Protecting Your Mental Sanity Is Important

Since this pandemic began, we have not turned on cable news. We haven’t even watched much television. Instead, we’ve been churning out emails and creating new videos, like the one below.

The reason we are not watching cable television is because cable news is what we refer to as “pro” inflammatory”. It’s like junk food. Anti-inflammatory foods are whole foods, such as vegetables and fruits, pasture raised and grass fed meats, nuts and seeds, and so on. Junk food is the opposite. It’s packaged and processed, bought in a box, containing artificial ingredients, or, as a colleague of mine once said “anything that you order through drive up”.

Proinflammatory junk food, like rhetoric, will ignite a firestorm within that is difficult to tamp down. The end stage of virus infections, too, often correlates with the onset of a firestorm; it’s the uncontrolled release of pro inflammatory cytokines. Cytokines signal immune cells to travel to the site of infection, where they’re needed. A cytokine storm has the potential to cause damage in the lungs, for example, where fluid buildup obstructs the airway. You can read more about cytokines and curcumin’s influence on cytokine storms, here.

Dr Doug Pucci on RNA virus infections and Cytokines

A Word About Grocery Stores

For the most part, our base is in New Jersey. Northern and Central New Jersey, which makes the social distancing much more do-able than it does for New York City right now. We have yards, side walks, and air conditioning. We have a strong local and regional food supply and an endless supply of grocery stores. Some the size of baseball diamonds and football fields. Others that are smaller in scale, yet no less sizable in their role in our communities. The supply chain that brings food to our tables is strong, yes, but is also at risk of vanishing as COVID 19 sets in.

Panic buying is a result of fear. If you knew, as we do, that the food supply is healthy and strong then you might not worry about particular items being available on any given day. This is what we were trying to get at in our last email. Hoarding creates panic which creates weird interactions on the front end of the supply chain. The part where the customer interacts with the grocery store. People should not be fighting over toilet paper, or the last box of oreo cookies. They should be buying real vegetables and fruits that are the lifeblood of our farmers and growers. They should have complete and total confidence in all the components of the food supply that get all your meat, dairy and produce and, yes, junk food to the store.

What we were also saying is that some of what we see being implemented in the grocery stores is not based on fact; it’s based on an abundance of caution, a fear of liability, and, in some cases, a misunderstanding of the policies in place that are meant to create safer, comforting environments for employees and patrons. That’s why we were saying that how you conduct yourself is important. And that to do so, you need the facts.

So, watch the video if you have not already. Afterward, read the updated list of what we know, below.

An Updated List of What We Know

What we know:

Coronavirus is an RNA virus that transmits through respiratory droplets.
Coronavirus is a silent spreader. There are people who carry the COVID 19 virus that are completely asymptomatic. That is why people are being asked to wear masks and self distance. It is also why widespread testing is essential.
People who have had coronavirus are not thought to be silent spreaders. In fact, they are thought to have immunity.
Contact guidelines for self isolation are a) fourteen days counting from the first day you developed symptoms (that you began isolating) and b) following five days without a fever. Following, you can safely return to new-normal shelter in place guidelines.
Coronavirus incubates in the mucosal membrane and spreads through coughing, sneezing, and sputum. Because of this, the infected person should wear a mask at all times when not in self-isolation. For instance, when they eat. For anyone not infected, wearing a face covering, or mask, is used to keep your hands out of your mouth, nose, and eyes.
Coronavirus thrives in small, unventilated, high contact spaces, such as employee break rooms and cafeterias, where people eat, share the same preparation and eating surfaces, share the same air space, and let their guard down. Grocery store employees, civil servants such as police and fire departments, health workers, MTA employees, and so on, have seen outbreaks and this is thought to be why.
Coronavirus is considered to be weak. This is why proper hand washing technique is crucial, as is good ventilation, and cleaning followed by proper disinfecting.
Patients who are self-isolating should open a window if they can (or turn on an overhead fan). Again, what we know is that coronavirus thrives in small, unventilated rooms, and the respiratory droplets can linger about three to five hours in still air. With air flow or ventilation the droplets, will drop quickly to the ground or a counter top, to be cleaned.
The actual social distancing requirement is 3.0′ for other known virus infections. Out of an abundance of caution, public officials have doubled that measure to 6.0′ for the novel coronavirus.
Contact guidelines for stopping the spread of coronavirus transmission suggest that people should not spend more than 15 minutes, face-to-face, within two meters of an infected coronavirus patient in any setting, for example anyone living in the same household or someone who has shared a closed space with a confirmed case for more than two hours. What this implies is that you can safely live in the same space as someone with COVID 19 by taking certain precautions. It also implies that any number of transactions in the public domain, such as walking, food shopping, handling packages, and so on, are safe with the customary precautions.
You can self-isolate out of an abundance of caution for any reason, to safeguard yourself and your family. Any signs or symptoms of cold or flu can be thought of as mild symptoms of the disease.
- If you develop any respiratory symptoms of distress, e.g. a cough, shortness of breath:
- You will need to self-isolate without delay and phone your primary care provider right away.
Your PCP will take your details, discuss your symptoms with you over the phone or on a video call, and advise you of the next steps you need to take, including possibly arranging testing for coronavirus.

DISCLAIMER: The above information does not constitute medical advice; nor is it a cure for Coronavirus. You will soon be bombarded by tons of whacky suggestions and offers to cure Coronavirus, which are false, especially, and including from disreputable radio hosts and miracle-cure advertisers. We absolutely do not endorse any of these. Please consult with your doctor or schedule to meet with Dr Pucci. As discussed, we are handling these using Zoom. If you are a new patient, please call the office at (201) 261-5430 to set this up or go to our website: www.GetWell-Now.com and scroll all the way down for the Assessment portion. We can help you get started.

What Else:

Office Hours.10:00 AM to 2:00, MWF for products, test kits, questions and virtual appointments.

Products are available for pick up at the door. You do not have to come during office hours if that is not convenient.

Test Kits. We are recommending a few at-home test kits. Ask about Vitamin D testing, Organic Acids, Mucosal Immunity, Gut Microbiome, and Adrenal Stress Index for sleep balance.

Zoom Appointments. Dr Pucci is available to review test results and update nutritional protocols using Zoom, an on-line tool for conducting appointments.

Get Started. The simplest way to get to know Dr Pucci and become a new patient is to call (201) 261-5430. Online, go to the website and complete the Free Assessment. We will contact you

Stay Connected. We have heard from patients who we have not heard from in quite a while and we say THANK YOU. We have always had an open door policy; meaning, the door is always open to you. For questions, concerns or a refresher, please reach out.

email drpucci@getwell-now.com if you are sending in forms, have lengthy questions that need printing and review, and so on.

fax 201-261-0972 for reports

call the office at 201-261-5430 for general queries, to leave a message, or to speak during normal business hours

text 646-765-1031 (Cynthia) for quick responses and normal text stuff

Thank you, everyone, and stay safe!

About the Author

Dr. Doug Pucci Dr. Doug Pucci, DC, DPSc, FAAIM, offers seminars and provides nutritional, homeopathic, brain and body care. For more information, call 201-261-5430 or visit GetWell-Now.com.