Tag Archives: COVID-19
Whatever the situation, we’re intrigued by eye contact. Eye contact increases our pulse rate, decreases our dishonesty factor (we lie less often), increases our adherence to rules and norms and helps us to attend to subtle social cues. In this Covid-19-world there’s a vast array of rapidly changing information. If we attend to relevant information we’re better able to assess our environment and make appropriate personal decisions. We’ve all been there, albeit for just a brief moment, as we unexpectedly…..
Accurately estimating biological age has tremendous value according to Adam Alonzi’s recent article entitled “Gauge Your Age: Epigenetics and the Future of Medicine.” Smoking, drinking, stress, chronic infection, and major depression can all measurably accelerate the aging process as gauged by the epigenetic clock (Gao,2016; Gassen, 2017; Horvath, 2015; Rosen, 2018; Han; 2018). Fear of transmitting, or acquiring, the virus that causes COVID-19 even if you or the other person is asymptomatic has been a strong driver of widespread compliance…..
Families and communities are built and sustained by people working together toward a common goal. During this current COVID-19 epidemic it is vitally important we all take a moment to remember that our children and youth are watching us the adults of our community. Children listen to not only the words that we use but the tone and texture of our words. Even young babies can tell if a word is spoken in love or hate, fear or anger. A…..
Scott Kelly floated around space in the International Space Station for a year and was obviously different from Mark Kelly, his identical twin – he was taller. (Science Oct 28, 2017) The brothers pioneered a NASA Twins Study which compared Mark’s grounded lifestyle with Scott’s spaceflight journey. The scientists discovered an increase in Scott’s methylation rate – a process that turns gene activity on and off. “There are over 50,000 genes in the human genome, and when floating in zero…..
National Nurses Day is designated to fall on the birthday of Florence Nightingale, whose birthday was May 12, 1820, and she is looked to as the foundational philosopher of modern nursing (Costco Connection May/2020). National Nurses Week begins May 6 with National Nurses Day and culminates with International Nurses Day on May 12. This is the most appropriate time to say thank you to not only nurses but all healthcare personnel for their tireless dedication at keeping us all safe…..
“Credentials are a form of communication. We’ve all seen multiple streams of initials after nurses’ names.” This was written by Jennifer Mensik, Ph.D., RN, NEA-BC, FAAN in an article What’s the Right Way to List Your Nursing Credentials? (Nurse.com West 2018). On today’s front lines of battling coronavirus COVID-19, the fight requires all ‘hands on deck.’ Using our medical resources is paramount in combating COVID-19. Obviously, it’s the use of all medical personnel that’s going to help ensure that some…..
According to the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), “Moral distress is “knowing the right thing to do but being in a situation in which it is nearly impossible to do it.” Nurses are fighting under moral distress on the front lines caring for patients dealing with COVID-19. State, local, and federal health officials are continuously monitoring and responding to an on-going outbreak of Coronavirus Disease. Cases have been identified globally, including within the United States. COVID-19 spreads person-to-person among…..
Elizabeth Scott, Ph.D., who co-directs the Center for Hygiene and Health in Home and Community at Simmons University in Boston, reminds us that we can’t necessarily control what we touch or who else touched it but we can look after our own hands. Other than frequent hand washing, wearing a mask and social distancing, smart, safe grocery shopping may be an additional, effective prevention strategy against COVID-19. Certain foods, especially fruits that contain abundant bioactive compounds, are shown to modify…..
The national news reports a field hospital in New York’s Central Park. Battle conditions exist and we must be prepared to meet the invader, head-on. I look at health issues from a nursing point of view and often get frustrated when the health solutions I see aren’t occurring within the system I occupy. When this happens I get aggravated. This aggravation comes from working for 35 years within the nursing profession. Control is an illusion, especially in a rapidly changing…..
A powerful weapon against germs is in the palm of our hands when we use soap and water correctly to wash our hands. An article by WebMD (March 6, 2020) reminds us that we can’t necessarily control what we touch or who else touches it but we can look after our own hands. Correct handwashing hits germs on two fronts: physically removing germs and viruses from our hands and then it bursts open any outer coating the agent may have……
According to health organizations, emerging viral infections are a major threat to global public health. COVID-19, which appeared in December in Wuhan, China and spread quickly around the world, is actually a type of coronavirus (CoV) – one that is similar to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, all which attack the respiratory system and derive from animal origin. (A Look Into the Epigenetice of a Coronavirus Infection – March 10, 2020). Since these new viruses are able to mutate quickly in humans…..