Staying healthy and safe.

by | Mar 17, 2020 | Chiropractic, Lifestyle

UPDATE 6/17/2020Dr. Greenwood medical mask

We continue to maintain the same strict office cleaning program described below. Healthcare providers should still be wearing masks as are we. We continue to maintain “empty waiting room” scheduling to eliminate inter-patient contact. We also ask that patients wear a mask as well to their appointments. However, if you’re lying face down during treatment you can remove your mask.

UPDATE 4/4/2020

Essential businesses, including chiropractic care, will continue to remain open at this time.

Today a new order from the Health Officer for The County of Riverside was issued for residents which requires all persons, including essential workers, to wear face covering (scarf, dense fabric without holes), bandana, neck gaiter or other fabric face covering when out. It does not need to be a medical mask. Wearing a face covering is mostly intended to protect others from us.

Please continue to wear your face covering when you come into the office. We continue to exercise the highest degree of care and hygiene according to strict CDC guidelines (complete office disinfecting of treatment table, surfaces and door handles and other touched surfaces between every patient, patient and doctor hand washing between all patients) and schedule patients to provide zero patient-to-patient contact in the office.

Some people wear gloves while they’re out and this only makes sense if you dispose of those gloves after every place you go. Otherwise you are just carrying the same potential contamination from one place to another… with your gloves. I suppose you could wash your gloved hands, but this seems to obviate the reason for wearing gloves in the first place. Now if your skin in getting chapped from a lot of hand washing then I can understand using gloves. I can also see that gloves will remind you not to touch your face, so that might be helpful. But in terms of cross contaminating yourself or others, washing your hands is more than enough precaution.

Check out this site explaining the extremely helpful effects of face masks: Masks Save Lives.

There are a lot of DIY mask videos out there – here’s a nice one…

UPDATE 3/28/2020

Essential businesses, including chiropractic care, will remain open at this time. This designation is in accordance under California and Federal laws and in the Guidelines just released (3/28/2020) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. You can still go to your doctor, chiropractor, pharmacy, mental health care professional, etc. There are many other essential services that can remain operational at this time.  Here’s the list of essential services: https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforce

I take your health and well being (and my own!) very seriously. I’m going to assure that my office is a safe zone for me and my patients. Not only safe, but one of the safest places you can be.

There’s never been a more important time to do things that keep us healthy, including chiropractic care. As my patients know, keeping yourself and your family adjusted improves your vital energy, clears your autonomic nervous system of interference and reduces stress and irritation within the nervous system which allow for better health.

We have modified our scheduling and our procedure to eliminate all waiting room overlap. You will have zero contact with anyone else besides the me. We adhere strictly to strictly to CDC guidelines and we’re taking further steps now to ensure everyone’s health.

General Guidelines In My Office:

  1. Please arrive at your appointment time. If you’re early, please wait in your car until your appointment time. This will eliminate waiting room contact with any other patient. We’re also scheduling patients in way that eliminates contact between patients.
  2. I will disinfect (70% alcohol) the adjusting table, door handles and other touched surfaces in the office between each patient following CDC disinfecting guidelines for COVID-19.
  3. When you arrive you’ll first go straight into the bathroom and wash your hands up to your elbows.
  4. I will check everyone’s forehead temperature each visit.
  5. Symptomatic or ill patients need to postpone their visits (runny nose, sore throat, cough, fever, difficulty breathing)
  6. I will (as always) continue to thoroughly wash between patients.
  7. We’ll maintain 6 foot distancing if we need to discuss anything
  8. Outside door and window remain open to continually move fresh air in and out

General Advice:

I sometimes tell patients, “Nobody is bullet proof.” We are all exposed to illness and injury throughout our life. Taking care of ourselves today can greatly improve our outcomes regardless of the challenges we face in the future.

  1. Social distancing – avoid places where large groups of people congregate. Avoid groups of more than 10 people. Use common sense. The current government guidelines (as of 3/16/2020) say to avoid groups of more than 10 people. The Mayo Clinic outlines social distancing in our current pandemic as avoiding malls, theaters, grocery stores or anywhere with large crowds such as concerts or festivals. Suspending services at houses of worship. Encouraging people to work from home. Avoiding the use of public transportation. Closing schools and child care centers. Avoiding handshakes. Keeping more than 6 feet from from anyone who is sick, coughing or sneezing.
  2. Do your best not to live in fear or anxiety about the situation. Yes, it is a serious matter that requires our attention. Buy when we get overly anxious the fear response the immune systems shuts down in favor of survival mechanisms, which actually further heighten our anxiety. Practice love and compassion. Be smart and trust you are doing what you can to keep yourself and your family safe. Beyond that there is really nothing that helps the situation by obsessing on it. People live in challenging environments around the world and learn to take necessary precautions, adapt and live their lives.
  3. Wash your hands… a lot. Be sure your hands are clean if you need to touch your face. Cough or sneeze into your elbows or into a tissue. Discard it immediately and wash your hands.
  4. Get outside. You don’t have to stay inside all day! Fresh air and sunshine is vital to healthy immunity. Make a point of getting outside, daily. Even 15 to 20 minutes three times throughout the day will benefit you. Movement and breathing help your body eliminate toxins and lessens the burden on your immune system. When you’re inside open a door or window if you can. Moving the air reduces droplets hovering around.
  5. Rest! Get plenty of sleep and rest.
  6. Use this time for a personal at-home retreat where you just enjoy some time spent away from work, extra-curricular activities and the hustle and bustle of life. Walks in nature, healthy dinners together with your family, board games, curling up with a good book and limiting your social contact are all enriching ways to protect yourself from community transmission.
  7. Eat extra healthy. Try to have more anti-oxidant and nutrient-dense infection-fighting foods like: organic blueberries, raspberries, spinach, sprouts, garlic, onions, ginger, parsley, cilantro, celery juice, and fermented foods. Take extra vitamin-D if you can. Stay away from the snacky stuff.
  8. Drink lots of water. Drinking good quality water and herbal teas, staying hydrated, is one of the best things you can do to flush out toxins from your body and relieve stress on your immune system.
  9. Reduce sugar intake and eat a balanced diet. Sugar weakens the immune system and makes it less able to deal with viruses and bacteria. Read food labels carefully.

We’ve learned a lot from how this played out in China. First, social distancing (avoiding groups and crowds) was the number one way they got control of it. If there’s any good news it’s that very few children were among the confirmed cases. About 80% of people who died from the virus in China were over the age of 60, and 75% had pre-existing conditions. At this point is appears that the high risk populations are the elderly and especially those with other existing illnesses, particularly respiratory problems. If you’re in that group take extra, extra good care of yourself.