Because this newsletter is being published at a time of global pandemic, we will focus primarily on coronavirus. However, in future newsletters we will cover a wide variety of health topics.

I. What is the coronavirus (also called COVID 19/SARS-CoV-2)?

COVID 19 is a type of coronavirus, which gets its name due to the fact that its shape looks like a crown (corona means crown). A coronavirus is actually a family of viruses that typically causes the common cold, which most often presents with a cough, fatigue, and sinus congestion. The new COVID 19 strain is different than the typical coronavirus in that most of us have not been exposed to it in the past and therefore there is not a significant amount of immunity in our population. Therefore, this virus spreads very rapidly.  

2. Am I at risk to catch the virus?

The short answer is YES. As of today, there are greater than 1,000,000 confirmed cases worldwide. This is likely an underestimation because access to testing has been limited. The virus has the ability to attach itself to structures in our throats and lungs and therefore can cause severe pneumonia. Many of the patients that do poorly with COVID 19 are elderly or have underlying problems with their immune systems, lung disease, or heart disease. Some people may be carriers of the virus, meaning they can spread the virus without even knowing that they have it. This means that someone who you interact with closely at your job, a family member who comes home from work daily, or a friend that you ask to come over may expose you to the virus without even knowing that they are doing it! It is incredibly important to stay at home and limit your time exposed to other people as much as possible. This is called a self-quarantine and is helpful to prevent you and others from getting the disease. Please visit coronavirus.jhu.edu for more information.

3. Can COVID 19 attack my heart?

Yes. There have been reports of patients with the symptoms of coronavirus (dry cough, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue) also complaining of chest pain. When seen in the emergency room, they often will have an abnormal electrocardiogram (EKG) and abnormal blood tests suggesting that they are having a “heart attack”. However, when a procedure is performed to open up the closed artery causing the suspected “heart attack” all of the arteries are found to be open. This is called “myocarditis” which is inflammation of the heart caused by the virus. It can significantly weaken the heart and cause heart failure. Unfortunately, we have seen situations like this occur in Italy where many doctors and nurses have been exposed to patients with the virus while performing these procedures that require them to be in close contact with the patient. It is not surprising that in Italy a significant percentage of patients hospitalized for COVID 19 were actually healthcare workers.  

4. I’m very anxious about the situation with the coronavirus. Can my anxiety cause heart problems?

Some degree of anxiety is normal given this situation. Our brains are designed to keep us appropriately fearful of things that may harm us. However, some people may become overwhelmed with their anxiety and it may cause actual health problems, particularly heart problems. We literally call this “Broken Heart Syndrome” or “Stress Cardiomyopathy”. It most often happens to post menopausal women after a stressful event, such as a loved one dying. However, it has been shown to occur to many people at the same time during natural disasters which happened during an earthquake in Japan in 2014. We are starting to see this occur in the United States as people obsess over the media coverage of the coronavirus.

A habit is a routine or practice which is performed regularly. It is an automatic response to a specific situation. Most of us know that we should eat healthy food, exercise, and avoid risk behaviors like smoking or drinking too much, so why don’t we do it? We have not developed a strategy to break bad habits and build good habits. 

1. Be aware that your outcomes are a lagging indicator of your habits. You may go to the gym every day for an entire month and still not see a difference in how your body looks. Your body shape is a lagging measure of your exercise habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your dietary habits. Perform good habits every day and eventually you will reap your reward. If you feel you cannot spend an entire hour working out today, spend 5 minutes. Keep spending 5 minutes every single day until you say to yourself, “I’m already here working out. I might as well work up a sweat for 20 minutes.” The important point is to do the habit every single day and to not make the habit too difficult on you. It should be easy!

2. Use your positive thoughts to overcome adversity. It has been 117 years since James Allen wrote As A Man Thinketh. I highly recommend that you read it. Its essence is that your circumstances are determined by your thoughts. Therefore, if you want to improve your circumstances, you must keep constant guard at the gates of your mind. Think of your mind as a garden. If you aren’t a vigilant gardener, weeds will sprout up everywhere. Don’t allow negative thoughts or pessimism into your brain. If you want a healthy and meaningful life, focus your thoughts on “what is true, what is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” (Phillipians 4:8)

3. Use positive affirmations to confirm to yourself who you are. A positive affirmation is an encouraging statement that you repeat to yourself over and over again. These are best done upon awakening or prior to going to sleep. It is a way of talking to your subconscious, which controls the vast majority of our choices throughout the day. You must make your affirmation full of emotion, as it is emotion that awakens our subconscious to the command you give it. For example, if you wanted to eat healthier you would say an affirmation to yourself like: “I am so grateful that I am a healthy person who makes healthy food choices. I feel so energetic when I eat well.” Repeat it over and over again, every night and morning, for a month. If you truly believe what you are saying, you will no longer be tempted by poor dietary choices. What if you don’t feel healthy? Your past food choices do not determine your future food choices. Your subconscious is easily fooled. If you don’t think that you are healthy act like you are healthy anyway. Your subconscious mind will make your feelings consistent with your actions.

Finally, here are two tough questions to consider this week:

1. What good habit are you committed to starting and what bad habit are you committed to stopping?

2. Are negative thoughts streamed into your subconscious daily through what you listen to on the radio or watch on television? It may be as innocuous as the news, but will still have an effect on you nevertheless. Will you combat these negative thoughts by substituting them for positive thoughts or by performing positive affirmations?