COVID-19 Update – March 2020

Uncategorized Mar 19, 2020
Nini Mai, DACM

We at Evolve are committed to your individual health as well as the health of our greater community. In order to effectively care for both, we are suspending our in-office care and focusing on Virtual Visits. We feel this platform change ensures the safety of our patients while still allowing us to maintain the personalization that is the hallmark of our individualized care.

Our practitioners are available for 30-minute Virtual Visits via the phone or video conference. These appointments can be scheduled by phone or online, with hours of availability reflecting our regular clinic hours. These conversations will allow for direct communication with your practitioner to answer specific questions about current care, any new concerns, herbal interventions, nutritional counseling, and therapeutic exercises.

Many have already asked what we can do as individuals to support the collective health of the community. Our general approach to health care can be divided into three stages: Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery. Here is a list of general recommendations in support of your well-being:

Prevention
This is key. Prevention eliminates the need for the next two stages.

– Wash your hands! We cannot emphasize this enough. There is plenty of evidence to support the fact that soap and water are best against COVID-19. In the event you cannot wash your hands with soap and water, alcohol-based hand sanitizers are best, as alcohol alone can kill the virus.

– Social Distancing: Avoid large gatherings and establishments in which you are in close proximity to others. Maintain a distance between yourself and others when you must get from point A to point B. Keep travel to a minimum and avoid any unnecessary detours.

– Nutrition and Supplementation: We have been asked if there is anything one can take to stay healthy. Eating whole foods rich in vitamins and minerals is essential in maintaining good health and strong immunity. Some supplements that may help include B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D,Selenium, and Zinc. Chinese herbal formulas can be helpful and are recommended on a case-by-case basis.

– A Note About Fasting and Other Medical Diets: We do not recommend that anyone undergo a strict water-fasting regimen at this time. Time-restricted feeding and other types of moderate caloric restriction can be maintained, depending on your current state of health and the parameters of your diet. It is recommended that you significantly reduce the consumption of processed foods and refined and added sugars in general.

– Exercise: We recommend that you continue to stay active as best as you can and encourage you to try Qi Gong. Breathing exercises form a vital key in keeping the lungs optimized, the body supple, and stress low. Qi Gong is a form of moving meditation that marries movement and breath and does not require any special equipment. We will be offering streaming of Qi Gong classes with the practitioners of Evolve and will announce these classes as they become available.

– Sleep: It’s one of the most overlooked aspects of good health and good immunity, and one of the most important. Optimizing sleep can be especially challenging for some, and especially during times of stress. We encourage you to practice good sleep hygiene and do your best to reduce stimulation 2 hours before bedtime, including putting a pause on the news cycle. There are a number of sleep remedies out there, and what is right for one person may not be right for the another. Explore what is right for you by reaching out to your practitioner for individual recommendations.

Treatment

As many of you know through first-hand experience, Chinese medicine has a long and effective history of treating colds, flus, and other communicable diseases and has been used successfully in the treatment of more recent epidemic diseases such as SARS. We are fortunate that the dedicated medical providers in China have been documenting what has been effective against COVID-19, and that these protocols have been made available to us. As each Chinese herbal formula is highly individualized, these protocols serve as a guideline only and therefore we strongly encourage you to speak to one of our trained and experienced herbalists before taking any of these remedies. We are here to help and can guide you towards what is appropriate for you.

As a reminder, if you have known exposure to a person confirmed positive with COVID-19, the recommendation is that you self-quarantine for 14 days. Please remain at home, limit in-person contact with others, take your temperature and take note of your symptoms every day. If any symptoms should arise, or if your temperature is elevated for any reason, you should remain under quarantine and contact your primary care physician as well as the COVID-19 hotline here: 1-888-364-3065.
Recovery

It is more important now than ever to maintain a clear and healthy perspective of the current climate. Our hope is that you all remain healthy and well throughout this whole period of uncertainty.

We are all in this together.

Whether you are forced out of work or working from home, take this opportunity, if you can, to slow down and experience the unplanned time at home. Pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read, or that movie you’ve been wanting to watch. Take a breath and give yourself permission to feel what you’re feeling, and to consider all the things there are to be grateful for. Call your friends. Be kind. Ask for help, and help others.

For those of you in our community who are called to work out of necessity for the greater good, we want to take a moment to recognize you and thank you for what you do.

Please take care, and contact us if you need any further information. We will do our best to steer everyone to the right resources.

Wishing you good health,
The Evolve Health + Wellness Team