Covid-19: The Elephant in the Room

There’s little doubt that the Coronavirus pandemic has dramatically changed the way you live and the way you think about things that you previously took for granted. For most, becoming infected will result in symptoms similar to a bad case of the flu, while some may have no noticeable symptoms. However, a small percentage of folks who become infected will suffer tremendously, and some will die. Early in the year, as the virus was just reaching our shores, we observed other countries as they were further along the “curve.” We were told that this virus could be fatal, but mostly to the elderly who were already suffering from other chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and COPD. It became critically important to protect our vulnerable seniors, particularly those in community living housing or nursing homes. We scolded the young who partied on beaches over spring break, bringing the coronavirus back to their homes, family, and grandparents.

Then the other shoe dropped when we learned of young Americans becoming hospitalized and even dying from this “old person” illness. Why are young people dying in the U.S. yet other countries don’t report the same statistics that we’re seeing here? Are other countries not reporting accurately, or is there something different about the virus when it arrived in the U.S.? Why do we see such high death rates, (Coronavirus deaths as a percentage of population) in our large cities that exceed the rates of other countries?

While we in the United States may choose to ignore the elephant in the room, other countries warned of our vulnerability.


Being overweight is a major risk for people infected with the new coronavirus and the United States is particularly vulnerable because of high obesity levels there, France’s chief epidemiologist said on Wednesday.


World News

April 8, 2020


Americans are among the world’s most vulnerable to coronavirus because of their rising rates of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure

Dailymail.com

Published: 18:58 EDT, 30 March 2020

Other countries talk about America’s obesity problem, but here in the U.S., we blame the bad outcomes of the virus on high blood pressure, diabetes and pre-diabetes, race, poverty, etc. However, it’s rare to hear that being overweight is an independent risk factor even though it underlies almost all of the chronic illnesses that make us vulnerable.


Dr. Robert Eckel, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, told Business Insider that a “sophisticated internist” in New York City told him at least 90% of the people under age 50 he’s seen ventilated due to COVID-19 were obese.

Business Insider 4/11/2020

Yes, America, we’re fat and we don’t want to talk about it. But there’s good news amidst the bad… We can learn from this pandemic and change our habits and lifestyle to become healthier and boost our immunity at the same time. Amazingly, often losing just 10 pounds can reverse type 2 diabetes and improve most other chronic illnesses. And maintaining a healthy weight is not only protective for Covid-19, but also for other viruses and influenza infections.

So let’s not waste any more time America! You can get on the path to health right now by scheduling a free health consultation to learn the steps you can immediately take to improve your resistance to this and future viruses.

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