths from yesterday)
The Maryland Ro: This is an up-to-date value and is a key
measure of how fast the virus is growing. It is the average
number of people who become infected by an infectious
person. When this number is above 1,0, the virus will
spread. When this number is below 1.0, it indicates a
decrease in spreading potential. We continue to improve at
0.88!
Locally, all remains stable.
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