By: Daniel Pearce, D.O., FACOI, AAHIVMS
LIGHTNING INJURIES WITH CELLPHONES?
There is no increased danger of being hit with lightning when you have a cellphone other than not paying attention to what is going on around you.
PERSONAL SPACE FARTHER
A study using an MRI showed that people now prefer 4 feet distance between people rather than the pre-Covid 3 feet.
This reminds me that many Asians have been comfortable with mask wearing for many years, but US residents found this very new and strange. Some cultures have shorter or farther personal space than we do. Japanese are packed and pushed and smashed by porters into subways to fill them up. I don’t know how it Is in the time of Covid there.
NEWER DIABETES MEDS NOW PROMINENT IN GUIDELINES
Insulin, and older diabetes medications take a back seat to the newer ones. Metformin, an older drug, still gets good ratings, though. Much more data is available now and that caused a revision: a new guideline and chart is available. You might double check with your provider if you are on the newer meds.
ARE YOU INVINCIBLE?
When we make bad choices as a young person, we are ashamed of when we think back on it as adults. Young adults take risks: drive too fast, have unsafe sex, experiment with substances, join the armed services. Sometimes they pay a high price when their luck runs out. In the same way youth are very hesitant to take Covid recommendations seriously. They underestimate the risks of catching Covid since they think they are invincible and overestimate the risk of the vaccine. The elderly, on the other hand, has taken the vaccine at a very good rate in most states; probably estimating (realistically) that their risk of Covid complications to be high.
Are you exceptional? That bad thing “happens to them, not me since they are…….” Many in the US feel they are an exception to the rule. My sister says she wears her mask outside and doesn’t meet with people and is not sure about the vaccine, but she is safe. I saw her with her mask on her mouth with air entering and leaving her nose in multiple stores as we shopped.
I saw many people wearing their masks poorly or without masks in stores and also on the flights I took to see her. The attendants and store staff did not ask them to replace their masks. I wouldn’t either in order to avoid physical and emotional harm to me. The anti-mask bullies have won. But we are not exceptional; the studies are done on people like you and me so we are not exceptional.
Are you fatalistic? Fatalism is the idea that you can’t change the future; fate, God, Karma will happen to you no matter what you do, so why try to change it. “If it is my time, then I will die then.” If it is not your time to die, then jumping in front of a train is not a good idea to test this idea. Maybe you are tired of masks, and all the noise about Covid so you just accept the fate of getting ill or not; you feel masks or vaccines won’t make a difference. This has been proven to be wrong thinking. It is a simple idea, but wrong. The Serenity Prayer is helpful here: “Help me to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.” This prayer has released me from worrying about a lot of things and helping me plan to help myself and others.
When it comes to sex, dating, drugs, smoking, alcohol, driving, and Covid do you feel you are invincible or exceptional or fatalistic? Think again, please.
WEIGHT LOSS SURGERIES
There are two common types of weight loss surgery:
Sleeve Gastrectomy:
• Part of stomach removed so stomach looks like a sleeve, not a bag.
• Stomach is Less complication risks but may need a second surgery
• Weight loss may lessen unless lifestyle is well-improved also
Gastric Bypass:
• food bypasses stomach and goes straight into intestine.
• More involved surgery, slightly more complication risk but less second surgeries.
• Weight loss is maintained longer
• Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart/Stroke risk are lowered more
Before and after surgery it is still very important to change your lifestyle to lose weight. Having a dietician and/or a counselor is helpful since it is hard to improve habits.
COUGH SYRUPS CAUSE FATAL OVERDOSES
Be careful with your medications so that kids don’t get a hold of them. Sometimes cough syrups are used by adults to make a child sleepy. Kids under 2 can die if given too much and they don’t help cough and can make the child hyper. So alert adults around kids you love.
Keep those questions coming and be safe!
Daniel Pearce, D.O., FACOI, AAHIVMS
Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine and HIV, Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine and Midwestern University Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine HIV, Hepatitis B,C, Transgender, Suboxone Specialist, Borrego Health (Riverside, San Bernardino, San Jacinto) Member, Coachella Valley Clinical Research Initiative
REFERENCES: Medscape®