General Wellness

TESTING UPDATE

Good morning everyone.

I wanted to update everyone on what I learned from a webcast I was on last night put on by the ENT department at Thomas Jefferson University. Great series.

First some apparent GOOD NEWS. There does appear to be some flattening of the curve in some areas, including New York and my own Philly area. Philadelphia was slated to be the next “hotbed”, along with DC but our numbers seem to have slowed a bit in the last 3 days.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE DISEASE IS GOING AWAY! Just that the rate of  new cases and new deaths is slowing. What this means practically, is that because there are fewer new cases, there will be fewer serious cases and fewer ICU beds and ventilators needed. But this does not mean that we are out of the woods or can go freely out into the world. People will continue to get sick for months to come.

Covid-19 is still out there. What it means is that what we are doing, i.e. isolating and social distancing, may be working. Stay vigilant.

TESTING. There are 2 types of tests. 1) Ones which measure the presence or absence of the virus in your secretions and 2) blood tests which measure whether you have made antibodies, molecules our bodies make to more easily identify a microbe in the future. You make antibodies to just about any foreign material your body encounters. Bacteria, viruses, foods, and of course, trees, grass, pets…

If you are feeling well, have a blood test and have positive antibodies, it simply means that you were exposed to the virus and your body may now be better able to combat it if encountered again. Maybe. It may take 5-7 days AFTER you start having symptoms for antibodies to show up so these are not great to do if you think you may have it or are just starting to have symptoms.

The SWAB tests look for the virus in your secretions. The most accurate source is mucus you cough up. The most common source is the nose or mouth. Specifically, the BACK of the nose (nasopharynx) is better than the back of the throat (oropharynx). These swabs have been shown to be as much as 30% false negative, meaning it shows you don’t have the virus when you do. If you get such a test, make sure they stick the swab into the back of the nose. Just rubbing it around the inside of your nose is much less sensitive. 

By the way, I made a joking reference in an earlier post about a nasopharyngeal swab being easier than one for a urinary infection but it turns out that rectal swabs are the second most accurate after sputum. Don’t try this at home! 😜

Stay safe and be well. 

AC😎✌️🌱❤🐖🏃🏻🧘🏻‍♂️🌎

Hello everyone,

UPDATES / CLARIFICATIONS

MOTRIN and other NSAIDS. The jury is still out about whether or not NSAIDs promote Covid adherence to cell walls and increase the risks of contracting Covid. Although better for aches and pains, acetaminophen is better for fevers so until it’s clear, stick with Tylenol. HOWEVER, as I posted also, if your fever is not over 102 and tolerable, ride it out. Fevers help, to a point. If over 102, treat.

HYDROXYQUINONE. Efficacy of this drug has started to come into question and some patients are possibly having unnecessary side effects. DO NOT take this drug if you have it around for some reason and think you MAY have coronavirus, unless instructed by a doctor. There is NO role in prevention, only treatment of people with mild to moderate disease. Would I taske it if I was really sick and a doctor recommended it, yes. But not if mild symptoms or certainly not as prevention.

HAND SANITIZER. Alcohol is not essential. Although 70% alcohol is the best, other types are still effective. For example, Thymol, used in products from 7th Generation, is pretty effective. Benzalkium Chloride is also effective. Many distilleries are starting to make sanitizer which is as effective as the commercial ones. I can’t get any for our office through traditional medical suppliers and just picked up a 2 bottle allotment from a distillery. Washing hands for 20 seconds is still the best.

MOISTURIZE. If you have to use, or tend to overuse, sanitizers, or wash many times a day, make sure you keep your hands moisturized. Skin breakdown puts you at risk for skin infections. You don’t want to swap one problem for another.

PEAK. Who knows. Models keep changing but if people keep going out unnecessarily and unprotected (as I just witnessed coming home from the office), this will continue to drag on. Locally around Philly, some university models predict that it will peak at the end of May or even June. But that still means that we will be seeing cases well into, if not until after the summer. Again, the worst day will be the day before the peak. The second worst day will be the day after the peak.

STAY HOME. STAY SAFE.

If you must go out, wear a mask (a little protection is better than no proptection), wash your hands. Leave stuff for 3 days in the garage or dedicated room if not absolutely essential and swab all containers down with wipes. Wash produce right away.

6 foot distancing.

Stay safe and be well.

AC 😎✌️🌱❤🐖🏃🏻🧘🏻‍♂️🌎