We are living in unprecedented times. In living memory there has never been a time that’s more important to listen, learn and respond to keep all of us as safe and well as possible. It has also never been more important to be positive in our thoughts and actions within our families, communities and country. It’s a time to put our energy into understanding what we’re going through and doing as many helpful things as we can.

This virus is fast moving and the situation fast changing - and so what I’m writing here may well be out of date by the time that you read it. There is currently nearly 1/4 million people infected worldwide and more than 10,000 deaths. I am not an infectious diseases expert or epidemiologist - but I’ve been reading a lot and have patients who have a range of chronic illnesses that may put them at increased risk, so I’m especially interested in doing what we can to help people be safer. I was in Singapore during SARS with 2 children under 2 years old and a husband that worked in a public hospital where a young doctor died from that infection. We learnt from SARS and MERS and we are learning now from each country’s approach to Covid 19 and their experiences. I’m writing now to get across my current thoughts on what people can do to help themselves and their loved ones.

The virus is infecting people according to an exponential curve. In Australia we are currently at the lower end of the curve. What we do now in our families, communities and country will make a difference. Making positive change now is not as good as doing it yesterday but is a whole lot better than doing it tomorrow.

Symptoms of Covid 19 include fever, fatigue and dry cough - less commonly sore throat, nasal congestion, difficulty breathing and diarrhoea. Up to 80% of people infected with this virus will have mild illness and recover at home without special treatment. Other people in vulnerable groups can become more unwell and have an increased risk of death. These include the elderly, those with chronic illnesses and the immuno-compromised. The risks to younger and healthier people are less than vulnerable people but is not zero. The greater the spread in our communities, the more pressure will be placed on our limited hospital beds and especially ICU facilities.

What you can do to keep well

regular hand washing with soap - taking 20 seconds - that’s “twinkle twinkle little star” sung twice or the ABC song once…. or for older people - the chorus of “Jolene” - you get the idea!

eating a whole food diet full of colourful vegetables and fruit, clean protein and healthy fats

plenty of water between meals

prioritising sleep

plenty of exercise especially in nature and also good rest

managing stress by having time for connection with family / friends and some fun every day, learning to deep breathe / meditate with apps like Headspace or Calm

vitamin C - found in many fresh fruit and also vegetables like broccoli and sprouts

vitamin D - having a little safe sun (never burning) or taking some extra vit D if you are deficient

fresh air is better than recycled air - open the windows if weather permits

if you’re a smoker, it’s a great time to quit as this virus especially affects the lungs - check out quit.org.au

social distancing that we have been taught in the last weeks eg. walk with a friend but further apart than usual - 1.5m recommended to avoid viral spread

understand that this situation is more like a marathon than a sprint - so gather some books to read or projects to do in effort to stay positive for the duration - and check in with loved ones to make sure they’re OK

What to do if you get any virus symptoms

social isolation to avoid viral spread, but stay connected with others online or by phone - try to keep apart from others in your home, wearing a mask when you’re in the same room, wearing disposable clean gloves in common areas

rest as needed to put your energy into getting better

with sore throat, gargle salt water (1/2 teaspoon salt in warm water) may help symptoms or sip on warm lemon drinks

With more severe symptoms

phone the Coronavirus hotline for advice on your particular situation and symptoms 1800 675 398

We need to stay positive and help each other through this

It’s blistering hot in Melbourne tomorrow - and that reminds me to write about …

the vitamin that is not a vitamin - it’s actually a hormone and so massively important to balancing body processes
the vitamin that has virtually no food sources
the vitamin that if deficient, is linked to many cancers, high blood pressure, depression, low bone density (osteopenia, osteoporosis), multiple sclerosis and fibromyalgia
the vitamin that is as least as important as calcium (and magnesium by the way - I’ll write about this another day…) for osteoporosis (can’t absorb calcium without it…)
the vitamin that I find deficient in more than 50% of my patients!!!

Have you guessed it? It’s vitamin D - and it’s so important to consider

As we all know, Melbourne is not super sunny - think 4 seasons in a day and endless jokes from Sydneysiders…. Furthermore, many of us work or study indoors anyway so we don’t get enough sun exposure to make sufficient vitamin D for us to be healthy. We also have an ozone hole that means that we may burn more quickly and so we need skin protection from clothing or sunscreen. This combination of factors can lead to vitamin D deficiency and therefore potential health concerns.

Vitamin D can be checked with a blood test, though this often needs to be paid for privately. If deficient, some ways that you can increase your levels by are:

increasing sun exposure, but never ever to a point where you burn (or even start to go pink…)
eating food sources like - cod liver oil - 1 Tbsp contains 1350 IU (international units) vitamin D
- 50gm sardines contains 250 IU
- 1 whole egg contains 20 IU
taking 2000-4000IU Vitamin D3 (the active form) as a supplement - the amount depending on your blood level and with monitoring to check that it is sufficient but not too much. I find that the standard 1000 IU dose does not increase blood levels in most people that I see

Another thing to consider is that some people don’t make enough vitamin D due to their genetics, even if they get sun exposure. There are multiple steps from sunlight to make vitamin D including enzymes in the skin, liver and kidney, all of which may possibly not function properly due to genetic variation. Also note that darker skin tones take a longer time to make vitamin D from the sun, due to the protective effect of melanin.

It seems at first that vitamin D is a simple topic, whereas it is actually complex and really important. I’ve seen many people that have osteoporosis, not know their vitamin D level (and so possibly not absorbing that extra calcium that they’re taking) and I’ve also seen a great reduction in fibromyalgia symptoms and also reversal of depression through treating vitamin D deficiency.

I hope that this post may improve knowledge about vitamin D. I’m also interested to know if you have had any symptoms improve through treating vitamin D deficiency. I certainly have - and that was when I was living in sunny Singapore!

Be well -

your best health, your best life!

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