Healthy living
04/12/21 03:32
It is a story that would have seemed strange to us a couple of years ago, but things have changed. Now the story is, I imagine, fairly common. Some of us had been together in a setting where care was taken to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. All of us had been vaccinated. We wore face masks. We kept our distance. We followed the protocols that we had been taught. Later, one of those persons discovered that they might have been exposed to someone with Covid and so administered an at home Covid test. The at-home test kits are available at pharmacies and test for the present of Covid-19 antigens in the body. These tests deliver results in about 15 minutes. They are considered a preliminary screening tool and those who receive a positive result are advised to go to a physician’s office where a reliable PCR test can be administered which will detect active Covid-19 infections and provide results in 1 to 2 days. There is some evidence that people who have recently received vaccines are slightly more likely to obtain false positive results from the at-home kits.
The person who suspected possible exposure got a positive from the at home test. Acting responsibly that person notified others with whom they had been in contact and made arrangements for the follow-up PCR test. When I received the news, one person advised that I might go ahead and get an at-home test kit. However, I didn’t feel that I was at risk, having followed safety protocols and not having any symptoms. I do not have an at-home test kit at my house and decided that I did not need to be tested at that time.
In the meantime, another person in the group did administer an at-home test and received positive results. A second test administered by that same person also returned a positive result. That person also scheduled a PCR test at a physician’s office and notified the group. Concern levels were raised after these results. Plans for the weekend were changed. Once again, I didn’t feel at risk and decided to take a wait and see approach.
It turned out that both of the people who had received positive results from their home tests tested negative on the PCR tests administered in medical offices. The most likely scenario is that there was no exposure to the virus. However, out of an abundance of caution, at least one member of the group has self-imposed a ten day quarantine to make sure that no one else is exposed to possible exposure.
I couldn’t have imagined such a scenario before the pandemic left such devastating results on the world. Now it seems like a reality that might happen again and again as we learn to live with the presence of this illness in the world. We have learned to fear the disease and the spread of infection.
Modern scientific medicine has so long focused on symptoms and illness that we often lose sight of wellness and wholeness. As we go through the process of establishing new health care relationships following our move, we are deeply aware of how our health care providers focus on just a narrow part of our entire lives. The dentist looks only at our teeth. The optometrist looks only at our eyes. The dermatologist considers our skin. The cardiologist checks our heart. Our primary care physician is supposed to consider our overall health, but doctors in our country are not trained to consider health. They are trained to look for disease. An examination with a primary care physician is a series of tests looking for specific diseases.
Schools, once seen as centers of intellectual health and churches, once seen as the centers of spiritual health, rarely see themselves as part of the overall health care picture. Physicians are increasing their awareness of how important mental and spiritual health are to the overall well-being of their patients, but the system persists in relegating health care to a very narrow list of symptoms with very little consideration of the overall well-being of patients. The use of the word “patient” itself denotes that the role of the person involved is one of passivity rather than active engagement in working towards wholeness and wellness.
A self-test that yields rapid results uses a very narrow set of chemical criteria to declare either negative or positive. A positive result is not an indication of illness, but it has the capacity to disrupt lives. In our little circle, seven or eight people had their anxiety raised. Two people rushed to consume high cost emergency health care and at least one person is self-imposing a ten day isolation from others, meaning a readjustment of work schedules and responsibilities as well as additional effects on co workers and family. All of this is because someone suspects the possibility of illness, not because of any evidence that illness is present.
Like our physicians, we have become so focused in illness that we are unable to look for wellness.
As I age, I am well aware of a growing list of symptoms that are a part of my life. I am stiff when I rise. I have a bit of arthritis in my hands. My feet have a tendency to swell if I don’t remain very active. I have a couple of places in my body where tendonitis causes a bit of pain. I have to be careful about my balance. I don’t see as well as once was the case. My hearing isn’t perfect, either. I could make a long list of symptoms to give to a doctor. The bottom line, however, is that I am a healthy person. I can put in a full day’s work at the office or at the farm. I can get down on the floor and play with my grandchildren. I walk several miles each day without needing a cane or walking stick. I consider myself to be a healthy person.
I refuse to surrender my health to a list of symptoms and I refuse to surrender my health to a dependence on a medicine cabinet filled with at-home tests for illness when no symptoms are present. I work hard to be responsible. I don’t want to unwittingly spread illness to others. I follow the safety protocols. I seek out vaccination when it is recommended. But I am not going to lock the doors and quarantine because of the fear that I might have been exposed to someone who might have been exposed to someone who might have had a positive test. Instead, I’m going to go for a walk and get some exercise and be grateful for the health that I enjoy.
The person who suspected possible exposure got a positive from the at home test. Acting responsibly that person notified others with whom they had been in contact and made arrangements for the follow-up PCR test. When I received the news, one person advised that I might go ahead and get an at-home test kit. However, I didn’t feel that I was at risk, having followed safety protocols and not having any symptoms. I do not have an at-home test kit at my house and decided that I did not need to be tested at that time.
In the meantime, another person in the group did administer an at-home test and received positive results. A second test administered by that same person also returned a positive result. That person also scheduled a PCR test at a physician’s office and notified the group. Concern levels were raised after these results. Plans for the weekend were changed. Once again, I didn’t feel at risk and decided to take a wait and see approach.
It turned out that both of the people who had received positive results from their home tests tested negative on the PCR tests administered in medical offices. The most likely scenario is that there was no exposure to the virus. However, out of an abundance of caution, at least one member of the group has self-imposed a ten day quarantine to make sure that no one else is exposed to possible exposure.
I couldn’t have imagined such a scenario before the pandemic left such devastating results on the world. Now it seems like a reality that might happen again and again as we learn to live with the presence of this illness in the world. We have learned to fear the disease and the spread of infection.
Modern scientific medicine has so long focused on symptoms and illness that we often lose sight of wellness and wholeness. As we go through the process of establishing new health care relationships following our move, we are deeply aware of how our health care providers focus on just a narrow part of our entire lives. The dentist looks only at our teeth. The optometrist looks only at our eyes. The dermatologist considers our skin. The cardiologist checks our heart. Our primary care physician is supposed to consider our overall health, but doctors in our country are not trained to consider health. They are trained to look for disease. An examination with a primary care physician is a series of tests looking for specific diseases.
Schools, once seen as centers of intellectual health and churches, once seen as the centers of spiritual health, rarely see themselves as part of the overall health care picture. Physicians are increasing their awareness of how important mental and spiritual health are to the overall well-being of their patients, but the system persists in relegating health care to a very narrow list of symptoms with very little consideration of the overall well-being of patients. The use of the word “patient” itself denotes that the role of the person involved is one of passivity rather than active engagement in working towards wholeness and wellness.
A self-test that yields rapid results uses a very narrow set of chemical criteria to declare either negative or positive. A positive result is not an indication of illness, but it has the capacity to disrupt lives. In our little circle, seven or eight people had their anxiety raised. Two people rushed to consume high cost emergency health care and at least one person is self-imposing a ten day isolation from others, meaning a readjustment of work schedules and responsibilities as well as additional effects on co workers and family. All of this is because someone suspects the possibility of illness, not because of any evidence that illness is present.
Like our physicians, we have become so focused in illness that we are unable to look for wellness.
As I age, I am well aware of a growing list of symptoms that are a part of my life. I am stiff when I rise. I have a bit of arthritis in my hands. My feet have a tendency to swell if I don’t remain very active. I have a couple of places in my body where tendonitis causes a bit of pain. I have to be careful about my balance. I don’t see as well as once was the case. My hearing isn’t perfect, either. I could make a long list of symptoms to give to a doctor. The bottom line, however, is that I am a healthy person. I can put in a full day’s work at the office or at the farm. I can get down on the floor and play with my grandchildren. I walk several miles each day without needing a cane or walking stick. I consider myself to be a healthy person.
I refuse to surrender my health to a list of symptoms and I refuse to surrender my health to a dependence on a medicine cabinet filled with at-home tests for illness when no symptoms are present. I work hard to be responsible. I don’t want to unwittingly spread illness to others. I follow the safety protocols. I seek out vaccination when it is recommended. But I am not going to lock the doors and quarantine because of the fear that I might have been exposed to someone who might have been exposed to someone who might have had a positive test. Instead, I’m going to go for a walk and get some exercise and be grateful for the health that I enjoy.
