Apologies for sending excessive emails, but we are trying our best to provide the best and most accurate information we can find. To clarify a few things about our last post and to provide some caution and clarity observations from Dr. Kathryn Hallsten, MD.

Clarification:
The self-checker was never intended to be a substitute for the social distancing, proper hygiene, or physician’s advice. The Coronavirus self-checker is from the CDC’s own website. The self-checker disclaimer states: “This system does not replace the judgment of healthcare professionals or the performance of any clinical assessment.”

Note that Jacqui had compiled a better way to say this on 3/12/20 and our computer (or possibly us) posted a working draft instead of our current recommendations.

Here you go, and DO forward this to friends and family!

Updated 3/12/20  LYLI, Barefoot Doctors’ Journal

These are good practices every day, but cannot make-up for reducing exposure and hand-washing.

1. WATER~ Don’t wait until you are ill, but especially if you do feel ill you should drink lots of fluids, and most importantly wash your hands often.

2. BREATHE~ Do every morning (we call Chi Breathing.) Best if done in an environment with clean air. 

Fully empty your lungs, relax your diaphragm, take a deep breath for as long as you can, hold for 3 seconds then breathe out as slowly as possible. You should complete this successfully without coughing, discomfort, stuffiness or tightness.

If you notice any difficulty breathing call your doctor and seek medical advice.

Note that if your breathing is fine you may still be carrying the virus so follow all the recommendations for social distancing.

CDC’S recommendation is that if you are having any difficulty breathing, you should call your doctor.

3. REDUCE ANXIETY~ Hopefully, these practices will do just that.

~ Please share this with family & friends. 

Call me, Jacqui Shumway, if you need to talk. 303-725-7482

Commentary and resources from Dr. Kathryn Hallsten, MD 

“This is not a time for false security or comfort.”

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You cannot diagnose yourself, having said that, here is a list of symptoms from Stanford Medical Center and an online sea-checker from the CDC, you can look at these to see if it’s time to call your Doctor.

First, some good news: What we are doing might just work

Check out this graph of projections for new Coronavirus infections under three conditions. One with no restrictions, one with some restrictions and the most hopeful if we institute severe restrictions.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/20/us/coronavirus-model-us-outbreak.html

CDC offers online triage for coronavirus testing

An online bot nicknamed Clara is acting as triage for healthcare providers in the US as demand for coronavirus testing continues to surge.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/index.html

Mainland China has reported zero new domestic infections of coronavirus for the first time since the outbreak began.

The National Health Commission said it was also the first time Hubei province – where the disease first emerged – recorded no new cases either domestically or from abroad. Nationwide, there were 34 new infections, all of them from overseas.

The number of new deaths was down to single digits, with just eight reported, bringing the total death toll to 3,245. The commission said 23 new suspected cases had been reported and that the total number of infections now stands at 80,928. A total of 70,420 patients have recovered.

Zhong Nanshan, a leading Chinese epidemiologist, said that without strong intervention the coronavirus would not be eliminated. “I think many countries should take measures [based on] the intervention mechanism invented by China. Upstream control is an ancient way, but effective,” Zhong said in a press conference on Wednesday.

“The core points are the ‘four early’s’: early prevention, early detection, early diagnosis, and early quarantine.” South China Morning Post 3/19/20

Treating the Disease Before it Occurs: Improving Immune Function/ Reducing Exposure

Treating the disease before it occurs has been a maxim of Traditional Chinese Medicine since the ascension of the Yellow Emperor 5000 years ago. Rather than wait around for disease to strike, there are some concrete things we can do to strengthen the body’s resistance to disease. Primary prevention starts with following the CDC’s guidelines for proper handwashing and social distancing practices. One of the best ways to think of social distancing is to imagine that you already have the disease and are trying your best not to infect others. We are better at changing our behavior to protect others than we are at protecting ourselves. Beyond that, there are numerous things we can all do to strengthen immune function so the body has a better chance to survive if we do fall ill.

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Yes, there actually is a Saint Corona and she is considered the patron saint of plagues and epidemics!

The Corona Virus was named for the crown-like structure on the virus. The word Corona is Latin for a crown.
Interestingly, there is a St. Corona in the Catholic Church. Her story is that Corona was only 16 when she gave her life to comfort a fellow Christian.
Right in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic is the city of Anzu, Italy. There is a basilica in Anzu where the relics of St. Victor and St. Corona have been preserved since the 9th century. Ironically, St. Corona is considered as one of the patron saints of pandemics.

This next is excerpted from “Saint Corona Martyr of the Moment” by Simon Ballam. to read more see https://metropole.at/corona-the-saint/

Most saints have a clear role – the muscular Saint Christopher helps travelers, Saint Florian is the patron saint of firefighters, and Saint George the dragon killer the original first responder – horses for courses. Saint Corona, on the other hand, has a lot to do: She is responsible for money, butchers, gravediggers and bad weather. And she is also there to protect us from plagues. A woman’s work is never done!

It seems an unhappy chance that she shares her name with the current coronavirus sweeping the globe. But coincidence it is not: In her primary role of caring for money, she is often depicted wearing a crown, an ancient and universal icon for currencies. As the microscope images splashed across magazine covers and newsfeeds show us every day, the deadly bug, too, is named for its resemblance to a crown.

see https://aleteia.org/2020/03/14/yes-theres-actually-a-st-corona-and-shes-buried-in-the-middle-of-the-pandemic/

No there are absolutely no good random controlled trials that show that she can intercede in a pandemic. But I’m lighting a candle anyway!

We recognize that the recent global outbreak of COVID-19, or Coronavirus, has created a sense of anxiety, fear, and even panic for many people. We want to address this situation with an abundance of preparation and caution as we do not yet know exactly how this will affect us here in the Denver area. While surviving the coronavirus we also want to avoid heightening your fears. We want to do our part in preventing the spread of any infections by sharing the best information we can find and canceling all indoor Tai Chi classes and lectures and instituting strict new policies in the clinic.

“The hero makes the times and the times make the hero”

Old tai chi saying,

Don’t Panic, prepare and protect yourself and loved ones. Based on all the news coverage on COVID-19,  and due to the lack of credible and confusing information, many of you may have heightened concerns or questions. Based on what we know, at this point in time, we are dealing with a virus that has similarities to those that have come before, with many of the same issues; and public health is doing more research. It is also clear that at this point, your chances of contracting this virus in Colorado is very, very low. At the testing site at Lowery, 90% of those tested so far have had the normal flu or a really bad cold. This is the first good news we have had that only 10% of those with symptoms tested so far actually have COVID – 19. 

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