COVID-19 Update from your Sacramento Chiropractor

COVID-19 Update from your Sacramento Chiropractor

Greetings,

I think we can all agree that staying safe and sane during the COVID-19 pandemic is getting more challenging every day. We are doing our part here at Anderson Chiropractic in Sacramento, and encourage everyone to do the same.

Well, here we are, three-plus weeks into the "shelter in place" orders in Sacramento, and it looks like we will have to continue to be very careful and wise with our life choices for some time to come.

We have been able to remain open to serve our patients. We are doing our best to only have a couple people in the office at a time. I am thankful that everyone has been so understanding and cooperative.

I want you to know that as a licensed health care provider, I am committed to being available to those who need care. The ER people we know have said they certainly don't want people with neck pain, back pain and headaches going there, when they can be safely and better served by doctors of chiropractic.

In accordance with the "shelter in place" orders from the authorities, you are, at least for now, allowed to leave your home for your essential needs, like groceries and fresh air. Your chiropractic care or visits to other health care professionals is considered essential as well.

We are happy to see you if you feel the need and are reasonably confident that you are not actively infected by COVID-19.

What do you do if you think you may have COVID-19?

If you have mild cold-like symptoms, mild cough, low grade fever, the experts advise managing your symptoms at home whenever possible, regardless of whether you have a cold, the flu, or COVID-19. You should attempt to self-quarantine away from your family, if possible, even when in the same home.

However, if you develop difficulty breathing, feel extremely tired, or were feeling better but then feel a lot worse you should call your M.D.s office immediately.

What if you had symptoms in the past but are feeling better now?

Right now, the Centers for Disease Control an Prevention (CDC) says that people can stop self-isolating if they've been fever-free (below 100.4 degrees) for 72 hours, their symptoms have improved and its been at least seven days since they first felt sick. Please follow these guidelines before venturing out and before calling for an appointment at Anderson Chiropractic.

The number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise in Sacramento County. As of this writing, there are 390 active cases and have been 10 deaths in the county. Though there are some treatments showing promise, we still have no proven methods. It is much better to reduce your vulnerability to becoming infected than to expect there will be a medical cure if you do.

The overall mortality rate in the US so far is still over 1%. If we were to resume our old ways and do nothing, tens of thousands of Americans would likely die. When this is over, I suspect the sacrifices we are all currently making will feel very reasonable. The focus still needs to be on managing our behavior.

Heres what you can do:

1) Hand Washing:

Coronavirus has an outer lipid (fat) layer that gets dissolved/disintegrated on contact with soap making the remaining genetic material harmless.

2) Practicing Careful Disinfection of Surfaces:

COVID-19 can persist on inanimate surfaces like metal, glass, or plastic for up to 9 days but can be easily destroyed by surface disinfection procedures with 62-70% ethanol, 0.5% hydrogen peroxide, or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite within 1 minute.

3) Social Distancing:

Will things ever be the same? Will handshakes ever come back?

Hows it going to feel sitting next to a sick passenger on an airline? Its going to be interesting to see how the world changes after this but for now we are to stay at home or at least 6 feet between people who are not members of the same household.

4) Lifestyle Habits:

Keep your normal sleep schedule. Eat healthy food. Stay hydrated. Take hot baths with Epsom Salt. Stretch and exercise. Stay social with Face Time or Zoom with your family and friends. Take your supplements like Vitamin C, probiotics and Vitamin D. Get some sunshine and fresh air. All these things can reduce stress and help keep your immune system strong. The choices you make, much more than your genetics or bad luck, are the bigger factors that influence your overall health.

Now, we all know there still are basic necessities that we still need to venture out for. The most "essential" is Grocery Shopping.

Here are some Grocery Shopping Precautions:

1) Limit your visits. The more often you go to the store, the more likely you are to come into contact with someone, or something, that may be carrying COVID-19. Make a list of what you need before going shopping so that you do not need to return unnecessarily. If possible, shop online.

2) Time your trips. Be smart about when you go to the store. Try and go to the stores when they are less busy. Don't go when most get off work or during lunch hour-- although a lot of people are off work right now. Remember we are trying to keep "social distance." If you are a more mature citizen, you are more at risk. With this in mind, most of the stores are now offering special hours for you--typically in the early morning before they open to the general public. You are our elders and we want to take care of you. Be okay if someone offers you to go ahead of them in line too.

3) Wash your hands before you go to the store. This will reduce the risk of spreading germs to others. A lot of stores have run out of wipes and sanitizer, so plan on bringing your own (even if it is your own DIY-minimum 60% alcohol). Be sure to sanitize the grocery cart that you may touch. If you are able to bring and carry your own basket or bag, eliminate using a grocery cart all together.

4) Distance yourself. While at the store, stay at least 6 feet away from others. If you need to get to the other side of a crowded aisle, take the long way around in order to avoid squeezing through a herd of shoppers. Most stores, like Trader Joes and Whole Foods, now have tape marked on the floor to show you where 6 feet apart is. It is about the length of a snow skis. Sadly, I just put mine away for the season : -(

5) Watch what you touch. Avoid picking up any product unless you are certain that you want to purchase it. It is possible that you may come into contact with a product that another shopper previously examined or touched. Avoid touching your face while shopping. COVID-19 spreads through your mouth, nose, and even your eyes.

6) Don't use cash. You can lessen your risk of picking up germs by using a debit or credit card to pay for your groceries. I know Dave Ramsey will disagree! Avoiding the exchange of cash and coins reduces your chance of spreading germs to others, or vice versa.

7) Disinfect. The battle does not end once you leave the store. When you arrive back home, it is possible that you have just brought germs back with you. Research has shown that COVID-19 can live for up to 3 days on cardboard and as long as nine days on plastic and stainless steel. As such, you should wash your hands and disinfect all nonporous containers and any surfaces that your grocery bags may have touched. If you use reusable bags to shop, you should also wash them between each use as COVID-19 can spread easily.

Appointments in our office:

Before all chiropractic exams and visits, I will be checking everyone's temperature with a quick and painless infrared thermometer. If a fever of 100.4 degrees or more is detected, I will not be able to examine or treat you, and will urge you to call your medical provider and self-quarantine. (No fevers detected so far!)

We do plan to be available during our normal office hours again next week. We will continue to take many precautions to make sure that we, and our patients are safe. We are thoroughly sanitizing the tables, and office, and I am washing my hands between every patient contact. We don't even have patients sit in the reception room chairs, unless they need to because of their pain or other reason, but instead invite them directly into the private treatment rooms.

We also have two air purifiers working full time, as well as an ultraviolet light and filters in our HVAC system to keep things fresh.

We ask that you do call first for an appointment time if you don't have one already. You can even call from the parking lot, like many did this week. We are doing our best to accommodate everyone, but also making every effort to not have more than a couple people in the office at any given time to allow for adequate social distancing. As much as I love shaking hands and hugs, I'll be keeping our physical contact to what is absolutely necessary for your care.

Everyone needs to take responsibility and do their part to help protect themselves and your community. If we all do our part we will get through this pandemic quickly.

We will get through this, and I look very forward to getting back to some normal living very soon. Let's all do our part

Sincerely,

Gregg Anderson, D.C.