General Wellness

I posted in the past about how we have this tradition of labeling days, weeks or months after some cause, as if remembering them periodically makes much difference. Well, today is Earth Day!

There has been a lot of press about renewed efforts to address the obvious climate crisis we are in and I continue to be struck by how little, if any, mention there is about the single, most impactful behavior we can change today which will have an immediate impact on not only reducing global warming gases, but also immediately reversing it. 

STOP CONSUMING ANIMAL PRODUCTS. Even the most conservative, pro-meat industry organizations, admit that this industry accounts for at least 15% of global warming gases, more than all modes of transportation, worldwide, combined. The more accurate assessment is that the percentage is at least 50% with some estimates even puting it as high as 80%.

The impact of stopping, or even cutting back on meat and other animal product consumption is immediate. Production of gases like methane and nitrous oxide, orders of magnitude more potent than CO2, stop immediately. In addition, the lands used for growing the crops to feed the animals as well as the land used for grazing are immediately released to re-grow, providing the crucial carbon trapping we need to sequester the massive amounts of carbon we have generated. We kill over 70 billion land animals and 1.7 trillion, yes trillion, aquatic animals, for human consumption annually. It is staggering.

Slowing climate change down should not be the goal. It’s too late for that. Climate change is on the precipice of progressing regardless of how much we slow it down. It’s called run-away climate change. We need to focus on reversing it.

I heard a sobering statistic this morning that since President Biden became Vice-President, only 12 years ago, humanity has generated more than 40% of all the greenhouse gases we have produced in all of human history. Despite all the recycling efforts. Despite all the focus on electric cars and ride-sharing. Despite all the feel-good efforts we think are making a difference when in fact, they are just bandaids. Like drugs to “manage” diseases. We need to stop the disease, and the drugs won’t be needed. Slowing climate change down is not enough.

THE PANDEMIC MARCHES ON. Here in North America, we are in a bubble. Duped by vaccinations numbers which are amongst the best in the world, the numbers of those getting vaccinated is quickly slowing down. To reach herd-immunity, we need at least 70% of people to be vaccinated, world wide. We are close to 40% in the US, but at least 30% have already stated that they will not get the vaccine, mostly for selfish and uneducated reasons. And then there is the rest of the world. 30 countries have not vaccinated a single person and the pandemic is exploding in some countries, previously held up as models for their ability to control the pandemic, India and Sweden, which now has the 5th fastest rising level of new Covid cases. Worldwide, this pandemic is worse than at any point since it all started.

What can we do? It is still crucial to get vaccinated. The risks are negligible and certainly orders of magnitude less common than the complications of getting the disease. Even the J&J. As far as the clot issue is concerned, there may be 2 additional cases of clotting but that’s it. 8 cases out of 6 million doses. And only one death from this condition, which again, occurs at almost the exact same rate in the general, unvaccinated population. 

And PLEASE continue to behave safely. Practically, but safely.

MASK UP, and STOP touching it for  goodness sakes. 

DISTANCE.

WASH your hands necessary. Don’t overdo it.

VENTILATE.

VACCINATE.

GET HEALTHY.

These are all things we have 100% control over. We also have 100% control over what we eat, which again, is the single most impactful thing you can do to get healthy, save the planet, and to reduce the massive amount of cruelty inflicted on the animals, who have just as much right to be on Earth as we do.

Stay safe and be well.

AC 🌱❤🏃🏻🧘🏻‍

STOP BLEACHING YOUR BANANAS!

When all this started, there was a lot of panic and uncertainty about how the SARS-Cov-2 virus spread. As it became clear that it transmitted much more easily than the flu, and through not just coughing or sneezing but even just talking, we became paranoid about every surface we came into contact with. Initial recommendations were to put all your mail, boxes and non-perishable groceries in your garage for a few days and/or swab them down with some kind of bleach or cleaning solution. Even Windex would work! We sanitized our hands whenever there was even a whiff of a possibility of contamination. 

Although the virus can survive on solid surfaces for a period of time, we now know that the likelihood of getting infected through contacting these surfaces is exceptionally low. In fact, all the sanitization, especially when it comes to our hands, is causing more damage and may even increase the risk of other types of skin infections. When we remove all the protective oils and microbes from our skin we dry it out and make it more vulnerable.

I’m guilty of this as well. When you spend your day immersed in and having contact with people who potentially may have Covid, you get paranoid and it is hard to escape it. I’m working on it!

As I mentioned above, we now know that getting sick from shopping and picking up a can of beans is exceptionally slim. What is MUCH more likely is that you will contaminate yourself by continuously touching and adjusting the front of your mask, exactly where the virus is most likely to land. I see it all day long in the office. Patients, staff, people out in the world, constantly touching it. What makes even less sense is that they pull the mask off their face in order to talk. What the heck is the point of that? Not only are you contaminating your hands, but you are exhaling and inhaling more air and potentially getting infected or spreading infection.

STOP TOUCHING THE DARN MASK!!!!!

1. It does NOT spread easily by fomites (surfaces).
2. Soap and water are just as effective as sterilizing liquids and wipes. Simply put, the virus has a protective oily coating which is easily broken down by simple soap and water. And you don’t need hospital grade, sterilizing soaps either. All the chemicals in these soaps are not good for us. Remember that “If it’s ON you, it’s IN you”. Remember that this summer when you put on sunscreen. Some contain such portent carcinogens that you are more likely to get cancer from the sunscreen than from the sun.
3. It spreads through the air when in relatively close contact with someone, with little or no ventilation and for longer periods of time. How close and how long? There is no exact number. Some studies show that the 6 foot distance may not be enough and that 10 minutes in a small space is all it takes.

If you are taking care of, or sharing space with someone who has Covid, or even a common cold for that matter, of course it makes sense to be extra careful and clean surfaces with something more potent, but otherwise, soap and water is fine. Keep the soap as chemical free as possible. It is mostly the mechanical rubbing that makes a difference anyway.

The number of people getting vaccinated is increasing but so is the number of cases of Covid, especially the variant types. Especially now in younger people, including kids. So PLEASE get vaccinated and continue to follow the basic protective practices.

MASK UP. Wear a good one and STOP TOUCHING IT!!!

DISTANCE. 3 feet is not enough.

VENTILATE.

VACCINATE.

GET HEALTHY! This is till a message that has been woefully missing in all of this. 

Stay safe and be well.

AC 🌱 🏃‍♂️ ❤️ 🧘🏻‍♂️