What crazy times we live in!
In this post, I will try to explain how I am coping with this pandemic, and what you can do on your own to try to stay healthy during these crazy times.
In life, there are things we can control, and things we cannot control.
- Those things we cannot control, we need to first accept the fact that we cannot control it.
- We need to get educated, prepare for the worst, and hope for the best.
As it relates to Covid-19, first let’s discuss how to prepare for the worst.
- Locate your health insurance cards.
- It is not only important to know where YOU have kept your card, but also know where your spouse and children have kept their cards.
- It might be helpful to share this with immediate family members, just in case.
- We live in a digital world.
- So everything needs passwords and userids.
- Make a list of the important web sites, userids, and passwords, and share this information with immediate family – just in case.
- Locate all of your life insurance, disability insurance, and financial bank and investment account information, and share it with immediate family – just in case.
The above may sound grim and anxiety provoking. It is not. It is reality. We must all face reality. Remember, we need to accept the potential seriousness of this illness, and prepare for the worst.
Enough of the not-so-happy stuff.
Now let’s focus on the things we CAN control.
Optimistically, remember that 99.5% of people infected will survive, without any issues. They will have had a bad case of the “flu”, and life will go on without any problems.
To increase your chances of getting thru this infection, there are a few things you can do, immediately, without talking to a doctor.
- Stay well hydrated – drink plenty of water and Gatorade
- Take vitamin supplements
- High dose otc Vitamin B12 – at least 2 mg per day
- High dose otc Vitamin C — at least 1 mg per day
- High dose otc Vitamin D3 — at least 5,000 iu per day (if you have any kidney issues, please ask your private physician before starting D3)
- NOTE: Taking excess amounts of B12 and C cannot and will not hurt you. These vitamins are “water soluble”, which means that any amount your body does not need, you will dispose of it thru urination. Absolutely NO WORRIES about taking B12 and C supplements in high doses.
- Take all of your prescription medications daily, and on schedule
- Exercise daily, at home or in your neighborhood, using common sense social distancing
- Maintain proper mental health
- Staying at home and listening to all the craziness on TV can cause serious anxiety and depression
- Watch TV in limited quantities
- Read a book
- Talk to your friends and family via phone / skype / WhatsApp, etc
- AND, as I recently heard, practice “Social Distancing” while also “Distance Socializing” !!
Stay Safe !
- Sudhir S. Athni, MD