Older Bolder Life

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Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Podcasts, Recipes, and More 22 April 2020

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An Eclectic Collection of Topics That Caught My Eye This Week

Why walking matters – now more than ever.

The calming power of a simple walk.

Exercise-induced EcSOD (extracellular superoxide dismutase) might well be protective against the worst of COVID-19.

Another spin on the story above.

Wow, even the NYT is commenting on the link between obesity and poor COVID-19 outcomes.

Seed companies can’t keep up, and that’s a great thing.

Stanford professor stirs the pot by suggesting death rates far lower than first thought. (There’s a growing body of dissent growing among a bevy of medical and epidemiological experts, who are being frankly isolated and ignored by the media. More to come.)

Outdoor transmission appears rare according to this piece (preprint, China).

Sex in the time of coronavirus.

Weekly Vit D3 improves aerobic performance in combat sport athletes.

Nifty Podcasts Out This Past Week

Dr. Cate Shanahan on healthy metabolism.

Dr. Art De Vany on health span, lifespan, and healing the wounds of aging.

The Athlete’s Gut.

Food, Glorious Food

A time to eat and a time to exercise.

Spicy Merguez Sausage (lamb and pork belly, but adaptable to any proteins)

On Becoming More Resilient: Five Cornerstones

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During these most unusual days I’ve made it a goal over the past few weeks to spend at least part of my time interacting with family, friends, and coaching clients challenging them to think about how they can become more resilient.

Merriam-Webster’s defines resilient as tending to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change, as well as capable of withstanding shock without permanent deformation or rupture.

Interpreted in light of this spring’s current events, the concept of being resilient implies much, much more than simply surviving life’s challenges (despite the media’s incessant droning on about survival). The world and her collected humanity have seen many a pandemic before, and will so again; the resiliency of the human race is damned impressive, and the historical record of such seems much under-appreciated these days.

So how might one become more resilient?

Becoming More Resilient: You Are What You Eat

The phrase “you are what you eat” is oft attributed to Anthelme Brillat-Savarin who wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, 1826: “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.” (Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are).

Whether or not that attribution is correct, there’s no doubt at this point in time that the food we partake is the single most critical determinant of our long-term health and wellness.

My own story is a perfect example of this, and if you’ve not yet made the choice to eat to pursue optimal health, now’s the perfect time to jump in. The challenge of course if finding the right food plan for your unique physiology and circumstances; following some common-sense principles will lead you, more quickly than you might imagine, to a plan that works. (Need some help sorting out options? I can help).

Becoming More Resilient: Lean Body Mass Wins the Day

The fact that lean body mass correlates directly with a human’s ability to survive disease and disaster has been long established; modern medicine, along with popular society, seem to have forgotten this simple axiom, with devastating results.

Need a refresher on lean body mass? Read more here.

As data pours in related to COVID-19, obesity appears to be the single most significant co-morbidity reported, particularly in younger age bands. It doesn’t matter where you are today, get started now.

Becoming More Resilient: Functional Fitness Matters More than Ever

Maintaining functional fitness throughout life doesn’t require mind-boggling commitments of time, effort, or resources, yet might yield the most impressive returns over time of any investment of time, effort, or resources you can make, ever. By simply walking (perhaps with an occasional sprint throw in for fun and good measure) and completing thoughtfully specific body weight exercises, impressive fitness levels can be gained (and maintained).

And as an added bonus, recent data (take this report from UVA within the past week) shows impressive exercise-induced benefits in battling viral invaders and recovering from their impacts.

Volumes have been written about the beneficial impacts that exercise has on human physiology (and mind/spirit); now more than ever you need to lace up those walking shoes and get to it.

Becoming More Resilient: Connections Count

It’s damned revealing that during a time in history when humanity is ostensibly more connected than ever by technology, in reality time spent wandering through the morass of social media clearly makes us less happy, less productive, and we’re reporting a sense of loneliness at near epidemic levels.

Genuine and authentic connections with other humans count. We all need a trusted circle of friends and family; I get it that not everyone wants to play, but you need to find those that do, and work hand in hand to develop authentic relationships you can lean on when the waters of life grow rough (they inevitably do at some point).

By the way, my wife and I have found that the deepest and best relationships we’ve shared with friends over time have grown organically out of shared experiences pursuing worthy activities helping others.

Becoming More Resilient: Purpose, Problem Solving, and Pivots

A fascinating principle was taught to me by a mentor years ago, and it was ironically related to purpose. His argument was that the most successful people in world history, with few exceptions, were those who chartered their life course around helping others solve or fix some problem faced in every day life.

One of his key points was that life on this globe always has (and always will) present for most of us challenges that at times seem overwhelming; it’s inescapable and at times a harsh reality, yet with every challenge comes an opportunity to adapt, change, improve, grow, and perhaps even help others along the way. Having a strong purpose in life can make problem solving good (or great) solutions even more accessible.

Finally, rarely does life proceed according to our best crafted plans. The ability to problem solve and pivot to something adjacent or new is an impressive skill that takes some cultivating and practice. And while your crystal ball predicting your future is a bit cloudy today, with changes coming in society over the next few months there will likely be multiple opportunities to pivot to something new (and maybe even better) coming soon.

Be prepared to pivot for the win.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Spicy Merguez Sausage

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Marooned at home during these days of social distancing found us searching for a bit of a different spin on the traditional Easter dinner last weekend.

Our adult daughter Jess is spending some time with us, seeking some sunshine and a taste of spring after the long, cold, and dark Montana winter. She’s a photojournalist working in the outdoor space, and after recent journeys “BC”, which translates these days around our camp to before-COVID, she’s come to really enjoy Middle Eastern flavors.

After kicking around several options, we decided to make up a batch of Spicy Merguez Sausage, using a combination of lamb and pork belly; the pork belly was chosen in part as our favorite local butcher didn’t have pork fat on hand, but some very very nice belly.

We played around with several different batches of spices, and finally settled on this fairly traditional array including fennel seed, coriander seed, and cumin seed, enriched with paprika, garlic, a nice harissa, and a hint of fresh cilantro.

As you home-crafted sausage fans know well, freezing your meats pre-grind until they’re firm (20-30 minutes) makes them handle much better, and pre-toasting spices before grinding and mixing brings all sorts of additional, deeper, and richer flavor notes.

The truly ambitious can certainly whip up a batch of their favorite harissa as well, though we used a trusted commercially prepared brand and were quite happy.

3 pounds lamb shoulder or leg, trimmed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 pound skinless pork belly, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

2 tsp whole fennel seed
2 tsp whole coriander seed
2 tsp whole cumin seed
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp good paprika
1 tsp cayenne

6-7 garlic cloves, trimmed and minced
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/3 cup harissa (perhaps more)
1/3 cup ice water

Prep the two meats then spread in a single layer on a lined baking sheet; throw in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. (See note above.)

Meanwhile, toast the fennel, coriander, and cumin seed in a cast iron skillet over medium heat (preheat the skillet) until fragrant; remove to a pestle or spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Place in a small bowl and combine with the salt, paprika, and cayenne.

When ready to grind, scrape the chilled meats into a bowl, sprinkle with half the spice mixture, half the garlic, and half the harissa then toss to combine. Now grind the meats into a bowl set in ice through your small die.

Scrape the meat into the bowl of your stand mixer, add the remainders of the spice mixture, garlic, cilantro, and harissa, add the water, and mix on low speed until the mixture has combined and is uniform (and a little sticky).

While the rest of the sausage chills in the fridge, test cook a small patty and then adjust seasonings (pending how hot the harissa might be, we almost always add more).

Shape into patties (or links) or stuff into prepared casings.

Of course these need to stay in the fridge (or freezer) until cooked, and smell heavenly while sautéing until well-browned and cooked through.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Recipes, and More 15 April 2020

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The Obligatory Current Event – COVID-19 Links That Caught My Eye This Week

What can we learn about the metabolic syndrome from COVID-19?

Obesity appears to be a significant COVID-19 risk, even in the young. This should of course in NO WAY be a surprise, yet obesity is not currently being listed by the majority of medical agents or in media reports as a significant contributor of risk.

I’m hearing more and more reports of hospitals battling docs and staffs of late. (Free MedScape account required, and the comments are damned interesting.)

WSJ details the cytokine storm from a lay perspective.

What? Antibodies in 30% tested?

Other Fitness News (and More) You Can Use this Week

The more you walk, the better.

Exercise benefits metabolism more than we think.

In support of caffeine before the workout.

As we mature, most of us are more emotionally stable.

Less Facebook = happier life.

Low carb diets can slow age related brain changes.

Bulletproof team on autophagy.

Marijuana use leads to infertility?

Food, Glorious Food

The most photographed food in the US by state.

Olive trees and their spread through the Mediterranean basin.

Creole Mustard and Honey Yogurt Dressing.

Out of the Box: COVID-19, The What If Syndrome, and Context

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Out of the Box: A Cautionary Warning

What follows is a brief collection of what many would call out of the box thinking today; some (you might call them the screamers) would in fact label what follows absolute heresy.

If you’re not in the mood to have your thinking about current events challenged a bit, then move along, there’s nothing to see here. Likewise, if you’re unwilling or unable to put on big boy (or girl) pants and question the endless parade of dire and oft conflicting information we’re all assaulted with daily, then click on over to your favorite foodies’ website for the plat du jour (something I enjoy doing every day myself).

Of note, what follows is in NO WAY an effort to delegitimize or downplay the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 invasion and the impacts of the resultant COVID-19 syndrome. Quite frankly it can wreak devastation for the most susceptible, and it has invoked one of the most unusual mass responses ever seen in global history.

Finally, an apology for the length of this post; it’s a big meaty topic.

The What If Syndrome

Over a year ago I had a client approach me, a very successful and uber-intelligent physician, seeking some help after witnessing first hand my personal transformation over the past few years. He claimed to have “done everything right” as prescribed by traditional medicine for four plus decades, from eating stone ground oatmeal every morning to (over) exercising diligently to cutting saturated fats from his diet and much more. Yet with all of his at times painful compliance, his lipid profile was a mess and he was, predictably, having some issues with statins after having taken them for years with little efficacy.

I provided him a raft of information and reading resources, including some of the most scientifically grounded and respected scientists, researchers, and thought leaders in the medical, sports, and ancestral health worlds.

Specifically (given his traditional medical background) I encouraged him to read some of the works of Drs. Gundry and Shanahan, medical professionals who’ve seen the light and have integrated rational nutritional principles into thriving medical practices. His almost immediate response was to note how critically these clinicians deviated from “accepted and classical thought”, and given such, their recommendations couldn’t be trusted and shouldn’t be followed.

His final comment to me on the matter, before simply giving up before even really getting started, was something akin to this: “What they’re saying is basically heresy, but what if they’re right?”

What if they’re right indeed is a principle that applies more than ever to those raising a cautionary note about end-of-the-world predictions and current events.

Trying to Make Sense of Today with a Bit of Context

There are hoards of commentators opining these days about COVID-19; those who speak (and write) the company line are those you see plastered across various media outlets, distilled down into sound bites for the masses.

Perhaps not so ironically those who dig deeper into the details and the available data, analyzing information in real time at a granular level, not using models to hypothesize, aren’t so embraced by traditional media outlets, therefore it takes a bit more work to find this information.

From my personal perspective, as a retired physician able to understand and digest the medical side of the data fairly comfortably, I’ve found it most illuminating to read with interest the works of several folks who are otherwise experts at analyzing big blocks of data – ironically several of the most insightful have been economists.

Take for example this piece – Coronavirus – It’s Not Heart Disease, It’s a Plane Crash – written by Chris MacIntosh and published this morning. From the piece –

Cardiovascular disease kills over 17 million people annually. It’s the main cause of death globally apparently. I thought it was stupidity but now Google tells me no, it’s “CVD”. Cardiovascular disease. So much for that then.

Looking deeper we find what causes it. Too much macaroni cheese, and donuts, which actually means I was right all along. Stupidity IS the main cause of death. Furthermore, we know what we can do to stop it. Buy a pair of running shoes and actually use them for – you know – running, instead of mooching about the mall from one junk food outlet to another.

Anyway it causes millions of deaths every year and in a minute I’ll tell you why we don’t collectively say…ok that’s it. Enough is enough, you’re all quarantined and everyone must, for the next 4 weeks, self isolate in the gym on a diet of lettuce and bottled water. Which if you think about it would save millions of lives, not to mention millions of dollars in healthcare.

I tell you what makes folks freak the pha-kout though. Air travel. Google explains to me that nearly a third of folks are afraid of flying.

Here’s deaths by transport for 2017.
Highway: 37,133
Rail (Trains): 761
Marine (boats & other watercraft): 694
Commercial Airlines: 0

And did you know that there was a 1 in 3.37 billion chance of dying in a plane crash between 2012-2016. There was a 1 in 20 million chance of being on a commercial airline flight experiencing a fatal accident from 2012-2016 and when there was a crash 98.6% of those crashes resulted in exactly zilch fatalities — Of the 140 plane accidents during 2012-2016, only two involved fatalities (1.4%). Ironically folks will gleefully gorge themselves on burgers and fries before boarding a plane, terrified it’ll fall out of the sky. It’s like popping a slow release cyanide pill and then getting onboard one of the safest forms of transport in the world and thinking to yourself…this thing may kill me. Irrational? Yup.

And the reason for this fear is the same reason folks are terrified of nuclear power (the safest form of power known to man).  When a plane crashes or a tsunami hits, or a Fukushima happens they all do so with an unexpected speed. This is why our reaction to these events is disproportionate to the events themselves.

Contrast this to “CVD” which doesn’t do its dirty work in one fell swoop. It’s not like the heart attack man swoops down in one month and takes them all. It kills one in your street, another few across town. Then it ventures into the next neighborhood before taking up residence in the old age home and poof poor Betty’s gone…and then Bernie across the hall. We don’t like it, but we just accept it and learn to live with it…like politicians…or herpes.

So now to the dreaded bat flu which has brought the entire world to a screeching halt – literally.

What makes this virus special is its speed, or in medical speak R value.  Let’s put this into context, so far it’s killed about 100,000 people or less than a fifth of what the seasonal flu kills annually. Ultimately it’s going to kill a whole lot more, but we should be asking ourselves will it even come close to donut disease (CVD)? Probably not. 17 million remember. And what if it did meet or even exceed donut disease? It’d then be a really bad year but not out of the realm of something we’ve all learned to live with – at least with respect to CVD…

He goes on to quote from Dr. John Lee’s (retired professor of pathology and former NHS consultant pathologist) recent article in The Spectator –

In announcing the most far-reaching restrictions on personal freedom in the history of our nation, Boris Johnson resolutely followed the scientific advice that he had been given. The advisers to the government seem calm and collected, with a solid consensus among them. In the face of a new viral threat, with numbers of cases surging daily, I’m not sure that any prime minister would have acted very differently.

But I’d like to raise some perspectives that have hardly been aired in the past weeks, and which point to an interpretation of the figures rather different from that which the government is acting on. I’m a recently-retired Professor of Pathology and NHS consultant pathologist, and have spent most of my adult life in healthcare and science – fields which, all too often, are characterised by doubt rather than certainty. There is room for different interpretations of the current data. If some of these other interpretations are correct, or at least nearer to the truth, then conclusions about the actions required will change correspondingly.

The simplest way to judge whether we have an exceptionally lethal disease is to look at the death rates. Are more people dying than we would expect to die anyway in a given week or month? Statistically, we would expect about 51,000 to die in Britain this month. At the time of writing, 422 deaths are linked to Covid-19 — so 0.8 per cent of that expected total. On a global basis, we’d expect 14 million to die over the first three months of the year. The world’s 18,944 coronavirus deaths represent 0.14 per cent of that total. These figures might shoot up but they are, right now, lower than other infectious diseases that we live with (such as flu). Not figures that would, in and of themselves, cause drastic global reactions.

Initial reported figures from China and Italy suggested a death rate of 5 per cent to 15 per cent, similar to Spanish flu. Given that cases were increasing exponentially, this raised the prospect of death rates that no healthcare system in the world would be able to cope with. The need to avoid this scenario is the justification for measures being implemented: the Spanish flu is believed to have infected about one in four of the world’s population between 1918 and 1920, or roughly 500 million people with 50 million deaths. We developed pandemic emergency plans, ready to snap into action in case this happened again.

At the time of writing, the UK’s 422 deaths and 8,077 known cases give an apparent death rate of 5 per cent. This is often cited as a cause for concern, contrasted with the mortality rate of seasonal flu, which is estimated at about 0.1 per cent. But we ought to look very carefully at the data. Are these figures really comparable?..

He goes on to document an astounding and very concerning practice being conducted currently – mainly a dramatic and significant change in the methodology of reporting deaths related to COVID-19. The point – context matters – and at least some of the powers that be have been changing the game (and the context) on the fly, most often to worsen the impact of the data. (One of course would ask why? I have no idea, and will leave that to others to pontificate on.)

Math Still Matters

One of my mentors in business (for context, we were analyzing multifamily real estate projects) was fond of saying over and over again that “math matters, and it’s almost aways a bitch to dig into the details”. He was, of course, right, and every time I’ve ignored his advice and gone with emotion/desires over the hard reality of the math, the project has bitten me in the *ss. (We humans just do dumb things sometimes.)

It’s rare to find a genuine mathematical genius today, particularly one who can translate what are often obscure and complicated mathematical constructs into language we mere mortals understand. That said, I’ve been following one for years – Karl Denninger writing over at the Market Ticker. He most often writes on economics, though is a dedicated low-carb guy, a tech genius and former tech CEO, and very well versed on current events. He’s brutally forthright and willing and able to sling stones at any giant standing today.

Over the past several weeks he’s been spot on with several math-based predictions related to COVID-19, and his frequently updated rolling calculations of R0 (R naught) values – using data from state health agencies and the CDC – is probably some of the most important and enlightening data in the world right now (and predictably, as it opposes the narrative being propagated by most of the media, is for the most part ignored).

KD writes with animated clarity, if you’re not up to being challenged, or offended by frankness, don’t click over there.

On the other hand, if you really want to get to the bottom of things, and incorporate useful real data you can use to make decision for your family, click over there and spend an hour reading back through several weeks worth of posts.

Stay healthy my friends, and spend a bit of time outside the box today.

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast: Creole Mustard and Honey Yogurt Dressing

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Extra time at home of late has fostered digging deeper into my list of “damn, I should try and work out a recipe for that” list over the past few weeks.

My lovely wife is a huge fan of tzatziki, the wonderful Greek yogurt-based sauce / condiment packed with garlic, dill, and grated cucumber. Her enthusiasm for tzatziki has led us to explore of number of yogurt-based salad dressings over the past several months; there are several pretty damned good commercially-prepared options out there, many made with very acceptable ingredients for the most part, although they can be a bit pricey.

Being the inveterate tinkerer in the kitchen, the combination of looking for a new dipping sauce for these delicious Cast Iron Skillet Wings and working to jazz up our home salad routine led to some serious yogurt-based dressing and sauce experiments of late.

Using a Creole mustard (see if you can find Zatarains’s version) adds a depth of flavor and texture that’s hard to beat, and led to me experimenting with adding a few brown or yellow mustard seeds to the dressing as well. Yep, they’re a bit crunchy until they soften in the dressing (only a few hours needed) but add interest and flavor here.

As always, dressing recipes are simply a framework for you to start from, adjusting flavors to suit your (your family’s) palate, and you’ll want to try this one with varying amounts of honey.

This would probably be amazing with leftover Easter ham next week…

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2-4 T honey
2 T prepared mustard
2 T Creole Mustard
1/2 t salt
Optional: 1 tsp of mustard seeds, see note below

Combine all ingredients in a small mix bowl and whisk together until homogenous and smooth. If using dry mustard seeds, which are great for additional texture, interest, and flavor, make sure to add at least an hour before serving so they hydrate and soften. Store covered in the fridge.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Older Bolder Links, Reads, Podcasts, Recipes and More 8 April 2020

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SARS-CoV-2 and the resultant COVID-19 process of course continue to dominate the news cycle, though I thought today we’d first offer a stack of links focusing on shoring up your coping skills and stamina, and a few glimpses of folks who are making the best of an altered world these days.

Brad Kearns on microworkouts.

The Quarantine Backyard Ultra.

Damn, the dog is good.

Great to see reminders about fitness maintenance in the lay press.

McConaughey hosts a virtual bingo party in Austin.

Thoughtful Pieces on Societal Impacts and Interesting Medical Work this Week

Using convalescent plasma for COVID-19 treatment. Impressive…

COVID-19 and the unexpected California experience (as of the 31st).

A medical provider’s bizarre conversation over dinner.

My own experience with COVID-19.

Reviving an old TB vaccine to fight COVID-19.

Why social distancing might actually result in more COVID-19 deaths.

COVID-19 ventilator protocols being questioned. (Free MedScape account required)

Podcasts of the Week

A damned intelligent guy (economist, mathematician) takes on the RO narrative on COVID-19. Before you scoff, work through the math…

The Postmenopausal Longevity Paradox and the Evolutionary Advantage of Our Grandmothering Life History

Food, Glorious Food

Bowls rock, and here’s a nifty one – Greek chicken bowls

Cast Iron Skillet Wings

My Personal Experience with COVID-19

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Quick Background to my COVID-19 Story and a Caveat

For the past week or so I’ve debated back and forth as to the value of sharing my own experience with COVID-19, mainly due to the fact that I’m personally (as a retired physician and current health educator) quite concerned that anecdotal reports of individual cases have the potential to (perhaps significantly) skew perceptions about the evolving COVID-19 story we’re all impacted by.

My hope is that my personal experience might be useful in some way, and the caveat of course is that any viral process can and likely will manifest uniquely in a given individual. As with most things YMMV, but clearly by the current data most of us will have a mild clinical syndrome when eventually encountering COVID-19.

Finally, for years now I’ve tracked my daily general health in my main workout record, usually summarized in a word or two if needed, as well as my workouts for the day, steps recorded by my fitness tracker, as well as heart rate responses in workouts (most often max, range, and average) just for the hell of it, and as a longer term record of my fitness changes. That tracking, in hindsight, has proved useful in piecing together my story.

My Personal COVID-19 Timeline

Looking back at my records, I noted on 2 March that I’d manifested symptoms of an upper respiratory infection (URI), though felt well enough to complete two aggressive workout days, though with a slight elevation in my HR responses to workouts. By the third day I felt much more fatigued than usual and took a rest day (unusual for me midweek), though for the next several days (March 6-9) noted improving URI symptoms, and I continued my walk/resistance training workouts on schedule, albeit with slightly elevated HR responses compared to my longer term average, and a bit more effort required to grind it out (particularly in strength training).

Interestingly on the 10th I experienced a bought of fairly impressive cramps and diarrhea, and the next day (11 March) developed a constellation of symptoms that became a bit concerning – a moderately severe diffuse headache, symptoms of conjunctivitis (burning, itchy eyes, redness, conjunctival swelling w/o drainage), anosmia (marked decrease in sense of smell), marked decrease in ability to taste (likely largely due to anosmia), impressive fatigue, and myalgias (diffuse body aches), along with a slight increase in URI symptoms (typical stuff).

The headache and conjunctival symptoms lasted for 9 days (through the 20th), with the muscle pains lasting a bit longer, finally resolving by the 24th.

The sense of overall fatigue was damned impressive, and looking back my sleep requirements increased from a typical 7.5-8 hours / night to 9 hours plus.

Of note, personally over the past several years I’ve found it damned useful to walk and workout per my routine, and felt well enough during this time frame to continue 80-90% of my workout routine, again with slightly elevated heart rate responses to exercise as compared to my normal. Now over a week out, energy and endurance have return to normal, and all of the symptoms noted above have resolved.

And yes, my lovely wife experienced a very similar course within a few days of my symptom onset, though her symptoms resolved within 7-8 days.

Interaction with the Health Care System

Of course during this SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 outbreak I’ve been researching and reading daily a fairly large and diverse bundle of information. My symptom constellation met many of the clinical criteria documented by the CDC and other professional associations, yet I did not meet criteria for actual testing.

I have a number of friends still in medicine, and ended up tracking down a friend who’s an infectious disease specialist in SLC; after conversations with he and his delightful PA, they agreed that in all probability given my symptom complex I indeed had COVID-19, albeit a mild case, and indeed was not eligible for testing at that time. My own internist agrees, and interestingly asked that I not present in the office for evaluation given case loads that week, though his team was reasonably diligent in following up to asses my status.

I’m damned curious to know if I’ve indeed seroconverted (developed measurable antibodies) and with the testing currently unavailable, I’m on a research protocol list to have blood drawn at some point down the line.

I have a few thoughts to offer at a later date on the COVID-19 “bigger picture”, though at this point suffice it say that my experience will likely be representative of what most of us will see when confronting this syndrome head on.

Hang in there, be vigilant and practice common sense precautions (wash those hands and don’t touch your face!), and fine tune your nutrition and fitness routines while you’ve got a little extra time on your hands.