Lifestyle Factors

Check out our latest video on Lifestyle Medicine and some benefits of healthy lifestyle practices as well as risks of unhealthy practices.

 

Houston, We Have a Problem: Some Select Dynamics of a Moral Crisis

The title: On April 13, 1970, the Apollo 13 mission to the moon was rocked by an on-board explosion. The command module went dark. Earth was 200,000 miles away. An astronaut radioed mission control: “Houston, we have a problem.”

Introduction 

This paper discusses an array of issues that bear on our current socio-cultural situation and that involve the interaction of several challenging circumstances. We will discuss some of the dynamics of narcissism, aggression, revolution and relativism. We have to contend with the medical demands posed by the Covid19 virus... Read more.

Food and Stress: Some Optimal Ideas

Challenges, Threats and Chaos

This brief paper discusses layered sources of chronic challenges, sources of boundary violations and some implications for our health. In some respects, we are living in an increasingly chaotic world; in some of these predispositions to chaos we have a good deal of control over, and others are prompted by environmental issues that we have little control over. Sources of unhealthy levels of stress are everywhere we look and have dire implications for our physical, spiritual and emotional health.

Chronic Disease Epidemic

In the United States we expend more resources on healthcare than any other country, while having more chronic disease than just about any other country. The key dynamic here has to do with the fact that we are not implementing disease prevention strategies in this culture. Why is this? Well, we know with assuredness that consumption of low nutrient, animal-based foods contribute in a major way to the whole series of chronic diseases. We have known this for decades, but the traditional medical industry is reticent to act on this information.

 It follows that those of us with heart disease, cancer, diabetes, inflammatory arthritis, dementia, and many other chronic diseases, experience all of the financial demands, fragility in their daily rituals, and stress of all sorts as a result of their illnesses.

Out of necessity, we have a huge number of caretakers in our country who are looking after millions of people with chronic disease. We spend more money on disease maintenance than anywhere in the world. So, this rampant chronic disease continues as a critical demand on families, on the medical system, and as a contribution to chronic stress syndromes, especially for primary caretakers. Caretakers are at risk for inadequate self-care and therefore becoming ill themselves. The status of our health is the back-bone of our efficiency, our economy, and our outlook on life. When confronted with stress, the state of our health dictates the effectiveness of our coping, our self-efficacy.

Toxic Media

We all have access to television, smart phones, laptop computers, smart watches and on and on. The Internet presents us with a significant dilemma given it’s almost unlimited information flow, the plentiful mis-information, an over-abundance of advertisements, and the whole screen addiction phenomenon. It has been said that we can find any answer to any question on the Internet.

This 24-hour news coverage of criminal activity and mayhem is psychologically unhealthy if watched excessively. As a stress management technique, we specifically recommend that people turn off the television, ‘media distancing’ and not expose themselves to this toxic material excessively; continual exposure to this may create confusion, anxiety, discouragement and can contribute to depression in vulnerable individuals. So, it is a bit ironic that the information system is there to provide answers and clarity, but in some ways has become quite a burden and a source of confusion. Sensationalism in the presentation of the media is a problem because it deviates from the truth. Some writers have humorously recommended closing down the national media for 30 days in order to counter over emphasis on the world’s problems.

So, let us pause here and take a look at the additive, possibly synergistic effect of multiple sources of stress and challenge. So far, we have discussed chronic physical and psychological disease and the sometimes burdensome information apparatus. Synergy has to do with the concept that 1+1 = 3; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. So, it would follow that a single physical illness like cancer can easily be a stressor unto itself; but add to this, communication and information flow issues like contradictory information, misinformation and inaccurate medical and pharmaceutical information and we have a multiplying effect that can exacerbate the illness. Most often these distortions in information are prompted by financial issues, greed.

Hurricane Michael

On October 10, 2018 Hurricane Michael, a category five hurricane with spinoff tornadoes and 161 MPH winds made landfall near Mexico beach Florida. Nearby Panama City Florida experienced tremendous damage and challenge including:

·       Destruction or huge damage to most of the trees in Bay County Florida

·       80% of all residential roofs needed replaced

·       As time passed it became clear that there were critical challenges in negotiating with building contractors, attorneys, and insurance companies, all of which resulted in long-term financial demands.

·       Even now after more than one and a half years, many people remain with huge damage to their homes and are only now beginning to rebuild the interior of their residences due to wind and water damage.

·       Many businesses and residences were destroyed and have not been repaired.

·       Many people have left Panama City because of loss of jobs and do not plan to return …

This is a third source of challenge that has provided a huge threat to tens of thousands of people; the threat has been physical, psychological, and financial. And, the upcoming hurricane season began on June 1, 2020, giving us good reason to feel an added increment of concern and challenge and caution.

Coronavirus

A fourth source of threat, social disorganization, and challenge has to do with this worldwide, pandemic virus called COVID-19.

In the United States we have now lost in excess of 103,000 people to this pandemic virus. So, families have been fragmented and traumatized, and our medical resources have been pushed to the limits. We have restructured our lives to accommodate social distancing, wearing protective masks, and downsizing business flow. Part of the challenge here is that this virus is persisting over an extended period of time and it may recur in the fall. Managing the response to the virus has cost huge federal financial outlays, trillions of dollars. To pretend that our economy can negotiate this level of increased debt, and not encounter financial crises, is a fantasy.

Death of Mr. George Floyd

Fifth, on May 25, 2020 Mr. Floyd was murdered in a confrontation with a police officer while three fellow officers looked on and failed to intervene appropriately.

The well-organized mob violence perpetrators who responded to this traumatic and unfortunate event, were similar to foreign and domestic terrorists in their tactics. These are narcissists who never learned about boundaries and limits and the distinction between right and wrong. Organizations of left-wing agitators appear to have played a significant part in this highly destructive, costly, out of control mob violence. Regardless of whether the perpetrators were from the local area or were systematically positioned from out of town, the same psychodynamics apply; these people were experiencing a highly pathological level of emotion, not upset, not angry, but dangerously rageful, and in some cases homicidal, dominantly narcissistic, and without conscience. They were behaving in a criminal manner, setting cars on fire, attacking police, setting buildings on fire, stealing the contents of stores, and otherwise purposefully perpetrating resource-depleting destruction. It is important to note that the contagion effect was operative here in a very significant way; thousands of these criminals who were not in leadership roles, were influenced to participate in these dramatically wayward activities, the Contagion Effect.

The inability to appreciate boundaries, and negative effects on others of the aggressive protest, is characteristic of pathological narcissism. One of the seldom discussed but most important aspects of these hugely costly riots has to do with the example it sets for younger people who may be quite malleable in their thinking and behavior. With the broad news coverage broadcasted frequently over time, there may well be a tendency to normalize this type of sick behavior. The perpetrators can even be held up as idols because of the dramatic news coverage everywhere we turn. We were recently exposed on nationwide television to an event where a police officer was doused with gasoline and set on fire. Clearly, the perpetrators of this behavior are a threat to society, need to be incarcerated, and need to be held responsible for their behavior.

Discussion of etiology, and the more detailed causes of such harmful behavior is beyond the scope of this paper, except to say that the role of our Christian churches and intact versus fragmented families as well as cultural pathology are factors to be considered.

One way to consider this protracted example of mob violence is it’s psycho- emotional impact on citizens throughout the country and even in overseas locations. The uncertainty, the aggression, the tangible damage to businesses and police resources taken in toto, represents a significant stressor; many of us respond with concern and worry, uncertainty about safety issues, fear, and altered mood states. This is stressful to thousands of people.

Many if not most of the perpetrators felt quite justified in their actions, because of the death of Mr. Floyd. This single motivating factor is a core issue in the perpetuation of the violence. Nonetheless, believing that you are justified in harming others is, obviously, is a huge blind spot and a critical error in judgment. In part, this feeling is often felt to be justified as a result of rather rampant relativism in our culture, the belief that anything goes and that there really are no boundaries. Yes, absolutes have their place in healthy living.

So, is this an insurrection? Is this a war? Is this domestic terrorism? Is this a coup?  Well, one of the truths, perhaps the most important truth about this

violence is that it is a major moral and spiritual setback. This violent protest represents a fifth challenge, threat, and source of chaos; how are we doing with integrating this additional affront to our social stability?

Financial Strain

Sixth, I want to mention another challenge that we are confronted with as we negotiate these multiple sources chronic stress. There has been a thread of dramatic economic/financial demand in all of these sources of challenge:

·       In Panama City we have continual financial demands as a result of Hurricane Michael and associated loss of jobs and loss of businesses.

·       Having a chronic disease, depending on the severity, can deplete financial resources because of inability to work and medical bills.

·       Regarding the coronavirus pandemic, we see many people searching for work because of business closings and many hybrid approaches to new businesses.

·       Does the media play a role in perpetuating financial difficulties? Well, the demeanor and language used by journalists and TV talking heads and the statistics they share as well as the statistics they don’t share are factors in fostering negativism vs optimism about our country’s economic stability, including job possibilities.

·       Added to all this, we have the chaos, challenge and threat created by the death of Mr. George Floyd. The cause of tangible destruction in our towns and cities is profound and must be shouldered by individuals, families, businesses, and governmental entities.

·       Yes, local government jurisdictions are financially strapped because of the virus epidemic and associated loss of jobs and businesses; tax revenues have taken a huge hit. There are up to 43 million Americans out of work.

Political Divisiveness

Number seven, on top of everything else, we have continuing degradation within the political apparatus. The intensity of this issue has implications for the integrity of our nation. Depending on the results of the coming election, we could end up with a dramatically different social system based on socialism and communism. And, let’s be clear about this, that the generation of young people who see the political aggression everywhere can easily be influenced to believe that that is the norm and that is acceptable political behavior; this is the contagion effect in action again. This aggressiveness and the partisan bickering gets to be quite intense and the accusations are more and more dramatic. Certain politicians are even raising the issue of defunding police departments. This supposedly would be in order to increase tax revenues … to decrease budget demands. But also, this would clearly be an affront to traditional policing and a step toward ineffectual, fantasy- based policing, with less incarceration and more tolerance for deviant behavior.

The saddest part of this series of threats and challenges is that it is hard to understand how America can ever again trust the integrity of these perpetrators of violence. Their destructive, lethal acts and criminal behavior are counter to the Bill of Rights and common sense. We are now confronted with layers of stress, cultural confusion, tangible threats to our survival and integrity, and pointed attempts to compromise our law enforcement apparatus. This feels like a war headed up by terrorists; to the extent that this idea (about war) may have credibility, we need to utilize all necessary resources to deal with this. We very much need to reestablish the integrity of our families; it is crucially important to have a father in the family, a father who can set wholesome examples of boundaries, right and wrong, and respect for authority. Also, our Christian churches play a vital role here by reinforcing moral guidelines that are Biblical, and providing a sanctuary for worship. Finally, the mental health community has a role to play here, given that narcissism, mood disorders, personality disorders, and addictions are all too common and need to be resourced in all of our communities, both in primary mental health facilities and in our prisons.

In the meantime, the perpetrators of this protest violence continue to mimic the very toxic emotions that led to the murder of Mr. George Floyd.

Some of the other dynamics operative in this whole antisocial protesting movement include:

·       Mentioned above, the normalization of the aberrant behavior redefines cultural norms and creates a very negative aspect of American history

·       The negative psychological effect on our youth who are still learning right from wrong, boundaries, and reasonable ways to reckon with those who they may disagree with.

·       The Contagion Effect in which violence is perpetuated and mimicked, and can provide a very toxic mental imprint that can contribute to post traumatic stress conditions. Interestingly, simply viewing some of this naked aggression on television can provide lifelong negative toxic memories that can be quite troubling. This is not unlike military wartime experiences that can create lifelong internal trauma.

·       The Stockholm Syndrome and the associated psychological defense mechanism called ‘Identification with the Aggressor’. This interesting Stockholm Syndrome refers to a positive bond of attachment formed between a victim of abuse and the abuser. So, in the case of the George Floyd protest, we can see elements of hundreds if not thousands of people engaging in illegal, sometimes very dramatic aggressive acts as a result of their identification with some of the organizations that are initiating the violence. This phenomenon can happen on a global scale affecting not only enclaves within our culture, but huge regions of an intensely populated City or state.

References

Diehl, Hans and Ludington, Aileen: ‘Dynamic health, a simple plan to take charge of your life,’  Siloam: A Strang Company, 2003.

Frates, Beth; Bonnet, Jonathan; Joseph, Richard; Peterson, James: ‘lifestyle medicine handbook: An introduction to the power of healthy habits,’ Healthy learning, 2019.

Zahler, William A.: ‘Health, inertia, and information: why are we sick?’Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2018 by William A. Zahler.

Zahler, William A.: ‘Synergy and the dynamics of lifestyle change,’ Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2019 by William A. Zahler.

William Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Website & Blog: lifestyle – interventions.com

YouTube: William Zahler

Email: wazahler@gmail.com

Phone: Home 850 784-0474; Cell: 850-276-9664

June 2020

More About Stress

Why would we be writing another article about stress given that we already have decades of writings, contemplation and research about the topic? Well, we currently have a unique circumstance that has confronted the whole world with challenges in the form of social isolation, financial setbacks, loss of businesses, discouragement, increased suicidality, loneliness, confusion, uncertainty, and risk of contracting a lethal virus. To appreciate all of the inclusive challenges posed by multiple major simultaneous stressors, it is important to see the big picture; this would be from the vantage point of hungry children, parents without jobs, business owners who have lost their businesses, many who had one or more chronic illnesses before the onset of the acute, severe stressor and the stressed-out people who are now having thoughts of suicide.

Minimizing, Synergy, Piling On and Relativism

Some folks tend to minimize the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, reasoning that it is nothing more than a variant of the flu that we have a lot of experience with. But, often, 1 + 1 equals 3, meaning that often times we have a synergistic effect when we add another component to an already existing situation; the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and I believe that in our current situation, that is the case. This sort of relativistic thinking that everything is of the same significance and/or potency reminds me of the enduring challenge we have had with tobacco use. This incredibly damaging addiction, cigarette smoking, is behind us. Still, approximately 7% of the population continues this addictive habit, but now we have normalized cannabis consumption and have added vaping to the list of destructive, health-compromising behaviors. As it turns out, vaping can be a lethal behavior. The point here is that relativism dilutes the value of absolutes and is at the core of legitimizing many untoward behaviors. It can lead us to looking at challenges as if there is no additive component to additional disasters.

Actually, this situation is even a bit more complex than that, at least here in Panama City Florida. We are contending with multiple issues, that can set the stage for significant chronic stress reactions:

·       The eminent onset of Hurricane season on 1 June, 2020

·       The constant reminder of Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018 that was a category 5 storm with spin off tornadoes and 161 MPH winds; there was damage or destruction of most of the trees in Bay County, Florida. This has dramatically changed the distinct, highly desirable atmosphere in the area.

·       Also, from Hurricane Michael: there is ongoing construction of many businesses and residences, even 1 1/2 years later. Approximately 80% of all of the residential roofs in our  county  needed to be replaced.

·       The Coronavirus that has necessitated significant changes in daily routines, social distancing, wearing of masks, closure of businesses, closure of churches, and financial setbacks from the loss of jobs. Being isolated to our homes is a huge issue because affiliation is a core physical and psycho-emotional ingredient of healthy living.

·       Worry, anxiety and discouragement are pending issues

·       On a broader scale, other mental health issues like depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicidality are ongoing concerns.

There are spiritual, legal, moral and practical aspects to this whole adaptation to the lethality of the pandemic virus. We are especially concerned about that large group of people who already have a chronic illness and possibly immune system compromise, as these issues increase the risk of contracting the virus.  An interesting and important aspect of this social distancing and not being able to freely move about, is the likelihood of familial and social group fragmentation; is this a contribution to isolation and loneliness?

We are concerned about the hungry children and families who cannot pay their bills. This particular group requires the aggressive outreach, generous financial help and meticulous follow-up to ensure that these children are adequately cared for. The health and integrity of our healthcare providers is a very important issue also and we need to ensure that all steps are taken to limit their vulnerability to adverse stress reactions including physical ills.

Those who are caretakers, a group who are vulnerable to any number of stress-related illnesses and less than optimal self-care, are a unique and important group.

The increased use of communication platforms like Zoom meetings provide much needed avenues for reckoning with business issues, mental health issues, disease prevention, church-related activities, and numerous other important issue areas. This technology fills in the communication gap posed by social distancing, wearing masks and being physically restricted. Let’s be clear that wearing masks interferes with communication and spontaneity in many situations; it inhibits interpretation of important nonverbal communication and is probably a contribution to isolation.

Stress-Related Conditions

Physical illness that can be related to chronic stress and related to excess cortisol secretion include:

·       11 of the distinct bodily systems are negatively impacted by chronic stress

·       Impaired cognitive performance

·       Impaired thyroid function

·       Blood sugar imbalance

·       Decrease in bone density

·       Sleep problems

·       Increased blood pressure

·       Compromised immune function

·       Increased abdominal fat

·       Many other signs and symptoms

Recommendations

My recommendations for limiting the toxic effects of these multiple stressors include:

·       Get adequate physical exercise; brisk walking is great. Also, upper body strength building is important and can be accomplished with two dumbbells.

·        Be sure to consume an abundance of whole plant-based foods daily;  we would recommend 5 to 8 servings daily. Keep in mind that a serving is about one cup, or in the case of some cooked foods can be as little as ½ cup. These plant foods contain up to 100,000 healing nutrients that bolster the efficiency and health of our immune system. They insulate us from chronic disease. During times like these we need to guard against overeating; we recommend eating until satisfied, not full. Also, plant foods are the only food sources for dietary fiber that is critical for digestive health, cholesterol control, and blood sugar issues.

·       Get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.

·       Get adequate sunshine

·       Help others whenever possible; this would include encouraging others

·       Engage in fun activities like singing, dancing, and affiliating with lighthearted people

·       Take time to relax when feeling stressed; spend time in nature, read to your children, listen to music, especially some of the complex sounds from Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Vivaldi.

·       Pray often

·       If you are feeling frequently discouraged, depressed, or having suicidal thoughts, seek mental health care.

·       Use mindfulness meditation to help keep excess negative stress in check

·       Follow the well-publicized self-care initiatives having to do with countering this pandemic virus

·       Count your blessings and be grateful

·       Laugh and have fun and surround yourself with optimistic people

·       Guard against risk-taking behaviors, especially when operating motor vehicles and consuming potentially harmful foods and/or alcohol

·       Limit exposure to dramatic, negative news that over time, can negatively affect our mood.

·       As we consider being stressed out, it is ineresting to consider something called our Flow Channel. Flow is a desirable adaptation to stress that includes a highly focused mental state, being fully absorbed, even losing track of time, being in the zone, and resiliency in general. Optimal focus and performance that is characteristic of Flow can be compromised by either too much or not enough stress and by  inadequate skills to follow through with healthy lifestyle change. An inadequate level of challenge can result in boredom or anxiety.

·       We must affirm and legitimize our realistic concerns and challenges; our physical and emotional responses are important and are an integral  response to challenge. Minimizing the importance of our feelings and denying appropriate emotional responses can increase the potency of the challenges.

·       And finally, seek self-efficacy which has to do with having the skills and motivation to succeed in primary endeavors. Self-efficacy helps us to build self-confidence as we seek optimal performance.

So, let us remember that no one is immune from the negative aspects of stress. We continue to have about three quarters of all Primary Care doctor’s visits associated with chronic negative stress. And finally, I hope that we can appreciate the additive effect of multiple epidemic and pandemic catastrophic environmental events that build on one another and create a multiplying, synergistic affect.

References

Frates, Beth; Bonnet, Jonathan; Joseph, Richard; Peterson, James: ‘lifestyle medicine handbook: An introduction to the power of healthy habits,’ Healthy learning, 2019.

Hallowell, Edward: ‘Crazy busy: overstretched, overbooked, and about to snap!’ Ballantine Books. 2006.

Ornish, Dean and Ornish, Anne: ‘UnDo It,’ Ballantine books, 2019.

Zahler, William A.: ‘Health, inertia, and information: why are we sick?’Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2018 by William A. Zahler.

Zahler, William A.: ‘Synergy and the dynamics of lifestyle change,’ Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2019 by William A. Zahler.

3 John 2

William Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Website & Blog: lifestyle – interventions.com

YouTube: William Zahler

May 27, 2020

Zoom Video Conferencing as a Tool in Lifestyle Therapeutics

The Zoom communication platform will obviously play an important role for us in the intermediate-term and even in our long- term interactions.

As we continue to adjust to the coronavirus environment, several important and clear advantages  in the Zoom platform present themselves.

Social Distancing

Most of us would agree that social distancing is an important ongoing behavioral adjustment to deal with, as this pandemic virus evolves. The Zoom platform and similar communication tools, for the most part, resolves this Social distancing challenge. We are simply sitting in our homes and communicating at safe distance in a safe environment in meetings that address a full range of topics, including health -related issues. Social distancing is built in and an inherent, permanent fixture in these meetings.

Isolation and loneliness

Social isolation is a toxic affront to our psycho-emotional health. We need to be able to interact with others in order to nurture essential relationships with our coworkers, our family, and our friends. This is where we gain affirmation, encouragement and assistance in many issues. In this modern day, fast-moving culture, we often get wrapped up in technology pursuits and trying to negotiate a glut of information. Interestingly, we are a culture with an increasing challenge regarding social isolation and loneliness. A lack of interaction with others contributes to emotional confusion, guessing about important parts of our relationships, anxiety and dysphoria. So, what does this have to do with the Zoom video conferencing service? Well, participants in Zoom meetings have a safe place, mostly, to interact and share their views either through typing a message in the Chat function or in verbalizing their interest in a topic. Attendance is important and essential as a means to view each other and our interactions. However, it is also important and probably essential for participants to speak out, where that is possible within the framework of a specific meeting. It is this exchange of information where we build relatedness and where others come to know us in critical ways. Engagement is core part of conquering isolation and loneliness. In many meetings the host has the opportunity to facilitate interaction, to ask specific participants what their view is of a given topic or issue. That is how folks come to know us at a deeper level, to know who we are. Yes, public speaking is an anxiety-producing challenge for many; Zoom may well provide a safe environment for working against this specific ingredient of the isolation syndrome. And, these interchanges within the meeting may help participants to build confidence in their social interactions. So, it is important for the Host to be aware of the opportunities for communication and their contribution to assist folks in becoming more outgoing.

Health- Related Discussions

Finally, I wanted to mention the opportunity that we have with these Zoom meetings to discuss specific health-related content. Here is an ideal tool for presenting a full spectrum of disease prevention, lifestyle altering, content. Health practitioners need to understand that positive lifestyle change is not only about the practitioner telling the patient what to do! Change is about engaging the participant, learning about their views of the issue and what level of importance it holds for them. Change is not only about the exchange of information, it is primarily about what we do with the information, what actions we take. For example, if we are in a Zoom meeting discussing how to avoid the most serious effects from a virus by enhancing our immune system, it is essential to understand the participant and the likelihood that they would be willing to initiate an exercise program, eat healthier food, attend to their sleep hygiene, stop smoking, make attempts to moderate stress, and build positive, rewarding relationships. In order to have positive outcomes in our efforts to help people change, the participant must have a platform to discuss relapse issues, and to share their views about the suggested prescription, and action plan. Be aware that, by way of example, many, many prescription drugs are never taken, because the patient, participant, never processed their feelings and ideas about taking medication.

In these health- related discussions, there is often the opportunity to build on the participants’ psychological resilience and psychological hardiness, so that there is increasing likelihood that they will be able to make positive lifestyle changes. Part and parcel of this skill building task is the practical, hands-on participant experience of speaking in a group, or even speaking and sharing ideas with one individual in a group, be that the host or another participant.

References

Frates, Beth; Bonnet, Jonathan; Joseph, Richard; Peterson, James: ‘lifestyle medicine handbook: An introduction to the power of healthy habits,’ Healthy learning, 2019.

Hallowell, Edward: ‘Crazy busy: overstretched, overbooked, and about to snap!’ Ballantine Books. 2006.

        Katz, David L.: ‘The Truth About Food,’ Copyright by David Katz,          2018.

Novick, Jeff: ‘Distracted: Looking for health in all the wrong places,’ published online, February, 2020.

Ornish, Dean and Ornish, Anne: ‘UnDo It,’ Ballantine books, 2019.

 Zahler, William A.: ‘Health, inertia, and information: why are we sick?’Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2018 by William A. Zahler.

Zahler, William A.: ‘Synergy and the dynamics of lifestyle change,’ Printed by Create Space, Copyright 2019 by William A. Zahler.

William Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Website & Blog: lifestyle – interventions.com

YouTube: William Zahler

The Corona Virus: Another Major Challenge

Our citizens in Bay County Florida were the focus of a category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Michael, that made landfall on October 10, 2018 near Mexico Beach, Florida. This storm, this natural disaster, presented us with tornadoes and 161 MPH winds resulting in tremendous damage to our natural habitat, to our businesses, to our residences, and to our medical resources. We are now almost 1 ½ years post storm and are still struggling to reopen businesses and to make repairs to our homes. This disaster has been a major financial challenge for many families and to many businesses. As I write this on March 16, 2020 some of our major banks are just beginning to be rebuilt. This is also true of a number of local businesses. Some of my church members are still making major repairs to their homes. Hundreds of people have left the area and are not returning. There is an ongoing challenge to find responsible, capable and honest construction workers to do all the necessary work.

So, we have the residuals of Hurricane Michael to contend with while simultaneously Bay County Florida, along with the rest of the world is contending with the Corona Virus, a pandemic (worldwide epidemic) involving a viral illness that can be vicious. Here are some of the residual governmental, economic, and medical effects from this virus:

·       Part of the result of this virus is that the stock market has taken a dramatic plunge, challenging people further to cope with financial trials.

·       Some schools are closed and others are transitioning to online courses.

·       Some churches are closed and transitioning to online sermons and other activities.

·       Our medical system is challenged in a serious way to respond  comprehensively to the potential medical needs. Indications are that we will need to expand the capacity of the healthcare system; we will need to be innovative in that task and perhaps utilize novel sources of medical personnel, like the national guard or military. There is a scarcity of needed medical equipment.

·       There is a clear sense of panic with millions of people buying water, paper products, food items and etc. There are many empty shelves in supermarkets. According to the news, there have been instances of physical violence in markets as people compete to buy certain items; thankfully that has not happened locally.

·       There is a clear, mass psycho-emotional stress response to the considerable uncertainty. What is becoming more and more clear is that everyone including parents, businesses, children, medical personnel, and first responders are going to have to make significant changes to their rituals and routines.

Many people have taken the position that all of this is just an overreaction to the media coverage, and that actually there is only very manageable risk involved here. This is a classic example of denial that tends to interfere with rational steps toward protecting oneself, one’s family, and our community. Wishful thinking is a primitive defense that can interfere with all aspects of our health and can sabotage our efforts to work cooperatively as a team.

So, this response to the Virus calls for us to make critical and important changes in our behaviors and in many instances this involves relearning and countering automaticity, the automatic, spontaneous impulse to not act appropriately. Here are some of the protective measures that we are asked to take:

·       Wash your hands frequently especially after using the toilet, after handling animals, after coughing or sneezing, win hands are visibly dirty, before eating and when caring for the sick.

·       Maintain social distancing: with at least 3 feet between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

·       Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. Once contaminated, hands can transfer the virus to these areas.

·       Practice respiratory hygiene: Cover your mouth and nose with with your bent elbow or tissue; then dispose of the tissue immediately.

·       Disinfect your cell phones and tablets.

·       If you have fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, seek medical care early.

·       Staying informed and follow the directions of your healthcare provider.

·       Greeting others: avoid hugging and shaking hands. Instead, consider an elbow bump, a foot tap, a wave, a nod, or a bow.

·       Restaurants pose risk.

·       Coronavirus.com is one of several good online resources for information.

The challenge for most of us appears to be, just how we can all remain in good health, be helpful to others, and work toward resolution of these dual challenges and to have a positive outcome. Clearly, hysteria is not productive because of its inherent hyper-emotionality that compromises good judgment and triggers a whole series of medical symptoms and unproductive behaviors.    

Miscellanea

·       Interestingly these two major challenges, Hurricane Michael and the Corona Virus are happening within the context of major political divisiveness … Will these disasters bring the politicians together where they can work jointly and effectively?

·       Information warfare is the name of one of our chapters in Health, Inertia, and Information: Why Are We Sick?, our 2018 book about disease prevention, Pages 23 – 62. So, are all sources of information equally valid and objective and credible? Probably not. In many situations, more information is not necessarily better; in fact, more information often confuses people especially if it is presented in an hysterical way. In many information venues it becomes apparent that people want 100% accurate information, they want it now, and they want a 100% guarantee that it is correct. The naïveté here is considerable.

We need to be able to grasp the big picture here. What is at issue is all core factors like needed resources, healthcare needs, financial/economic issues, and government support that all contribute to progress and also to perpetuating the challenges. It is everything taken together, in both of the major challenges, the hurricane and virus that interact, sometimes in a synergistic way, to produce a full spectrum of results.

As I have written about in numerous articles, the overall physical, mental, and spiritual health of individuals, families. and our work-force is at issue here. This is a time when many people will be increasingly vulnerable to contracting stress-related disease and/or the virus. It is a time when we must progress from understanding what is healthy, to doing what is healthy.

This appears to be a very important time for our spiritual resources, our churches, as millions of us count on them for our spiritual health, for encouragement, for direction. Where possible, it would be quite helpful to have online prayer ministries; through these anyone could access the website of the church and submit a prayer request at any time. This would be an example of a doable, low cost initiative that anyone could use and that could provide us with a sense of participation, inclusion and optimism. This does not necessarily mean that the prayer would take place over the phone, but it might. The other option would be for callers to simply leave their prayer request on the dedicated line, having assurance that the church ministry would indeed pray for the individual or situation in question.

Overlapping Crises, Some Dynamics

So, in our current local culture we have extended challenges; that is to say that many of us are subject to chronic stress, at least to some degree. This situation calls for perseverance, the ability to remain resilient over time. As a result of this it would be expected that some of the population will experience health issues that may or may not require treatment. And, as health challenges increase,  their needs are compounded. We can look at extended stress having several phases:

·       Initial adaptation

·       Physical adjustment

·       Fatigue, indicates physical and psychological challenge

·       Poor self-care and isolation

·       Anomie and alienation

·       Depression, perhaps to a clinically significant degree

·        As we consider this process, it is important to note that along the way the more resilient individuals negotiate a positive pathway that involves engaging others, accepting help and maintaining a somewhat optimistic, healthy view of things. On the other hand, there is a significant portion of the population who remain stuck in their negative pathway that is quite negativistic, emotionally degrading and tends to reject the positive interactions with others; this group tends to be more isolated.

And, it is important to note that the local culture and environment is always part of public health emergencies; in the case of Bay County Florida part of their environment involves residual effects of a category 5 hurricane.

3 John 2

William A. Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Web: lifestyle-interventions.com

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Email: wazahler@gmail.com

March 19, 2020