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6

Understanding the Threat

By: Kyo Mitchell / A Healthier You

Why is the coronavirus such a threat? To

understand this question, you need to

better understand how the body deals with foreign

pathogens such as viri (the plural of virus) or bacteria.

First we need to start with the virus itself. The coronavirus is an RNA

virus. The way it survives and prospers is that it enters your cells and

makes copies of itself. Along the way it tends to destroy the cells its

enters, hence harming you.

The body tries to defend against this invasion by means of the

immune system. Most people have heard of antibodies. The immune

system will develop antibodies and immune cells to seek out and

destroy the coronavirus.

The problem with this process is that it takes time. If the immune

system has never encountered a pathogen before like this coronavirus,

it takes at least 4-7 days to develop the necessary antibodies and

immune cells to fight off this invader.

This 4-7 day timeline is for someone young and healthy. For someone

who is older or who has health conditions, it may take a longer period

of time.

If you have been watching the news, they refer to this as a NOVEL

coronavirus. No human body has ever seen this virus before which

means EVERYONE has to go through this two week process of

developing an immune response to it.

To help you further understand, let’s use an analogy. Think of two

armies in a race to build themselves up with as many as soldiers as

possible.

If your immune system can build up “soldiers” faster than the virus

can build soldiers, you will recover. If, however, the virus can build up

its army of soldiers faster than the immune system, the prognosis may

be terminal.

What is also a threat is the body’s response. Inflammation is the

body’s natural response to a foreign invader.

When inflammation happens, extra fluid which contains immune

cells is vented into the affected tissue to fight the virus. If this happens in

the deep part of your lungs (called the alveoli) this extra fluid decreases

the ability of the body to absorb oxygen and vent carbon dioxide. This

can be life threatening and why people are put on ventilators.

Be safe. Be smart. We will get through this.

Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle

and Wongu University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchell

practices in Summerlin and can be reached at 702-481-6216 or

rkyomitchell@gmail.com.

April 2020

My Quarantine Diary

By: Bill Caserta / Bill’s Blurbs

Day 1: I have stocked up on enough nonperishable

food and supplies so that I can

remain in isolation for as long as it takes to ride

out this pandemic.

Day 1 + 45 minutes: I am in the supermarket

because I wanted a Twix.

Day 2 (and no sports on TV): Found a beautiful lady sitting on my

couch yesterday. Apparently she’s my wife. She seems nice.

Our Bill Blurb’s thoughts about this pandemic:

1. Not to brag, but I used hand soap before it was trending.

2. My cleaning lady just called and told me she will be now working

from home and will send me instructions on what to do.

3. Until further notice, no one can stop by my house unannounced.

I’m not sick. I just don’t trust anyone around my toilet paper.

4. Who would have believed this? Mexico is now asking President

Trump to hurry up with the wall.

5. I asked a Walmart worker where I could find the nuts. He told me

that they’re in the toilet paper aisle.

6. And how come the liquor stores don’t have empty shelves? Are

people not realizing that they are going to be quarantined with their

spouses and kids?

Bill Caserta is the Project Director for The Vegas Voice and

has a very “unique” sense of humor. He welcomes all funny

submissions at: bill@thevegasvoice.net.

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