Members get a daily Covid-19 topic focused on Covid in Tennessee.
Supporters are part of a self-improvement sub-group where value is dispensed daily on personal growth in all aspects of life, informed by many sources. New members welcome!
The decline in the current Covid surge in northeast Tennessee is well underway, it appears. Ballad Health System is reporting 398 patients now, which is a precipitous decline from the record only days ago. The old saying about counting your chickens before they hatch may still apply here, but I'm pretty optimistic about this.
An EUA has been issued for an Eli Lilly monoclonal antibody preparation that shows effectiveness against Omicron. It is known as bebtelovimab, and 600,000 doses have been purchased by the US Federal Government for distribution.
As with any respiratory virus treatment, early treatment is key. To get treatment, you have to test, and do so as soon as you have symptoms.
I didn't mention this when it was news, but there has now been a change in recommendation for the use of remdesivir. It can now be used as an early treatment in high-risk individuals. One study showed that it reduced serious illness and death by 87% compared to a placebo. The treatment is to give 200mg IV as an initial dose, followed on day 2 and 3 with 100mg IV. That means that you have to have an IV and receive the infusion. Logistics will limit its usefulness, but, for high-risk people, this is about as efficacious as Paxlovid, and the drug itself is probably more easily located. Finding an infusion center to administer it is a different question.
I'll be glad when anti-Covid medicines are widely available and not limited to "high risk" individuals. A home test and a course of the pills and Covid isn't a serious problem anymore. (Yes, I know that some other old medicines are believed in similarly, but we're sticking with official narrative here with some of my own opinions tossed in for good measure.)
It's the weekend. Go outside. Get some sunshine and fresh air. Turn off the screens. Quit binging on news. Protect your mental peace.
Stay healthy!
I'm on a weekend night call schedule this weekend, which always leaves me feeling under-rested and generally icky.
But I wanted to remind you that outdoor exercise without screens is really good for your mental health.
Go outdoors, preferably into the woods.
Get in tune with those surroundings, the sights, the sounds, the smells, even the movement of air and the varying temperatures as you walk.
We were made to be outdoors.
We were definitely not made to work in cubicles.
One Degree!
What you want from your body will dictate what you need to set as goals, and the goals will determine what you'll end up having to change to attain them.
I've spoken many times about systems being better than goals, and my position has not changed.
But goals are easier to discuss and to understand, so for this week, we'll be very specific about goals.
Do you want more muscle mass?
Do you want to be stronger?
Do you want to run faster?
Do you want to gain weight?
Do you want to lose weight?
Do you want to improve general fitness?
Do you want longevity?
Do you want strong bones?
Do you want to earn a Black Belt?
Understanding the benefits and costs of each particular goal may help you decide what you want.
For example, if you want to compete in body-building competitions, you'll not be doing the same thing as if you were focused on longevity. Same with strength competitions.
But general fitness and longevity go fairly well together.
Running is great but will increase the likelihood of needing knee or hip ...
I'll make this one short and to the point.
Spring time change is hard on all of us. Having to get up an hour early doesn't make going to bed an hour earlier much easier.
Yes, it's nice to have more productive time in the evening.
But it's at the cost of forcing us out of be an hour earlier, as we all know.
Our challenge is to adjust our circadian rhythm to match the world's expectations around us.
My main strategy is supplementing with a dose of melatonin about a half hour before I need to be asleep. It helps most people fall asleep more readily.
If you need a nap during your day, take it between mid-morning and early afternoon. Limit it to 20 minutes.
Taking a longer or later nap may make it even harder to get off to sleep in time.
All of the other normal advice applies even moreso:
- Take a 20-minute walk after supper.
- No screen time for the last hour before bed.
- Listen to calm music after supper.
- Don't eat for 2 hours before bed.
- Don't have conflict-laden conversations ...
