Today’s Fox News headline reads in stark bold letters “Blood on the Street.”[1] No, they weren’t referring to a public health crisis, but rather to the crashing stock market, an effect of the hysteria that has set in as officials mix science, the unknown, and politics into an unprecedented brew.
CNN echoed the fear, reporting that while near-panic is being felt around the country, the White House attempted to quell concerns about supply chains. After Mr. Trump met with grocery, food and beverage corporate leaders on Sunday, White House Deputy Press Secretary, Judd Deere indicated that “Supply chains in the United States are strong, and it is unnecessary for the American public to hoard daily essentials.”[2]
Nevertheless, we are in reactionary times, reminding me of a similar time when President Franklin D. Roosevelt told us that “…the only thing we have fear is fear itself.“[3] His 
words are reflected in the irrational panic we’ve been seeing as people empty grocery store shelves of toilet paper. While prudent steps should be taken, overreaction is harmful, and creates bigger problems than what we feared in the first place.
A fair amount of misinformation has been spread around, so let’s consider a few things. Infectious disease experts keep telling us that there are two basic things the public should be doing, wash your hands with soap and water, and stay away from sick people. By the way, Dr. Otto Yang, infectious disease expert at UCLA reports that soap and water works better than alcohol-based hand sanitizers for corona.[4] Remember, your best defense against infectious disease is a strong, healthy immune system. The basics essential to keeping your immune system functioning at top efficiency are the same ones that we should be doing to stay healthy all the time, anyway. Good nutrition, adequate rest and exercise (that doesn’t mean just put in more hours and work harder on the job). Exercise should be thought of as healthful movement and activity – the things we do aside from the daily toil of earning a living. A walk in the park gives both fresh air and vitamin D boosting sunshine, contributing both exercise and nutrition to our immune systems.[5] Let’s not forget the importance of lots of fresh, clean water, and a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. That means avoiding fast foods, and eating less junk food. This all sounds like the things we learned in elementary school, yet somehow we seem to think that they no longer apply to our stressed, busy lives. In reality these basic essentials are even more important now than ever. Good hygiene is another essential that goes a long way toward keeping us well. Yes, we all know that we need to wash our hands, so keep plenty of soap and warm water available, relying on hand sanitizers only when soap and water isn’t possible.
Amongst the essentials to having good immune response is a healthy nerve system. Remember, the brain uses the nerve system to control and coordinate all body functions, which includes the immune system. That’s why we believe that getting your spine checked and adjusted is so important, especially now. It’s also why our policy, based on all available information, is to remain open and available to you.
Knowing the concerns about controlling the spread of infection, we have reviewed our own procedures with everyone’s health and safety in mind. Here are a few things that we are doing about it right now:
- We are increasing the frequency of our sanitation procedures, especially where people are in contact with the adjusting tables.
- In order to efficiently sanitize the children’s play area, we are temporarily removing the smaller toy items. Parents are urged to bring an item or two from home for their kids (and be sure to take them with you when your family leaves for home).
- To keep the numbers of people in the office at any given time to a minimum, we are scheduling a maximum of three to four appointments per hour.
- If you are under the weather, you should stay home.
- If you think that you may have been in contact with someone who has been exposed to an infectious illness, please notify us prior to coming in for your appointment.
- Important: if you have recently traveled to an area with high rates of infections, please notify us prior to arriving for your appointment.
- For persons paying with debit or credit cards, we have placed the terminal within your reach, and it is being cleaned after each person’s use.
[1] Fox News, https://www.foxnews.com/, accessed March 16, 2020
[2] Cable News Network, https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/15/politics/supply-chain-shortages-coronavirus-pandemic/index.html, accessed March 16, 2020
[3] President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1933 Inaugural Address, https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=audio%3a+nothing+to+fear+but+fear+itself&view=detail&mid=707FCAA86D6E10F73FC9707FCAA86D6E10F73FC9&FORM=VIRE
[4] Los Angeles Times, https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2020-03-03/how-bad-could-coronavirus-outbreak-get, accessed March 4, 2020
[5] Dr Jenna Macciochi, writing for The Mail, https://www.msn.com/en-gb/foodanddrink/news/how-to-boost-your-immune-system-against-coronavirus-dr-jenna-macciochi-reveals-her-top-tips-for-fighting-off-the-killer-disease/ar-BB11cdSM?li=AAJsMOW, accessed March 16, 2020