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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.