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!
Today in Tennessee, 2,570 people had new confirmed positive SARS-CoV2 infections, 3 people were reported to have died from Covid-19, and hospitalizations rose to 1,919. Positivity was 17.67%.
Our hospital system today announced that, starting next Monday, all patients who have scheduled elective cases that may require admission to the hospital after their surgeries will be canceled and rescheduled due to Covid-19. The current surge is accelerating at a rate that is very concerning.
The R(0), spoken as "R-naught," for the delta variant is being reported as 5 or higher. That means that each person who contracts delta spreads it, on average, to at least 5 other people.
That looks thusly:
Generation 1: 5
Generation 2: 25
Generation 3: 125
Generation 4: 625
Generation 5: 3,125
Generation 6: 15,625
Generation 7: 78,125
Generation 8: 390,625
Generation 9: 1,953,125
Generation 10: 9,765,625
This example, of course, ignores many realities associated with human behavior in response to pandemic events, and so this would not be sustained to the nearly 10 million shown here. The R(0) would drop quickly when nearing herd immunity, and when people quit hanging around other people.
But delta is currently in the neighborhood of Chicken Pox for its transmissibility.
I do think that actual infections are far higher than we know, because I think most vaccinated people are not being tested when they get cold symptoms.
Keep Regen-COV in mind for post-exposure prophylaxis and for early symptomatic treatment in high risk individuals. Suggest it to your friends if they are exposed. Remind your doctor if you are exposed.
As a brainstorming item, I wonder if nebulized administration of monoclonal antibodies has ever been studied, or intranasal administration. If anyone has info on that, I'd be interested to hear it!
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 ...
