Your Mind & Body 09/04/20
By: Robert Roy Britt
Tags: Body, Health, Wellbeing, Mind, Science

This Week: Covid fatigue, Selfish Jerks, Posture & Pain, Face Shields?

Health and science news isn’t what it used to be. Like many health writers, my work took a sharp turn starting in January, with the first outbreaks of the then-mysterious new disease caused by a novel coronavirus. Gradually, more and more of my time—and probably yours—has been spent focusing on the Covid-19.

Understandable, of course. We’re in the midst of the worst pandemic in a century. But surely we’re all a bit exhausted by the coverage—whether writing or reading. Science journalist Tara Haelle’s recent article resonated with me: Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful.

Meantime, there is a lot of other important and interesting news and information about our bodies and minds that’s getting less attention. That in mind, I’m aiming to improve the usefulness of this weekly newsletter by getting back to LUMINATE’s core mission:

Exploring the human condition and ways to improve it.

Sure, there will still be a lot of Covid. A lot of Covid. But from my own writings and that of others, along with some tidbits and musings you’ll find only here, I hope to bring you a broader and more helpful newsletter every week, one that leaves you just a bit more enlightened. Let’s get started.

I find this heartening: While it may seem like selfish jerks are always winning out, research shows they lose in several ways, including salary potential and love. Now a new study finds that disagreeable, self-centered individuals — men and women — don’t have any advantage at gaining power in the workplace.

I find this disheartening: Amid fears over catching Covid-19, Americans are more worried than ever that a single bad health event could drive them into bankruptcy. A full 50% of people say they’re concerned or extremely concerned, up 5% from a similar survey in early 2019, a new West Health-Gallup U.S. Healthcare survey reveals. The bankruptcy worry is worse for young adults — 55% among people ages 18 to 29. While 43% of white adults worry, for people of color the concern jumped 12% from early 2019 to 64% now.

Here’s a feature we all can learn from (I certainly did): Whether it’s a backpack, briefcase, messenger bag, gym bag or even a small purse, children and adults risk misshapen spines if they don’t follow this advice on how to safely pack and carry a load.

Image: Siddhartha Verma, Manhar Dhanak, John Frankenfield, Florida Atlantic University

You gotta see the new videos showing with laser focus how bad face shields and masks with valves are at containing coronavirus. I’d been wondering why people use them, and it turns out they should not rely on them, though shields in conjunction with proper masks are can be useful.

TIDBITS & MUSINGS

There’s been a lot of chatter (read: vociferous opining) about herd immunity. I’ve talked with multiple experts about this and written about multiple times in the past few months. One fact was, is, and will remain clear: If a safe and successful vaccine is created, and people get the shot, we can achieve a level of immunity in the community that leaves the coronavirus with so few hosts to hop to that it the spread slows way down or stops. That’s herd immunity the right way. The wrong way? Natural herd immunity, which means just letting people get sick until enough of them are—hopefully—immune. By all accounts, getting to natural herd immunity would mean 1 million U.S. deaths or more—lots more if catching Covid-19 does not result in strong immunity for a long period of time, and we don’t know the answer to that yet. If a million lost lives sounds good, then by all means, root for natural herd immunity. But I don’t like that number. And that’s why James Hamblin’s helpful overview on the topic has this headline: Herd Immunity Is Not a Strategy.

***

The depth of Covid-19 non-knowledge spewed by President Trump’s “medical” advisor Scott Atlas knows no bounds. Atlas, who has Trump’s ear and who is not an infectious-disease expert (he’s a radiologist), has said some terrible things that are downright dangerous. Journalist Melody Schreiber, writing in the New Republic, notes that Atlas has said schools should not have closed because there is “zero risk to the children.” That’s total B.S., as multiple studies (and federal data) have shown. Tom Frieden, a real infectious-disease expert and former director of the CDC, explains in a tweet why Atlas’ most recent dangerous comment is flat wrong: “Fundamental, basic, deadly error in Atlas press conference: ‘The purpose of testing is to stop people from dying, from getting a serious illness.’ This is SO WRONG. In an epidemic, you test to stop spread before it gets to vulnerable people. Spread anywhere is a risk to everyone.”

***

Atlas is just one of many non-experts posing as experts and spreading disinformation that is upending our social and political worlds and causing unnecessary deaths. I sifted through some of the many misinformed and dangerous claims and whittled down to The 13 Most Outrageous Covid-19 Myths and Misconceptions. Which then prompted a story about …

***

Former senior U.S. health officials, infectious-disease experts and pundits alike are expressing lost faith and trust in the leadership of the CDC given the agency’s blatant politicization and sidelining of science in favor of announcements and guidelines dictated or vetted by the White House. “Recent actions by the CDC have led many in public health to call into question the integrity of the CDC’s leadership as they ignore the science and bow to political pressure,” writes Catherine Troisi, PhD, an associate professor of management, policy and community health at the University of Texas Health Science Center. “Their actions have hurt public health efforts and led to confusion and mistrust by the public at large.” I do not enjoy writing stories about the politicization of science, but it has to be done. So I posed and try to answer a question that rips at my soul: Can We Trust the CDC Anymore?

***

Finally, it’s more important than ever for us all to be aware of our own mental state, and that of the people around us. A new study finds, no surprise, that depression is on the rise among U.S. adults. In surveys done pre-Covid and more recently, the prevalence of depressive symptoms rose from 8.5% to 27.8%. The rise is most prevalent among people with low incomes and small savings accounts. Health writer and editor Alexandra Sifferlin (full disclosure: she is one of my editors), offers a concise take on the findings.

If you or someone you know faces serious depression or any mental or substance use disorders, SAMHSA’s National Helpline offers a free, confidential, 24/7 information and treatment-referral service. Call 1–800–662-HELP (4357) or TTY 1–800–487–4889.

***

I hope you feel just a bit more enlightened about the human condition and ways to improve it. If you have questions, comments or suggestions, you can reach me at rob dot britt on gmail or follow me on Twitter.

— Rob