Deena Neff, MD Integrative Family Medicine

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Here's what a coordinated national Covid19 response looks like: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2014960?query=TOC

This should read the end of meat as we have come to know it. Raising animals for consumption can be part of regenerative farming that boosts soil health and the nutrient value of our produce. But factory farming has so degraded our food supply both vegetable and animal that we are sicker than ever. And we eat way too much in the way of animal products - most of us eat some sort of animal product at every meal. We would all benefit from eating much less in the way of animals and actually boosting our vegetable consumption, regardless of how you chose to eat. And farmers would all benefit from raising a plethora of different veggies and so would their communities and the wildlife that we depend on. As Micheal Pollen says: Eat food (not food like substances). Not too much. Mostly plants.

Trust. "There’s been a false dichotomy between people in the business-reopening camp and people in the health camp. As if either side doesn’t want the other. What I have told my friends in the business and economic communities is that you need trust in order to reopen your economy. And just because you reopen your business doesn’t mean that it’s there. You can’t declare trust by fiat. You have to build it. People have to have the sense that going to your place of business, re...suming their daily life, will not entail an undue, overwhelming risk for them or their families. The only way to do that is to have reasonable and sensible and approachable policiesthat enough people maintain the masks, the hygiene, the distancing, to make it possible for us to actually resume our economic lives. And so there’s a dialogue there that is really important." https://www.newyorker.com//how-to-social-distance-as-ameri See more

45% The proportion of 200 million tweets about the coronavirus that were probably from fake accounts designed to sow disinformation, according to an as-yet-unpublished analysis. Please be very careful of your sources!!

COVID19 has pulled back the curtain to reveal just how unhealthy we are as a nation. Only about 12 percent of Americans are metabolically healthy, without a large waist, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or high cholesterol. We ate our way here. We can eat our way out.

Age is the most important risk factor for serious Covid-19. So what are the fountains of youth that turn back the biological clock? Number 1: Exercise. There is a large body of science showing that moderate consistent exercise keeps us young and healthy. It improves sleep, insulin resistance, brain function, balance and bone health, digestive health, and importantly, immune health. Aim for 5x30 - 30 minutes minimum of moderate exercise for 5 days a week. More is better ...for the most part, but if you're exhausted the next day, then that is too much. Start slowly - walking is a fantastic exercise and if you haven't been exercising, start with just 10 minutes a day. Be consistent and you'll notice that you'll gain strength quickly.

90% of people over 85 survive Covid19. Why? Stay tuned for some insights. #covid19 #functionalmedicine #foodasmedicine... #masks See more

Free for healthcare workers! Please share widely! (This says it’s free until the end of April but I checked the post and looks like it’s still free as of today, May 1st)

I just came upon this resource - it's a little old, but it might still be helpful for healthcare workers: get free shoes, meals, childcare, etc. Stay safe! Eat really well and get your sleep!

So the news about antibody for Covid19 testing is mixed, as I mentioned in my last post, but from studies done so far, it looks like there may have been a great deal more infections than meets the eye. Santa Clara County, CA analysis looks like at least 1 in 66 people have been infected. The researchers estimate that between 48,000 and 82,000 of the county’s roughly 2 million inhabitants were infected by early April. A study in Germany, where they tested 500 out of 12,000, as well as looking for active infections, and concluded that the infection rate was about 15%.

No test is better than a bad test We maybe further away from antibody testing for Covod19 than we think or hope for. It takes testing multitudes of people both with and without the disease to conform a good test. It’s laborious and with the hundreds of companies rushing to create antibody tests, none of them have met basic standards. Fingers crossed that they will soon.... The other zinger in this is that we don’t know if antibodies measured actually confer immunity.

EMPATHY. This mammalian trait is so crucial to how we live together and thrive. But there is a dark side when one is unable to skillfully care for themselves. In a study published last year in the journal of Health Psychology, researchers studying pairs of parents and adolescents found that empathetic parents both benefited teens and parents alike - mostly. However, "the more empathic the parent, the researchers found, the more likely that person was to be experiencing chr...onic low-grade inflammation." In another study, researchers found that those that put themselves in the shoes of someone who is struggling or suffering "had significantly higher "fight-or-flight" responses, as though they, too, were going through a stressful experience." COMPASSION on the other hand, where one thinks about how that person must be feeling ("compassionate empathy") activates parts of the brain associated with motivation and reward, not the pain, anxiety, or depression parts of the brain that might be activated with feeling other's emotions. Richard Davidson, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin at Madison has an exercise to bring us from empathy to compassion: " "Start by envisioning someone you know who may be in pain or may have gone through a stressful event," he says, "and then envision them being relieved of that suffering." He says it may be helpful to repeat a phrase silently in your mind, such as: May you be happy and be free of suffering. "Encouraging the focus on the person's well-being and happiness, instead of their distress, actually shifts our brain's pathways from experiencing painful empathy to the more rewarding areas of compassion," Davidson says. "It's this process that helps us to detach from their suffering." "Research shows that these simple exercises actually affect your actions in the real world, making you more likely to be pro-social and helpful," he says."' There is no disconnect between our hearts, minds, and body, including our immune system and hormonal systems. Attending to our emotional health means we are attending to our whole self. Stay well, physical distance, wear a mask, and be kind to yourself and others.