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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YT Channel: William Zahler

Email: wazahler@gmail.com

March 19, 2020

Culture and Stress in Modern-Day America

As I gather information for this paper, the entire world is in the grips of a pandemic involving the coronavirus; as a spin-off of this specific source of stress we have a very dramatic turndown in the stock market that is now in bear market territory, a barely believable transition from a wild melt up in the market in recent months. So, we have two simultaneous stressors that challenge our emotional stability and resilience.

We are gathering considerable information in the form of solid science that adds to the productive understanding of lifestyle factors that contribute to our positive health and our ability to cope with stressful circumstances. As part of this we are asked to negotiate a huge amount of information; this includes copious amounts of misinformation, exaggeration, out-right lying and nonstop hysteria; this tends to darken our mood states and raise our blood pressure. So, if your daily life is an adrenaline-fueled, hectic experience, full of noise, deadlines, bills to pay, intrusive advertising and messages, you are likely in a state of constant hormonal arousal that can cause damage to your body.

Practiced in combination with optimal nutrition, exercise, emotional support, and stress reduction has a powerful impact that has been proven to stop and undo a wide variety of chronic diseases.

 

So, why are we continuing to generate more information about stress?

·     Well, it appears to be true that a very high percentage of all primary care clinic patient contacts have to do with stress-related issues. It follows that there continues to be a huge amount of unhealthy lifestyle practices.

·     There are tremendous benefits to resolving chronic stress -related issues including: better sleep, normalizing blood pressure, healthier mood states, a better sense of well-being and contentment, less interpersonal conflict, better weight control, enhanced work performance, a healthier immune system, less over eating, and increased telomere length. Telomeres are the end caps of chromosomes and the longer they are the healthier you are. Decreasing toxic stress responses helps to lengthen telomeres. Also, getting our stress under control can provide better concentration, better memory & can help us avoid brain fog and confusion.

So, what are the things we can do to prevent or at least minimize toxic stress

·     Get 7 to 9 hours of sound sleep nightly

·     Spend more time in nature

·     Get regular exercise 5 to 6 days a week; brisk walking is great

·     Surround yourself with encouraging, pleasant, optimistic people, your support system

·     Avoid loneliness

·     Put limits on multitasking

·     Simplify your life when possible

·     Negativistic thinking hurts us.

·     Too much worry is risky

· Limit exposure to negative popular media including the Internet

·     Be a responsible money manager

·     Be a sharing and caring marital partner and parent

·     Take very good care of your body, mind and spirit

·     Help others by encouraging them and assisting them when you can

·     Avoid unnecessary risk-taking

·     Eat nutritious plant-based foods that are not processed; consume 6 to 7 servings a day of recipes that contain fruit including berries, whole grains, beans, green leafy vegetables, garlic and onions, nuts and seeds, various multicolored vegetables, and etc. Chia seeds may assist in having less anxiety. Avocados are high in B vitamins and may help in decreasing depression and anxiety. Green tea is a wonderful, super healthy drink. Beans contain some B vitamins also and may assist in lessening fatigue.

·     Regularly practice some sort of meditation.

·     Laughter is great…  it tends to dissolve tension.

Both acute and chronic stress responses are important; an acute stressor might be a temporary financial situations that will resolve in a month or two; chronic stress tends to be more challenging … things like being a caretaker for a severely handicapped child or living with chronic physical pain…

Stress-related symptoms and medical issues may include:

·     Sleeplessness

·     Elevated blood pressure

·     Weakened immunity

·     Feeling overwhelmed

·     Interpersonal conflicts

·Predisposition to a multitude of health problems including Type 2 Diabetes , irritable bowel syndrome, tension headaches, clinical depression, and infertility.

·Dysbiosis which is an imbalance in the gut bacteria

·     Weight gain or weight loss

·     Craving for foods containing fat, salt and sugar

·   We have also learned that chronic stress may be a factor in breast cancer cell growth

·     Abdominal fat accumulation

So, optimal self-care and being your own best healthcare advocate are two of the most powerful things we can do to increase longevity and to increase our health span. We wish you many successful small incremental positive steps forward or one huge positive step forward, which ever you like!

William A. Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Web: lifestyle-interventions.com

YT Channel: William Zahler

Email: wazahler@gmail.com

March 13, 2020

‘Corona Virus: Stress, Vulnerability & Opportunity?

As we go about the business of understanding this new threat, we are reminded that it poses a significant stressor because of all the unknowns … we do not know how much risk is there for us.  We do know about Italy, however, where there is a clear epidemic that has resulted in many social restrictions …

·       So, what could possibly be an opportunity in the midst of this virus event? Well, many people have the ability to build their psychological resiliency as they negotiate daily rituals and attempt to stay healthy.

·       This resilience is helpful not only for you and your personal health but to those around you, e.g. your family and network of friends. This support group is vitally important

·        We are advocates of praying every day; during times like these there is plenty to pray about. Consult your clergyman of choice or a Christian friend if you need to brush up on your praying.

·       So, to build resilience and mental toughness it is also a great idea to help others and encourage others; we all need that.

·       Seek balance and emotional well-being through focusing on the present moment, mindfulness and breathing purposefully and slowly as part of a meditative state.

·       Make every effort to take charge of your thoughts and attitudes, even during times of uncertainty. Seek self-efficacy, your ability to achieve and persevere as you negotiate challenges.

Recommendations

·       Consult the coronavirus.com website for broad-based information about many aspects of the virus

·       We recommend that you include in your routine lifestyle practices the consumption of whole plant foods because they contain up to 100,000 powerful, healing nutrients called phytonutrients; these plant compounds help us to avoid bacterial and viral infections, help us to keep our immune system in tune, and help us to avoid inflammation.

·       Among these many healthy foods would include an apple a day, berries, steel cut or old-fashioned oats, garlic and onions, green tea, beets, leafy green vegetables like kale, beans, whole grains, a few nuts and seeds, cabbage, and a large vegetable salad every day. This may be the perfect time to experiment with your vegetable soup recipes.

·       As important as what you eat is, what we recommend you not eat; it is greatly important! Generally speaking, high animal fat, low nutrient, low fiber, high sugar, high sodium, and highly processed foods are not recommended.

·       We make these food recommendations with the awareness that some people have specific food sensitivities and allergies that they need to attend to. Also, we are aware that in some cases your medications may contraindicate certain foods. Also, we are aware that many medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease may require certain foods; regarding this, we are also aware that there is sometimes a lack of consensus about which foods are healthy or not, and we take a very specific stance here, that unprocessed plant-based foods are very healthy. Not only are they healthy, but they are the foods of choice to help correct most all chronic medical conditions.

·       Stay well hydrated, consuming plenty of clean water every day.

·       A high-quality multiple vitamin containing nutrients only from plant foods is recommended.

·       Make an attempt to exercise daily; brisk walking is a great idea as is strength building exercise twice a week.

·       Get 10 to 20 minutes of sunshine daily when possible.

·       7 to 9 hours of sound sleep every night is very important.

·       Essential oils: here we have an adjunct nutrient source and a means of countering some the toxins in our environment. For example, tea tree oil is very useful in countering airborne bacteria and viruses. Oregano, Thyme, Melissa, Peppermint, Lavender, and Clove essential oils can also be helpful in this respect. However, be sure that you fully familiarize yourself with the use of essential oils; there are specific guidelines for use, including application methods, and dose. Also, many of the applications involve using a neutral carrier oil like jojoba to create a mixture of oils.

·       It is counterproductive to consume mood altering drugs in order to cope with stress, unless you are on medication for a mood disorder or related condition. Alcohol is a depressant drug and is not required for optimal health. Vaping is very unhealthy. Smoking is very unhealthy.

·       Make every effort to keep the interior of your home clean and disinfected, especially bathroom, bedroom and kitchen areas.

·       During this time, be very cautious about eating in restaurants where there may be added risk of infection associated with the food itself and/or the gathering of large numbers of people.

·       Be your own best self-care and health care advocate.

·       Positive emotions are important: serenity, inspiration, amusement, laughter, gratitude, joy, pride, love, happiness and contentment are refreshing.

·       We recommend that you not allow yourself to get addicted to all of the negative news coverage on the Internet and in the popular media. This can be disconcerting and can foster a counterproductive negative mood state. Limit screen time about the virus and peripheral issues.

·       Social distancing is important and has huge implications. Are we ready for it? Are we resilient enough to cope with it??

·       The point here is that your self-care during times of stress is very important in order to remain healthy and functional. We all need plentiful accurate information about how not to get sick.

3 John 2

William A. Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

Web: lifestyle-interventions.com

YT Channel: William Zahler

Email: wazahler@gmail.com

March 11, 2020

Risk-taking is Risky!

Risk-taking is an interesting topic and appears to be a great avenue on which to discuss a whole series of topics about mortality and morbidity. The risks we take as part of our daily rituals are clearly a very important part of the picture about our longevity, our health span, and our disease span. Our purpose here is simply to raise awareness about some of the more common risks that predispose to psycho-emotional and physical challenges and illnesses.

So, risk-taking is risky J, is sometimes fun, sometimes exciting, and sometimes painful. Clearly, it is not possible to avoid all risk in this busy life that we lead and many would argue that it is not desirable to work toward avoiding all risky thoughts and behaviors.

Busyness, in and of itself, when taken to excess, can be a risk factor for high blood pressure, interpersonal conflict, mood disorders and compromise of our critically important immune system that insulates us from a whole series of medical conditions. Being too busy robs us of time, attention, and mental energy. Excessive busyness can lead to postponing and cutting short other important, priority issues. And, busyness as a risky behavior quite often leads to irresponsible behaviors on the part of otherwise high functioning people; a case in point is the failure of business people to responsibly follow up with their customers. Something as seemingly minor as failure to follow through with a promised phone call to a customer can be a major business error on the part of sometimes high-ranking business employees. Promising to be at the customers house to perform some important work and then not showing up and also not following up with a phone call is a serious issue, that is often prompted by excessive busyness.

Most of us would do well to remind ourselves that there is an interpersonal dimension to risk-taking. A common example would be driving under the influence of alcohol or other mood-altering drugs that may result in a motor vehicle accident, a death or a police citation and incarceration. A more complex example might involve decades of practicing unhealthy lifestyle behaviors like inactivity and consuming unhealthy foods that may well lead to physical incapacity from a stroke, heart attack, cancer or early onset of dementia. This then would negatively affect an entire family by creating a caretaker role on the part of other family members. We know from definitive research that being a caretaker can be very stressful and can even predispose to illness on the part of the caretaker.

Is risky behavior a component of certain personality types? Well, there are a group of people who seem to thrive on excitation. These folks may run stoplights, be skydivers, drive very fast on their motorcycle, or entertain ideas that they are immune from the ill effects of inadequate sleep, eating too many cupcakes, or vaping. They may be ultra-distance runners, some of whom experience serious negative health effects from the sport. These folks thrive on adrenaline and may have associated high blood pressure. There may be more subtle effects from the type of risks noted here; the person may allow themselves to be distracted from very important, primary tasks like their employment, being an attentive husband who has the time and energy for his wife, and attending to their own self-care issues. These folks may have what we call obsessive-compulsive personality traits. Interestingly, a subgroup of these folks can be quite high functioning people who only see the negative impact of their attraction to excitement, after a tragedy or after many years of the pseudo-untoward behavior.

Part of the dynamic of perpetuating these risky behaviors has to do with the sort of affiliations that the person has. Often, they have friends who participate jointly with them in similar activities. Secondly, in many of these situations, it is only after many years that the adrenaline addict can reflect in a realistic way about the problematic effects of their behavior.

Most of us would agree that addiction to unhealthy food, gambling, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and etc. are problematic behaviors. There is a component in the addictions of seeking to alter our mood states. It is said that the worst thing that can happen to a gambler is for them to win because it reinforces in a powerful way their addictive behavior.

Food is a source of risky behavior for many people, perhaps most people. It is risky to consume foods that contain high cholesterol, cadmium, or heterocyclic amines. Especially chronic consumption of these types of foods can lead to inflammatory illness, compromised immunity and cardiovascular disease among other illnesses. Foods can contain a variety of different toxins and many of these toxins are implicated in the cancer epidemic. It is very important for each of us to educate ourselves about the specifics regarding the source of toxins in what we eat and drink. Interestingly it is also very important to be aware of the risks in what foods and drinks we do not consume; simply being dehydrated is a major risk factor that can end us up in the emergency room. Not consuming enough dietary fiber can have serious negative health implications. Not consuming enough healthy plant nutrients can have additional negative health implications. Consuming too much processed fast food is another serious risk factor for physical illness. Consuming unwashed produce is also risky.

A cancer patient who continues to consume sugary foods, red meat, other processed meats, chicken and fish is on a risky course. Consuming diets that include high fat animal-based foods are risky.

EMF Radiation (EMF) are invisible areas of energy, often referred to as radiation, that are associated with the use of electrical power and various forms of natural and man-made lighting. Commonly known sources of EMF radiation include cellphones. television. microwave ovens, computers and Wi-Fi devices. Some studies have found a link between EMF exposure and a higher risk of childhood leukemia, but other studies have not. According to some scientists, EMFs can affect your body's nervous system function and cause damage to cells. Cancer and unusual growths may be two symptoms of very high EMF exposure. Other symptoms may include: sleep disturbances, including insomnia.

Ionizing Radiation is made up of energetic subatomic particles, ions or atoms moving at high speeds (usually greater than 1% of the speed of light), and electromagnetic waves on the high-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. Why is ionizing radiation dangerous? When atoms in living cells become ionized, one of three things usually happen – the cell dies, the cell repairs itself, or the cell mutates incorrectly and can become cancerous. Not all cells are affected by ionizing radiation in the same way. People are exposed to natural sources of ionizing radiation, such as in soil, water, and vegetation, as well as in human-made sources, such as x-rays and medical devices.

Other lifestyle factors:

·       Being sedentary and sitting too much is a very potent risk factor for numerous diseases; and can also contribute to Alzheimer’s symptoms. And, running races without proper physical conditioning is risky.

·       Even low levels of chronic, moderate stress is a risk factor for chronic disease.

·       Smoking and vaping are risk factors for chronic disease.

·       Inadequate sound sleep (7-9 hours) is a risk factor for illness.

·       Conflictful relationships are risky, and can contribute to shortened telomeres; telomeres are the end caps of chromosomes that can indicate illness and longevity.

Is living in an area with polluted air risky? Yes!

Is living in an area with a polluted water supply risky? Yes!

Is living in an area with a food desert risky? Yes! A food desert is a geographic area that has inadequate access to healthy foods.

Is living in an area with aggressive, sometimes lethal gang activity risky? Yes!

Is living in an area that has frequent buying and selling of illicit drugs risky? Yes!

Miscellaneous medical issues:

·       Having an abnormal lab tests for blood lipids, stress hormones like cortisol, hemoglobin A-1 C and other abnormal tests call for medical intervention; ignoring such indicators is very risky.

·       Ignoring high blood pressure is very risky and can lead to stroke

·       Medications have side effects and some of them are very risky

·       It is medically risky to continue unhealthy lifestyle practices.

·       Consumption of mood altering, over-the-counter and natural remedies can pose risk. This includes sleep aids, cough and cold remedies and allergy remedies. This includes pain relievers and diet pills. They can all be mood altering.

·       Believing that you can eat toxic foods and be sedentary for decades without developing ill health is a very risky believe system.

·       Being hospitalized poses risk of infections, some of them very serious.

·       Overconsumption of things and having money as an idol poses unique risks.

·       Ignoring habituation or addiction to alcohol is very risky business

·       Having untreated chronic pain of any sort is risky and can lead to depression and stress.

·       Untreated sleep disorders can lead to weight gain and many other difficulties; they are risky.

·       Negativistic thinking is a common condition that can lead to mood disorders, troublesome relationships and a lack of well-being.

William A. Zahler, MSW, DipACLM

March 2020