CGM – Continous glucose monitoring

I have written a lot about this subject, but to my great great joy, Discovery medical aid is now funding 2 libre sensors per month for type 1-insulin dependent -diabetics 🙂

This is like the biggest rainbow of hope for type 1 patients especially right now in the time of covid.

What does it mean: far less needle sticks to monitor blood glucose. The libre feeds the sugar reading to your phone if you swipe your sensor and gives you a graph of continous monitoring.

What does this mean?

Well, if you are heading up – high sugar – you can exercise, drink water or inject insulin to bring it back into range, if you are heading down – low sugar you can eat, drink or correct with your choice of 15g of carb, this is the one time type 1 ‘s can so to speak cheat : that is eat simple carbs (usually only 15 grams). With this technology you technically avoid over correcting.

All around better control which means less complications and better quality of life.

And that is a huge win.

So either 2 libres’ sensors per month or the equivalent rand amount for dexcom or medtronic.

This is great great rainbow hope news.

Choices in 2021, to be or not to be ?

Right now, right right now with covid we all each have a choice. Do what we know decreases transmission regardless of your personal liberties or dont. Understand that if we let this covid cat out the bag in the way the USA has and is, it will cull way more of US.

If we each adopt the correct mindset and understand that our individual actions have consequences for the collective we may start to win. If we continue to ” america” ourselves then we will indeed find ourselves in america and with rising death rates of all ages.

Yes all ages.

This virus mutates, as do all viruses. That is what viruses do. The higher the SPREAD, the higher the mutation. THe more poor outcomes.

I find myself agreeing with some of Julius Malema’s speech today. For the first time ever. Because it is relaying a large portion of what I believe to be correct scientific thinking. That is contain this thing ASAP – by measures, by vaccination by all we can do and that includes each and every person’s individual response.

It really is no longer about ME, it is about US, at large, all around the world, even america.

Please, we all know what it means to have a “japanese” attitude to covid regulations vs an “american” or right wing “american” attitude. Do the right thing in your own book, but DO it.

#bejapaneseinyourattitude #stopthespread #wecanifwetryharder

Prana and ancient wisdom very applicable today

I just can’t get enough of “prana” – life force more accurately. It comprises a very vast topic and depth of looking at how we “power” our bodies, minds and souls.

There are many videos on line with incredible teachers.

For me the crux of the matter is well being for one’s self but also for the collective. It is incredible once you start practising what can be brought about.

THere is so much pain right now and before covid so much chronic illness and “stress” and yet within each of us we possess the ability to breath and access all sorts of things in our immediate environment, it’s just we seem so busy with many things and we are blinded for many reasons.

There is so so much healing in just breathing properly, then meditating or being mindful whichever philosophy you personally subscribe to.

One thing you can not deny is the many many thousands of years of experience and collective benefit as well as individual benefit.

I can’t download it for you though. You are required to do this for yourself. There are many many guides and in person or on the internet and this is definitely not a spooky thing, but one that you need to take time to actually do.

Essentially it is breathing. But it is so so much more.

Healing is physical, emotional, spiritual. Once you start and if you get into it, the peace you will experience will transform so so much.

2021-I hesitate,…

Fourth of January today and I feel I am holding my breath. I feel a lot of folk in the world are. This covid bug has got our breath in many ways.

Breath – the one thing we can not live without and yet we take for granted daily.

I have recently become fascinated by meditation, being present and essentially breathing.

So many humans have pondered, “pilgramed”, poured over the dilemma of the true meaning of a man’s life (and by that I include woman), and most have shared their wisdom with us and continue to do so through their writings.

Breath of life is a common theme amongst many religions. But my personal favourite is the sanskrit way of describing breath and breathing – prana – it’s almost a huge subject in itself in these philosophies and makes so much sense when you go deeper into the meaning of “prana”.

Breath is quality of life distilled as it were.

And relief from anxiety can come through breathing better. It’s all about oxygenation.

And covid is a disease that desaturates humans, sadly, badly.

There has been so much debate in the western world : masks, management, even the existence of covid has been debated. Yet in the east, perhaps due to SARS and MERS there is less debate, more following of mandated protocols and way less “desaturated” humans.

I am not against socratic debate and robust debate but when you take it to the far stretch that it has been taken in a very narrow minded way actually in the end, death has resulted.

Take each breath as a gift and a blessing for in a pandemic your next one is not guarenteed.

Covid is airborne and that is why you really should wear a mask 🙂

And if they don’t get rid of Donald Ducking Trump now, then I fear more desaturation for america :(, was he planted in america by china?

A new strain for Christmas #newyearseve #couldweallcalmdownandbehave

There is so so much misinformation out there and this will continue for a long time. Information is a new kind of wealth or poverty -depending on what you consume and how gullible you are sadly.

We always knew that this virus would mutate. All viruses do, it’s in their nature, just like being a narcissist is in Trump’s nature. It’s so to speak in their DNA or RNA -that is all a virus is really. And viruses are a huge part of evolution -have been since “creation”.

So why the uproar, the panic, the fear? When we kind of knew all along. The only reason it’s been discovered is because clever scientists were actively looking for it. What does it mean -well it remains to be seen. However this feels a lot like fussing over something whilst other political agendas of the politicians go unnoticed sadly.

We as a species are quite dumb at large. Quite at the mercy of the media and a few loud voices. Very few of us think quietly, research on our own, heaven forbid use our own God given brains.

At the end of the day, all we have is each moment. We should far rather be cherishing that. Using our noggins, which at this time means doing all the things we know work to stop the rampant transmission of covid. We are still so very blessed in so many ways. It’s all a choice at the end of the day.

Currently I find it so so strange, so parralel universe even. THe UK being “blocked” essentially from the rest of the world right now. How a virus – electron microscopically small can turn the world on it’s head and in an instant change hundreds of years of history in the blink of an eye.

#growabraincellforchristmas #endthedumb #ifwedontlotswilldie

Corona and diabetes, sugar spickles

The diabetes pandemic preceded the corona one. And yet now they are a bit intertwined. In fact the single most accurate predictor of prognosis is sugars on admission. And yet, still many patients don’t even have their sugars tested !!!!!

The denial factor regarding diabetes is spectacular.

And I am still trying to fathom why?

Type 2 diabetes is just more and more and more common and more and more and yet almost no REAL effort to reverse, contain, educate.

In south africa in particular our “number” re diabetes are crazy. And yet, even amidst the corona pandemic we still do not have clear concise messaging.

Please government, parastatals, please members of the public.

Exercise as prescription for slipped disc

Yes there are many ways to “treat” a slipped disc. One of them is biokinetic exercises. You may be amazed at your body if you go this route.

It has been a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable journey so far.

The absolutely interesting thing for me is how linked my neck is to my coccyx and entire spine. How intricately intertwined the nerves, muscles and fascia is spinning it’s web. And ! How innately the body can heal itself.

I believe how we “hold our bodies” daily is something most of us do wrong. And then we pay for it with headaches, back problems and various other for the rest of our lives. Why do we not start the school day for children with pilates or yoga? Or posture training? It’s a life skill that would be so so beneficial?

Or why do they not do this in the PE lessons?

Strengthening muscle groups that are weak is both enlightening and pain relieving at the self same time.

What is healing?

Heal :

heal (v.)

Old English hælan “cure; save; make whole, sound and well,” from Proto-Germanic *hailjan (source also of Old Saxon helian, Old Norse heila, Old Frisian hela, Dutch helen, German heilen, Gothic ga-hailjan “to heal, cure”), literally “to make whole,” from PIE *kailo- “whole” (see health). Intransitive sense from late 14c. Related: Healed; healing.

There is physical healing and emotional healing and in my experience physical will never truely occur without emotional in a sense.

Let me explain I close many deep ulcers/wounds largely due to diabetes. Until we consistently get controlled in range sugars we never win. It is almost always a slow process, requiring patience. This in itself is part of the journey.

If patients do not strictly adhere to hygiene protocols of both body and mind we do not get healing.

The average time to heal of a deep wound is around 4-6 months.

With bioflex laser (red light very specifically engineered) I can drop this down to around 2 months-miraculous in itself.

Also we work in a team, a tandem team, myself, my laser technician/practioner and the patient. Without full by in by all 3 it does not heal.

It’s a fascinating process.

And it is a thing of total and utter joy to see the closed skin both physically and emotionally.

Proto-germanic in origin from the word kailo – whole. It is a process of “whole” making.

And whole making is never really done done. It’s almost always a life long process. Healing of wounds thankfully takes a bit quicker but it’s also still a holistic whole making of that particular wound.

Amputation or amputare -to cut away, is a very brutal way to deal with this issue, it is to me the opposite of healing, or whole. It is then forever broken. Cut. Gone. Phantom -ed. And if there is a possiblility of kailo why would you surgically do the opposite? But that is just my opinion. Amputees are generally very disempowered people whose “wholeness” is affected daily.

Solidarity, holistic medicine

The future is hopefully woven by threads that link and open up the complete holistic care of all patients, diabetes, cardiovascular care, mental wellness but so much more, the whole person recognised 1000s of years ago and never yet fully achieved yet in modern medicine.

Most things are linked : like the mind and the body.

Slowly, slowly we are starting to wake up to this vital concept.

Solidarity and unity will aid us all both clinicians and patients, team, united and bound will only be beneficial for all. One can’t support patients holistically without them being part of the team as well. No autocratic dictatorships, more bilateral team discussion with buy in from all players.

Individualisation of therapy is key. Never ever one size. Drug interactions seems to be a hidden high incidence but missed phenomenon. There is so much techonology available but it does seem we need apps that merge all the info we have in a way that guides and helps clinicians expand their own brain power. Poly pharmacy is sometimes a really really tricky conundrum.

What went wrong, triple www, clinical pharmacology is actually extremely important. Holistic it’s really the key. Triage system, high priority system looking at meds the patients are on and tweaking to get optimal outcomes.

First do no harm. 🙂

A golden thread could be woven, but each player needs to take up their individual responsibility of weaving the quilt 🙂

Baricitinib :), yay

Hot off the press, studies from Australia have great great hope for BAricitinib. THis is a “medication” (anti-autoimmuneantibody) “drug” that aims to reverse early onset type 1 diabetes as well as I presume LADA.

What happens with type 1 diabetes is the body attacks itself and destroys the pancreas.

What happens with baricitinib is it stops that process.

This is really really great great news for anyone that is early in the process. And, we hope will point us in the right direction for somehow “reversing” damage in some cases. What is sad though is that fully blown type 1 is still likely a long way off being “cured” sadly.

But, this is hope and we are progressing faster than ever before.

Yay!!

Single parenting – the rocky rollercoaster

Nothing, I repeat nothing I have ever ever done is as hard as parenting. Nothing even comes a sniff close to it.

Parenting is the challenge of my life.

Never have a felt more at sea, attempting to ride the most ridiculous surf out there as I have since birthing two girl children. Nothing ever prepared me for it and I believe there simply is no preparation.

Yes, it is indeed the delight of my life too.

But mostly it is hard hard work. Relentless and with very few breaks in the sets of waves that pound.

Two wills, two personalities, two sets of likes and dislikes. Two iron willed ladies.

One mom trying to work, mom, cook, teach, guide, model, passify, guide, did I say guide?

I believe I fail every single day. Every one.

Yes the joys too are incalculable.

And I would probably not swop it.

But, oh the fatigue I have is real.

My personal feeling is that two parents rising the ratio to 2 on 2 would really really help but my situation is not like that and I believe there are a lot of us singletons out there in the sea of waves. I am not complaining as such merely recognising that ideally a mom and a dad or at the least 2 present parents would be preferable in so many circumstance. Not even that my two dont have two parents I am more talking having them at the same time. It would ease things a tad. But probably it would still be the insurmountable challenge I experience it as.

I sit and wonder why I am so singularly poor at this challenge. Things that come to mind are : I am too hard on myself, I am wanting to be better and striving too hard, it would be easier 100 years ago, two strong wills is a tricky combination and adding my 3rd strong will makes it trickier still.

Anyway, I am hoping to learn to surf both in real life and in parenting and get the thrill of the ride as well as the occasional dump, rather than just being dumped as much as I am currently.

I live in hope.

Kahlil Gibran

I don’t know much, only just touching the surface of this legend of a man.

I was gifted a book -the prophet which I poured over in my 2nd year of medicine. But only now vaguely starting to “know” even the tiniest truths implicit here in this book and vaguely explore the “true” meanings and vaguely plumb just the zenith tip of the depths of the wisdom. In fact it’s like I am only just now brushing past the first 10mm. After so many years of loving this writing. Twenty six years on.

An immigrant to the USA at a time in virtually another world. He plumbed depths with his mind and penned with his hand – deeply.

Where does life start and where does it end?

Some lives have such deeply reaching, touching tendrils in the end and even start new beginnings.

One single human and one mind, wandering in the USA and even maybe sometimes lonely and a little bit lost, yet he found meaning.

I wonder at this wonder.

Especially in 2020. A year of awefulness, pain and sorrow, deep mourning and little joy.

And yet he too knew the breadths of emotion deeply and somehow found comfort and expelled such wisdom it still astounds.

#Khalil

#wisdomforhardtimesandgood

#supriseinallofus

Unethical : not morally correct

What is it to be unethical and does it depend on your own ethics or the ones who surround you?

Can a big corporate truely be ethical at all times?

Take the case of medical aids and their ethical obligations to provide ” best available within reason” treatments as well as care for the patients who contract with them for this very reason.

Take into consideration that they have a very fine balancing act to fulfill. To make the funds stretch across the population at large whilst still making a profit. And what is the limit on the profit? To my knowledge there does not seem to be one, though some say they are run as a type of NGO? Yet in countries like south africa we have a capitalist economy certainly not socialist.

Can one withhold a certain treatment that would change a child’s life and even save it’s life and still call oneself “ethical” or in acting for the greater good and being able to provide more “basic” treatments is one being “ethical” in order to fill this mandate.

In my opinion it depends whose point of view one is looking at it from. The 18 month old child who has to endure 6 finger pricks and that parent who is often a teacher/nurse/farmer has to pay in, in order to get the tests done? When a “device” exists that renders a way better shorterm and longterm outcome for this child that cost by cost – strip by strip is equal? And at the self same time allows easier dosing, less hypoglycemia, better quality of life for both child and care-giver who often earns poorly and battles to even pay the medical aid premium.

Yes it is a strong statement. But it is a lived experience as a “care-giver” to many type 1 diabetics it is a lived experience.

Ethics since the beginning of time is a mine-field where one treads and can easily trigger a landslide. And yet do we not all want to be ethical? And in broad strokes ethics are always going to be a slippery slope.

#unethical #medicalaids #discovery

Glucose monitoring and better control -could the funders please come to the party :)

It should not really be a suprise and yet so much resistance to technology sadly.

Measuring sugars more regularly and accurately really really does make a difference to better control of sugars. And better control of sugars means less money spent on the diabetes health cost at large. Better control means less admission to hospital. Better control means happier patients in families thus better mental health and also longer happier life. Which also knocks on to society at large.

Why is it and more especially in south africa that funders refuse to fund? They will pay for strips and only max 50 or 100 – which translates to max 3 tests a day, hopelessly too few. Sore. And lots of “Missed data”.

Please could the funders start to pay? It really makes sense. THe science backs it. THe endocrinologists of the world back it.

#funderscometotheparty

2 Strands of helix, one life of disease or ease …

A lot of life and health and death boils down to your genes. Your genetic make-up. The code of your life. It’s all written in 2 helixes that are gleaned, garnered from your parents. Two strands that make one human. The linkages, a code, for the whole life.

Wierd.

And now, we are starting slowly to ply the genetic code open and so doing find cures for diseases and also finding ways to “snip” the code where it is “wrong”.

Wierd.

True though, and seeing as we now really seem to value life and living long and living well it’s a science that is here to stay and also here to help and also here to “cure”.

The EASD had literally 100s of presentations of researchers who have dedicated their lives to the study of this field in order to progress and at the height of it : medicine.

Humans, genetics, researchers, heroes, my folk :), hard hard work yes, working on days that other humans don’t work = for the greater good 🙂

#science #health #EASD #diabetescure

#codeforlifeandthensome

Golimumab – yes I can’t say it either…

Hope for a diabetes TYPE1 cure? It really does seem promising in the trial. But I guess what I want to say is the theory here, it all unfortunately with science (or fortunately) is a puzzle we have to retrospectively solve and then build a plan forward.

So : Golimumab is a biological anti TNF alpha, let’s just say if you have an “auto-immune process” going on- like ? type 1 diabetes -where the own body destroys one of it’s organs by itself. And you are attempting to figure this out and either at onset or pre-onset stop this from happening. Then the golimumab trial is really a great show that there is indeed an auto-immune process and thank fully that this can attempt to be reversed.

I still think that this is a complicated explanation. But this is rather complicated science.

Only I am grateful to golimumab and it’s other friends – we have a host of these “molecules” and trials. There are many many scientists, doctors behind the scenes in labs and on the ground working around the worldwide clocks to achieve progress.

And that makes me smile, broadly.

#progress

#science

#EASD

Golimumab – hope ! 🙂

Let’s octopus tentacle toward Ahimsa, embrace it, and be a Bertha Benz – yes I do believe we all can – question is DO YOU want to?I SEE you… I see you, I see YOU, and you I do

Sanskrit is an ancient language from the middle of our known world. Ancient, and from whence many other languages sprung. One could say it is like a well.

Of wisdom.

Ahimsa -too – a profound concept -respect for all living things and avoidance of violence towards others (all living things) and then himsa : injury, mischief, harm, hurt, killing, slaying, destruction, robbery, plunder.

You could liken himsa to what has happened in south africa for many many years, not just the last 10 where a lot of plundering has indeed happened, but apartheid and even before, anglo-boer conflict/war suppression of indigenous populations -killing off of khoi people. (The san).

Ahimsa – absolute first do no harm to the nth degree. A deeply profound way to embrace all. Something right now our world and south africa at large is longing for.

Deep respect, deep “I see you” of ALL living creatures.

I just love the movie just released : My octopus teacher, watch it and realise that we ARE all linked, all of us, the ones we love the ones we hate, the creatures in the sky, land and the sea.

Man is a very strange creature indeed and the way we treat each other is profoundly wrong right now in so many ways.

In 1888 there was a woman who believed in her husband more than he believed in himself and had to endure much embarressment, much ridicule, much malign (one may even say unkindness, verbal and physical not nicety – himsa). And yet, she stood, well drove the “car” for the first time successfully despite the himsa. She brought about ahimsa – in a way. The car an invention that lead to many others that made our world a better place for a bit?

Certainly mercedes benz is now a hallowed icon. Even our ANC politicians will tell you that, or show you that by their choice of vehicle.

We have way too much himsa right now right here in south africa.

Perhaps we could move slowly trepidatiously (like an octopus tentacle) towards ahimsa? It does seem like a big challenge to me, folks like the bad but present the good or an opportunity to tentacle move toward “the good” and suddenly there’s very little interest. Profound. 😦

#Thulimadonselalike-ahimsa

#ahimsa

#southafricableeds

#Ghandi

#wisdom

Zen Zingela

On the Tugela river (- the meaning of “thukela” -sudden/startling) lies a camp called Zingela. It is a place of zen. It is a place of peace, tranquility, beauty beyond desricption.

I spent a healing restorative weekend on the shore of both Zingela and Zen.

BAsking.

HEaling.

We did yoga with 2 amazing teachers who have a wealth of health inside of them.

We ate like queens.

We slept like kings 😉

We walked, and talked, and shared ancient wisdom from centuries of download.

We Healed.

My heart is full, my body is no longer biltong. It’s full of plump water and peace.

#yoga

#breathe #kundilini #prana #sanskrit #beautybeyond

#breathbreathebreath

#southafrica

Diabetes – lots happening

We have still got a diabetes pandemic, especially type 2 and it is almost fully preventable and almost entirely treatable, and yet here we sits hands veritably up our own excretory passages during a blip in the ocean pandemic of covid. Blip compared to : climate crisis, other viruses to come, obesity/diabesity pandemic, (which incidentally costs a lot of money).

And at the self same time we have loads of new solutions should the prevention strategy fail-as it seems to be doing continously now.

Lots of new meds : SGLUT, GLP-1 mostly injectable even once weekly but even oral, all sorts of technology.

And yet hands up the excretory passage? Why?

Funders, payers, medical aids.

Did I mention bad smell, excretory.

Read as you please but the big BLOCK is the forementioned.

They promise a lot, they take a lot of money each month and they deliver ? well glucophage and sulphonylurea medication. I don’t have anything against glucophage- fantastic drug. Not tolerated by all BUT ! excellent.

However to keep sugars below 10- which is kind of what you need to prevent complications one requires other medications. That med aids don’t easily pay for.

We rail, well I do, I write letters, re-iterating the science, I speak to folks I beg I go on my knees to get the best for my patients. And mostly the answer is NO 😦

A big fat smelly NO.

Sad really.

Sad, great great buildings -head offices, adverts, media campaigns, delivery on the ground – close to zero.

#funders

#payers

#problem

#fundershavefancybuildingspatientshavecomplications

#wecandobetter

On Cliff Central and other therapy…

At this crazy time and in this world right now in 2020. Wow! I am bouyed daily by “Cliff Central” and also the TV show “So What Now” by Gareth Cliff. OMG, therapy like just full on therapy.

THese folks GET me. They HEAR me, they listen to me, they speak TO me.

A lot of folks don’t. Like the headmaster -stuck in a Trumpian age, and the pharmacist refusing to change technologically at clicks -some new: someone- sleeps -with- someone arrangement for a kickback. Controversial I know but still actually the truth. Well mine at least.

Folks like : teachers of old school schools who insist on nail and hair inspection with punishment that for a compliant kid is just anxiety driving. And the okes who refuse to read my online grocer shopping order and stuff it up time after time after time. And I KNOW I am not alone.

But Gareth, my friend, and Siya and Mbulelo and Phumi and Leanne Mol (may have misspelt) and omg Gord, and the perfume guy -Damon – whose name I should remember as I listened back then on 5 fm too 🙂 and and and. !

You okes and gals GET me.

And that is a precious precious thing. A thing I cherish. Like veritable gold.

Bar the fact that you speak truth.

Bar the fact that you care actually care about GBV and have folks on like Dr Elna who also speak truth.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you. You are all a gift to me.

Thank you

Claudine

#cliffcentral

#Garethcliff # sowhatnow

#giftinatimeofveryfew

We are what we do not eat…

We are what we do not eat. I have a theory on why so many americans are dying of covid and that is their diet. It is crap, pure crap, which means they can’t crap. Only part of the problem.

If you eat take-away food filled with preservatives and colourants there are very few parts of your body that can function well (if at all).

Ones body needs : home grown vegetables -5-10 a day (ie 5 to 10 different colours, textures and actaul varieties), micronutrients, macronutrients, vitamens, amino-acids, healthy fats and protein.

Not refined carbs in overload with “fake” everything.

Slush. Kapish.

If you eat like the average american then you will easily die of viruses like covid. Even africa with our interesting make-up is faring better in terms of death-rate re covid and I am convinced it is because on par we are healthier – we exercise more and we eat a healthier diet certainly than america at large.

It’s actually easy and yet it seems so so hard.

You are what you do NOT eat – 🙂

Trust me the american president has drips daily to actually provide support to that body that seems to be a shrine to everything it is not.

#eathealthylivelong

#slushkapish

#kapish

GLP-1 once weekly – Trulicity – truely a great piece of good news #trulicity

We now, even in south africa, have a once weekly GLP-1 injectable. That is to say you can inject once a week and get both good glucose control, positive effects on kidneys and heart as well as less risk of hypos. To clarify it is NOT insulin, it is an GLP-1 incretin mimetic.

It is still really quite cost limited and medical aids are not yet really coming to the party broadly.

However perhaps in the future it may be more affordable and also it may be more accessible re the med aids. This would be good news.

What is a GLP-1? An incretin mimetic. That is to say it is a drug that helps your bodies own physiology in terms of countering both high sugars as well as the poor glucagon response in diabetics.

Which ever way you too look at this – this is a great great bit of news for diabetics especially type 2 diabetics that are deteriorating- worsening sugars with poor effects on organs like kidneys and heart. If you have had type 2 diabetes for a long time and the high sugars have taken a toll on your organs – diabetes is a mulit-systemic train smash, then there is really really great benefit to be gotten. From my point of view why not use it early on and stay ahead of the train smash??? -just my 5 c worth 🙂

Diabetes is a massive problem. A massive problem. Arguably one of our biggest public health dilemmas. So yes a great piece of good news.

Just a caveat : type 2 diabetes (broadly) is very very preventable and turn-aroundable if caught early and major lifestyle changes implemented, we specialise in this : http://www.myinnatehealth.co.za

#bettersugars

Woman’s day, August year of jumanji 2020

Where are we? Oh yes, the year of jumanji and it’s women’s day. We (well some of us) are in south africa, just south of Zimbabwe where terrible things are happening. But oh, ja, we also have terrible things happening. Every. Day.

Our government make softly spoken sounds of alignment with solving GBV and such. But in actual fact. There is very little tangibly done. Perhaps too busy looting what’s left of coffers so looted that very soon we will all be subsistance farmers.

I am already a subsistance farmer. My little veggie patch, started with plugs at the beginning of lock down is thriving. I am lucky -great soil. It’s the way of the future I believe. Not all of us are Magnus Heysteck or co with billions to throw offshore.

Some of us are just merely graduates running a small business that has been bombed as of covid more than it was before.

Some of us are women who in this country by nature of our XX chromosomes have a target on our backs. Wierd. REally.

Anyway, it’s really all gone a bit “tits-up” and yet here we all are, wild-eyed in the poison garden. Daring to find love. Daring. To live. Daring to make a living and pay some salaries. Daring to be part of the economy. Daring.

Living very wildly on the edge, just by pure “unluck” of the XX.

Anyway, happy women’s day. I challenge our governement, but more each and every woman to actually make a difference daily. Because you CAN, mense.

#women #GBV

#womenforwomeninthisfight

#therearealsogoodmenoutthere

#noisno

#Iloveanovaryzapsign:)

We heal wounds …bioflex laser

No need for scalpels, amputations. Key is control sugar, bioflex laser, biweekly dressing with the correct dressing 🙂

0832898351 : book for Michelle bioflex laser 🙂

of Vaccines and plain lack of brains :(

We will get a vaccine for corona, our scientists are working around the clock -literally and at the end of the day will not become billionaires due to the discovery – that’s how science works.

Some governments will be able to access it and some wont – who knows how that all works – high level “fenoukery”.

Some folks will even disagree to have it. WEll folks- we can actaully do without your genes in the gene pool – so thanks you are helping the cause indirectly.

I am super tired of dumbness or even just sub-level intellect that gets expressed freely. In one way I wish to go back to the victorian era where most folks, like children should be seen and not heard.  A fantasy unfortunately. (Children on the other hand are full of wisdom and should be allowed to shout it from the roof tops as well as run freely and play).

My 5 cents worth on a monday in a strange time :).  There are folks with 10 c worth – I challenge them to sword fight with words with me 🙂

#wishtherewasmoreclevertogoaround

#vaccine

The answer to corona: is simple (truth though like poetry is not liked by many)

I want to shout it from the roof tops. Keep your mask ON. Keep it on ,over your nose and your mouth. Just do it.

This along with hand washing and social distance, eating outside if you are eating with family or friends.

This is it mense, if we do this, like Japan, we stop the spread.

It’s really really simple.

Could someone tell the government? Please. No need for strange “cockamany” rules and level 3 lockdown – all that is doing is making the poor more poor and the rich more rich.

End, slush, kapish.

Masks

Such a simple thing, yet it confounds the likes of Donald Trump and co, such a simple thing we need “demon” shouting priest/doctors to stand up for Trump with “cockamany” claims of hydroxychloroquine cures :(:(

Truth – its really a kicker and like poetry most folks simply don’t like it

#masks

#shitsimple 🙂 #notrocketscience #japan

Corona day 14 …and counting :)

Looking back I had it 14 days ago – I know that now, I did not know it then. Sudden marked fatigue (like when a faulty lift does that awful drop thing -grew up in the 80s) but wrote it off to working hard in a pandemic. The next day – monday and for that matter monday to friday I worked as I normally do, school run, work, home run, evening paper work, endless phone calls etc.

Initally my “symptoms” were very very mild and I can only restrospectively dissect them out. Scratching throat, some “allergic rhinitis” symptoms. I suffer from chronic allergies. Then on about wednesday a thing I call fuzzy head, not even a headache just a zing in my brain – not a pleasant one but one I could literally push away.

Then fatigue deepening.

Then on saturday pm chest pains, the start of shortness of breath, a tightness in my chest. By sunday I pretty much knew I had it. I have not once had loss of smell or taste or even drastic apetite drop but I do have a vague nagging nausea. The research shows better prognosis if you don’t skip meals so I have eaten.

By monday I know that I was fighting it, chills like I have never experienced (despite surviving malaria twice, tick bite fever and viral myocarditis. Bone deep chills, 7 ice packs across my back that just sat and sat and sat.

Tuesday am was my biggest storm and now I know it was emotion as well as physical and I took myself to casualty. Made peace with going onto high flow nasal oxygen and being in an enrvironment that I gladly work in but very ungladly “Patient” in. I am the worlds worst patient. The above illnesses and 2 natural births taught me that.

Any way why do I share? I have been asked by a lot of people. We are scared shitless whether or not we admit it. And knowledge is power.

This is as much an intellectual, emotional fight as a physical fight and this is a public health crisis that interlinks us all. So here’s my bit for the fight going into the mix. I am here.

#readmyblogIhavebeensayingforawhile

#covidbattlescanbewon

 

From inside covid : rather don’t get it :)

So I am day 11 by my calculations, day 6 post test, my covid storm was by my calculation day 9 – which was 3 days ago and it was a storm.

Still not up to much but a few things

TO NOT GET IT:

1.) How to protect yourself and not get it : mask, hand wash, sanitize, social distance AT ALL TIMES DO NOT QUIT -if you do all 3 you WILL NOT GET IT

2.) Do not take your mask off except for sleeping right now and if your house is totally SAFE -almost impossible to know right now

3.) Do take : vit d 1000iu, selenium, zinc and vit c daily to boost immunity, eat at least 5 leafy green veg daily and exercise (CAUTION THIS IS IF YOU DONT HAVE CORONA)

IF YOU GET IT :

4.) if you get it : stay calm most nb of all, take : vit d 5000iu daily, selenium and zinc, prednisone (prescribed by a doctor if needed timing is critical), budesonide haler or neb (prescribed by a doctor timing is critical), vit c (I would say IV best absorption), ecotrin to prevent clots – this is not yet proven to work but I took it (taking it), wanted to be safe rather than sorry

5.) email me : support is key drleethegp@gmail.com

#covid #apatient

so a day later :

been sent a lot of advice like : cannabis, don’t take anything at all, watched David Icke say this thing does not exist – I fing wish it did not 😦

New wisdom : inhaling tumeric steam did wonders for me yesterday, I am also taking corona juice : 2 carrots, 1 beetroot, 1 apple, thumb of ginger peeled, half peeled lemon and one clove garlic

Also tummy lying in the sun twice a day, vit D is anti-inflammatory 🙂

#it’sbadbutyoucanbeatit

Where is the grace?in this godless mess…

I believe in Grace

I believe in God breaking into despair, I do.

What I see a lot of currently is graceless living and brainless living.

I see it in big and small ways and both are equally distressing.

I see it in corporate as well as in families and it pains me.

Yet, there must be a sunrise of glorious beautiful GRACE…

I must believe this, else we are done for. And may as well give up right this minute.

I care not for the words of a president, though a president yet presides by the will of God.

Yes, no?

It’s a bit of a mystery and I love the mystics.

But, YES grace, yes GRACE

She speaks mystically and eternally and softly and loudly but altogether in mystic opacity mostly.

Gems amongst us missed by most, as brains doth only done certain few.

and YEt ! many are gifted to see.

#grace

 

Elisabeth Eybers —south africa !

Herinnering – memories…

This women, mense, and her amazing lyrical way with afrikaans language

As kind het ‘k eens die maan se ronde skyf langsaam sien uitswel bo die silwer vlei om saggies soos ‘n seepbel weg te dryf en tussen yl popliere in te gly. Agter my in die donker was ‘n raam vol lig en mensestemme en gelag en ín my angs en weekheid sonder naam terwyl ek op die maan se loskom wag. Die res is alles duister en verward… Van tak tot tak het hy gewieg… ek weet nog net dat die gekneusde gras se geur soos naeltjies was en dat ek skielik seer- gekry het van die inkrimp van my hart en met my pols die trane weggevee’t.

As a child

I saw the moon – swell out, like a round disc , a giant orb,

above the silver lake

to softly, soap-“bell” like, drift and slide between poplars trees

behind me : in the dark, there was a frame of light and voices and laughing and in my unnamed/unidentified anxiety and vulnerablitility  I waited for the loosening (the shearing) of the moon, rising (escaping)

The rest is confused and obscure

from branch to branch – the moon rocked, rolled, lolled

I only know that the bruised grass smelt like cloves

and that I was suddenly sore from “heart shrink” pain, and wiped away the tear with  the tender part of my wrist

One tip for the day…or 5 ;)

How to keep in immune balance plus side of the equation?

1.) sleep 8 hours a night

2.) eat veggies !!! I recommend Mnandi cook book if you have excuses like : I can’t afford or it doesnt taste nice or fill me 🙂

3.) water -mense -water -none of us drink enough plain water -sip it throughout the day and you will be amanzi amazed

4.) exerise -get the blood flowing in a way that makes your heart happy – stay one step ahead of corona by actaully moving 🙂

5.) vit D, Vit c, selenium and zinc – they all boost that immunity -you can access from the sun and your mnandi diet or from tablets 🙂

I believe in women!/heat

Hi,

Just a quick one, period pain ? What works : anti-inflam : pick one : nurofen or ponstan make sure you take it on a FULL tummy (ie a good meal that you have eaten) and then a thermacare heat pad over the lower back – 3 days in a row preferably.

It works – you are welcome to email me for patient details for testimonies 🙂

#thermacare

#anti-inflamm with a painkiller like napacod or similar

#period pain

#periodpaingone

#paincontroliskey

I believe in Dance! :) true dance …

I don’t like labels either, but I do like to dance.

The world is on it’s head, I have been saying this for a while, and personally I believe through dance and expression in a reconciling way it could be right sided (or perhaps left sided but either way in a better orientation). I am also an optimist (there are one or two folks who say I am not -but rather chat to them yourselves to get their opinion).

We are sooo connected. So connected. And dance is a tangible way that plays out.

Let’s connect.

And you don’t need to be a prima ballerina or a completely-zen-perfect-move dancer. No, but dance, connect, breathe, move toward each other in peace and reconciliation.

The burning platform on a thursday is a frank dance. That I love. #cliffcentral

The daily work of many south africans who “ply”their trade in a progressive way too is a dance.

We have many many challenges on this front right now : being a hairdresser/beautician has a proper obstruction to their own dance.

Black lives matter- shoo a thorny one right now and yet, despite all the hypocritical (our government included) free grandstanding “virtuous” shoo! This has truely gone global and in many instances it is a peaceful productive dance. There is a lot that is thorny especially at a time of covid and this saddens me a lot. But I wont stop dancing, I wont. And quite frankly as a global collective what an opportunity to take hands despite our differences.

Accountability is key to me and in dance too.

Yes there are solo dances but the collective and duets are( in my mind) the dances that really move one-the dancer and the observer (so actually two at least and usually 3).

We are individuals on this planet right now, but yet we actually are connected from Chiina -as Trump calls it -to the amazon to the USA to the antartic. And personally dancing together with the rest of life on this planet is possible. Cooked in the head ? Maybe, but I am allowed to dream. And who knows…perhaps more people will start to dance.

Let’s dance 🙂

 

 

The year of Jumanji!

MOnday today? If I am not mistaken, easy to be mistaken right now in the year of jumanji. Or am I alone in my dis-orientation.

The strawberry moon was marvelous. Marverlous darling.

And yet! The year of jumani -ahgahst face emoji – I have just heard they may ban alcohol again. Wait what!!!!!

What!!!

omw,

Does no-one understand what it’s like to be a single-mom right now, with a job, a self-employed one??

Okes!!

I know all about public health and the greater good-but shoo, shoo, shoo. Ag-nee, maat, really???

Schalk-let’s just say you and me bra, I will need your humour daily to get through this year. Thank you for being YOU.

Also thanks to Cliff Central and the team -okes without you the year of jumanji would be mentally unbearable, hearing your voices that are lucid and clever get me through each day.

Thanks….

Also to : other south african heros I love : Karen zoid, her band, her show on showmax/kyknet : zoid afrika, all the heroes she has had on her show-mamma afrika Yvonne Chaka Chaka, being south african, resolute, against racism, for diversity and africa AFRIKA!

Shout out to family of Afrika all over the world who know warm golden sunsets and warmth and love and joy and the joy rising in an african sense, the glow, the after-glow, the passion, the power, PJ-Powers (also interviewed on zoid afrika), the comedy (Schalk…) the humour, the talent ag man I could wax lyrical : Evita !! and and and and and…

and … in the longest run …we have to live here now, deep in the poison garden, learning our steps in the barefoot way, dancing, muddy (Patrick Hobbs).

It’s all a choice, choose to live (albeit it muddy) choose to dance (albeit off the beat) but choose kindness, affirmation, rejoicing and dancing, or don’t.

#Schalkbezuidenhoutmyresue #Cliffcentralmysanity #southafricanheros

Confusion,covid, Diabetes : CONTROL :) it really DOES make a difference

Bottom line at the time of covid. Sugars above 10mmol/l is DANGEROUS. That means to say if you generally have sugars above 10 when you check YOU WANT TO CHANGE THIS.

Sugars above 10 generally (regardless of type) is a danger red flag to the bull of COVID.

Especially in south africa we seem to have been lulled into a sense of “well we are going to be ok”, somehow because we prayed on sunday God is going to “love” us more??????

People, mense, sorry. Sor, it’s coming.

So what can you do as a diabetic? You can get control – aim for sugars between 4-8. Low sugars also have poorer outcomes. What does poorer outcomes mean? Part of poorer outcomes is death. 😦

1.) Eat healthily – cut the carbs

2.) Eat locally sourced plant based diet in the main – see Mnandi 🙂 cookbook

3.) make sure you are on OPTIMAL MEDS 🙂

4.) monitor your sugars a bit more than you normally would

5.) If you are UNCONTROLLED don’t go back to work please and also not to the mall please

Always available to help with this process

6.) Also I have seen a LOT more depression lately – check your mental health – ones body is : mind, body , spirit and all must be healthy to fight a virus/bug/bad time 🙂

7.) smile and be nice – be cause YOU can people 🙂

Rainbow nation : rainbow food, cut diabetes type 2 in half -it’s doable

Can you even believe you got here human? Yes you. WE have all collectively and individually been through a lot since March – which feels at least 10 years ago now.

We must live now here, deep in the poison garden(my favourite poem -muddy Patrick Hobbs). Poison indeed : politicians, covid, schools going back, attempt to “return” and what that means?

But mense, we are alive, now, here. And we must LIVE now.

And what a beautiful day 🙂 sunshine, blue skies (howick south africa) and HOPE.

Today I want to share Mnandi, not many will know my second name is Nandi- it means sweet (sweet one), Mnandi means sweet but the conatations are much wider.

I have great great HOPE today that we can start a revolution.

Please join me : I would like to have this book translated into all our languages and if I can even get one household in 10 in south africa to cook from this book we will have accomplished a miracle 🙂 and turn the tide on type 2 diabetes.

Contact me if you are keen on helping me achieve this: drleethegp@gmail.com

Dr Claudine Nandi Lee

#Ihaverecipesforyou #deliciousnutritious

Technology and covid …

By now we are untangling data in regards to what has swept through the UK as regards covid and what we are seeing is a big great worry around diabetes and covid in that poorly controlled, “multi-morbid” -my own term- lots of co-morbidities : obesity, metabolic syndrome, age, dementia, etc is a red flag to the covid bull.

How can we move forward? By engaging technology. Knowledge is power and more so with diabetes and for me key even before covid was CGM. Accurate, on time, real time data that changes lives : quality and quantity and saves both lives and medical aids/governments money.

Slush.

We have a lot of technology available but up to now it has been an uphill battle to get funders/governments to help roll it out.

Personally I don’t think there is a better time to rethink this situation than now. It’s about longterm outcomes and cost expenditure and getting a large group of the population – before the covid pandemic was the diabetes pandemic (the log graphs a lot of us have whined on about for ages -read back on this blog). Now it appears the two have merged. I hope I am not all doom and gloom but honestly there are many folk saying this is really the beginning?

Control of sugars is key in many regards but as regards covid it is super key.

#cgms #accuracy #numbers/knowledgesaveslives

A new day :)

Tuesday, one day into being 46 -gracious me! As with you, I can remember quite clearly moments in my life up to now in my 20s and 30s like “crystally” clear.

Certainly the strangest time of my life right now.

This corona virus has the clever folk scratching their heads and the less clever “having figured it out”. Go figure.

The more I live into this life the more grateful I become. Each day, each little lesson builds into a beautiful intricate woven work dynamic yet static.

I am soo absolutely delighted that I love what I do daily. I love my “job” mostly because it is more of a priveledge and a delight in itself.

Right now we are all scratching our heads (even the less clever perhaps for different reasons). How important right now to hold each moment of delight in gratefulness and the respect it deserves and how important to “take the hand” of your neighbour or a person in need and actually make a difference.

 

 

 

Sunday is a fun day :), but today is monday :):)

Today is sunday and it is a sunny day. We are still in quarantine and not much makes sense. I have just listened to the premier of kzn and wonder wow : there’s good, there’s bad there’s crazy but on the whole, I am grateful.

And maybe I am in the class/shape/ form of luckiness at this point and generally? But it is also a choice. One of my favourite books : The choice by Edith Eger. My favourite comedian by far at the moment : Schalk Bezuidenhout (v#k) I love him. He makes my day daily. Go Schalk you honestly have the gift of the gab and you MUST keep going, please.

Listening to LM radio – because mense they play good music and they don’t talk kak.

Sun is shining.  My house that I moved into one week before lock down rocks so much. I am in love with my house in dabchick road. Have you ever looked at a dabchick? I only did cos of my road, you know, little grebe it’s also called. Striking bird.

Don’t hate me but I have just had a sip of dry white, it’s a skill, don’t hate me.

I am doing “therapy” at the moment it includes : trying to draw selfies, yes, it’s very much of trying. But so very therapeutic. Also growing veggies – an array – and they are actually growing. Which is testament to the soil- this soil here by me- is pristine grassland and been untouched for many years- at least the length I owned the land- 13 years odd. But I happen to know for longer and this is a grassland and we MUST get our soil to get better. That was told to me yesterday by a dear friend and echoed in the thought of many earth lovers.

Read my really great guru’s rant on facebook earlier and it echoed my own fears re this covid : Adalbert Ernst – a man of many many talents. He is an aneasthetist amongst many talents but I empathise with his fear today and perhaps that’s why I draw my selfie extra hard. Like in my dream last night I worked extra hard – to try and kill corona. And all the bad things in this world: poverty, diabetes, hunger, impoverishtness, living in “poverty”, cruelty, harhness, intellectual bankruptcy. Once upon a long time ago Adalbert was pharoah and I was a “narrator” in a play at unicorn primary shcool in Tzaneen. #shoutouttounicorn

Do we all suffer for our sanity?

This blog too, a therapy of words.

Anyway, it’s sunny, it’s a day and I am grateful. Full of gratefulness actually despite it being 2020 and a pandemic. It’s a choice. One day at a time. Do what I can to make earth better and humanity more healed.

#kzn #schalkbezuidenhout #editheger #LMradio #covid

Also – eat less carbs – especially the simple ones, breathe deeply daily – it’s healthy for you, take your HEAlth seriously, be KIND…

 

 

 

We are connected, diverse and wonderful

Hi, shoo, we stand/sit here today in this world each individually and yet all of us humans breathing oxygen into our lungs and expelling carbon dioxide out. Lungs : the zone where corona causes the worst of it’s devastation (most organs are affected though in the severe cases).

But here we are and I am reminded of a poem I love :

Muddy

And so to be children,

Growing younger into our humanity

Born between thorn and nail,

We must live now, here

Eyes wide amid the hurting;

Daring to find a love

Deep in the poison garden,

Learning our steps in the barefoot way

Dancing muddy into eternity

Patrick Hobbs

We are all muddy, we are all muddled. And yet, here we are, breathing. I agree with Gareth Cliff, what now? We must live now, here : figure this out gently, kindly and be a piece in the puzzle that engages on all it’s sides and reaches out to find that unique way to “engage”.

Let’s each individually figure out the way we “connect” with each other far and wide.

“Diversity of thought is the most valuable thing”-Gareth Cliff today.

Open your mind, like your lungs open every time you take a breath.

#goingforward #livenow

#live #now #free #think

Public health – what is that?

Is a puzzle piece the puzzle? No but without just one piece the puzzle is not complete. So with public health and this current crisis/dilemma/conundrum we find ourselves. Linked all over the world as never before and yet requiring us to stand very individually by social distance.

It’s indeed a hard pill to swallow and seemingly very anti-human. Our humanness cries out for contact that is how we were made. Made of 2 sets of chromosomes that uniquely and intricately dance into a new person. Right from the get go we have contact with another human even in conception.

And yet now we are required to distance.

And yes it seems very strange, detached almost dream like right now.

No answers here only hope of a future in which we will all be richer somehow, not materially but innately. And yes hope is a mystery too.

Public health – our greatest challenge collectively and individually. A challenge goodness gracious me but actually each one of us is integral collectively.

Glucagon – can save your life if you have type1 diabetes :)

What is a hormone? Essentially a messenger/transmitter. We have many of them. In terms of the glucose metabolism we have insulin and glucagon which do opposite type of functions in the body. Insulin takes glucose into the cell to be used for aerobic cell respiration and glucagon makes glucose available to the body for use in emergency type settings.

This is a simplified version of what they do at cellular level but nonetheless a start to understanding.

If you are a type 1 diabetic, you do not have enough insulin and many times your body seems confused on a glucagon level too.

If you are unconscious from a hypo- a very low sugar (usually a value below 2 mmol/l) and a care-giver or companion injects glucagon it may save your life. At the correct injunction of time glucagon SC/IMI – subcutaneously or Intra-muscularly is life saving.

It is for this reason that a type 1 patient or a patient injecting insulin should have a glucagon pen on their person at all times. In an ideal world.

So, if you fit into this category of patient and you do not have a glucagon pen, make a telephonic, virtual or in the flesh visit to your GP/diabetologist or endocrinologist to get a script so that you have this little gem with you – in the fridge or a cooler preferably.

#glucagonexplained #lifesaving #diabetes

Deluge of deluded, devoid of common senses ness, happy crazy credentials

Where are we people ? As Suzelle – south africa’s brilliant voice on so many fronts might say. Where are we?

I kind of feel like I might be living in a pseudo universe right now. Not really sure what to make of reality and non-reality, and generally, it probably feels like that for many folk. This is a trying time whether you stand with Trump and guns in Michigan or Bolsonaro in Brazil eating his self-righteous sweet treats or Cyril in South africa walking the finest line between REALLY being there for HIS people both health wise and financially wise. Oh my lord where are we people? What is real and what is not.

There’s much I do not know. But let me tell you what I do know : the inflammatory cascade is a process that can happen triggered by multiple things including corona virus (there are other things that doctors learn long and hard about) and yes you all seem to be cleverly discovering this thing (out of context mind you) and propounding philosophy like there’s no tomorrow -which right now is a thing no-one is guaranteed of. Ventilators are not the only answer so to speak I agree, ICU care involves quite a lot more than just ventilating. And please help us God when the average man on the street “discovers” then next “medical revelation” and tries to “help” as a spouting fountain of knowledge, it will come, I doubt it not.

Suzelle generally sticks to DIY and expands it in a way that helps humanity almost always a value add.

People at large, let’s value add right now. What do YOU do? Do that and value add. Please, because YOU can people. Because you CAN.

#Suzelle #commonsense #whatcanyoudo

 

“Innateness” – I love innateness:)

Innate – definition of : inborn, natural, intuitive, unlearned, quintessential and organic to name just a few synonyms. It’s a thing of beauty much like a spiral. A strong natural “innateness”.

We all have “innateness” in us. What a delight.

And what a wonderful thought that the BCG vaccine can “train the innate immune system”. And what a wonder that we are wonderfully and immaculately created. Yes complex but profoundly simply sometimes.

So a trial starts in south africa which aims to use the “innate” immunity we all have in order to decrease viremia and lower inflammatory markers that cause the cytokine storm. This is super exciting for us -south africans but also the world.

I just love “innateness” – http://www.myinnatehealth.co.za 🙂 our website needs updating but essentially we believe in TEAM and team work and intelligence that transcends due to this dynamic 🙂

Morning coffee…coveve?

Remeber Trump’s coveve moment. Well me dearies this new bleach moment is a new high is it not. What a narcissist. My goodness gracious me. Oh my word, there are none : words.

!!!!!!

What!!

I am so sorry America. Really I am because there are a lot of might fine folks in the USA who simply don’t deserve someone who is almost oblivious to the deaths.

On the other hand we have both a gentleman and a saint right now heading our government. What a relief.

At this time, surely people need to go inside and clean out all the shit? Right? Or have I really gone mad?

Surely this is the time where we HAVE to take hands (a metaphor) and help each other IN TRUTH. And only Truth. No more bullshit.

No?

Maybe I have gone mad, but that’s my choice right now. Do what I can each day, clean out my inside house and take it hour by hour.

Synecdochy and metonomy -what corona can drive you to, a self lesson in english

Russel Brand taught me a word a few days ago in an open letter to Boris Jonson, heartfelt and I feel deeply spiritual plea to Boris at this time. Anyway I had not heard that word before and it intrigued me. So I did a bit of “learning”.

I have to say that “learning” at this time instills fear itself as I am trying to “teach” my girls and the fear I feel (at the even thought) is profound. And yet when I do just “try” sometimes we win. A lot of the times we have tantrums and wales of unhappiness. They find their school work boring. It’s not my fault. But it is what it is and so we try again tomorrow.

I am a doctor and I love what I do, usually. Right now, fear pervades most consults, fear of covid, fear of what is to come? Will it come? I keep hoping it wont. I have just read an account by a new york city doctor that confirms my fears – of what could come – and yes let’s just say I shall continue to hope that our government have “pandemic’d” this better than Trump has.

So I used my pent up fear and worked out how to make meaning of synecdochy :

hands vs lend me your ears

bread vs the oval office

a stethoscope vs “the heart”

a heart beat is a start

a way to rythmically beat

in a life

that grew feet

stacatto silloutte

of a life in a sweat

sweet bites of a golden sunset

resound in the skies of unmet

needs

desires

hand holds

wounds gouged out holes

gaping

striving did a good job

of widening

only truth can stem

blood flow and mind woe

but growth of cut nodes

will rise and has risen

without a “striven”

synecdoche, metonymy

This scourge is with us for some time to come and the folk at the frontline across the world will fight hard and strong and continuously. That’s what they do. Are all healers wounded healers ? Perhaps not. Life is larger than science though and the unmeasurable parts of compassion, empathy and heart felt hunger to help and stem and rise is common to all humans.

A few of my patients have reached out tendrils of great comfort at this time. Healing both ways. My few corona patients have done extremely well both physically and mentally in their own fight against it.

Meaning in all of this is sometimes abounding and sometimes like a wide open desert.

 

Corona, covid, go away …

If I had a wish from a genie, I would use it right now.

But I don’t. And for some reason collectively we are resisting what seems to be a truth that we are all battling to reconcile. This thing is here. It’s a terrible virus that has mutated from animal to human and it threatens US at large.

This is not an US and THEM situation it is only an US situation. Humans. Us.

Um, gulp, shit!!!

Against a corona viridae.

And yet, we CAN beat it. We really can. Ask Italy. Who have LOST soooo much.

However, we do need strategies. Now in South Africa we are blessed I believe to have had the experience of the HIV epidemic and the really hard lessons that it taught us. And we are now applying to a new pandemic.

Also we need honesty. More than ever. Not fear-mongering. Honesty and less gas-lighting.

We need community at a time when physically we are distanced. Yet spiritually we have a huge opportunity. For unity. For US. For humanity.

And actually to realise how connected each and everyone of us are. The truth.

Not US and them. Just US. And unless we collectively realise that, I fear worse.

As we hold our breath right now in south africa and some of the countries that have managed miraculously to flatten a curve FOR NOW, we need to realise this is a battle that is going to take a while. Many months, possibly years. And in order to continue to keep a flattish curve we need strategies. On many other fronts : hunger, fear, we need somehow very realistically to take hands, with all of those who are less fortunate.

So back to my genie, actually I may need 3 wishes at least, but failing genies and wishes, what can each one of US actually do? For humanity, for the future? There is sooo much YOU can do, so why not DO it, Like nike said, just DO it. Be part of the solution.

Loved the aladin movie (pic above) in it’s magic moments, we need more magic moments and the humblest of humanity are capable.

schooling from the home …

Challenge upon challenge. I could use words that begin with f or v right now. But I should rather not as really our children should not be exposed to bad language.

Oh my shattered nerves. This is daunting. Like you can’t believe. Who would have thought that following grade 1 and 3 work pretending to be qualified could be sooo hard. Much harder than being a doctor!! OMF

Sorry I said it.

Ok, so here’s my wisdom :

1.) just literally go one step at a time

2.) just literally try

3.) it’s ok to cry -I did today

4.) let’s organise ourselves in groups? support groups?

5.) anyone out there with me????????…….

helloooooo

resources : http://www.snapplify.com/freeaccess

So just by the way a lot of things that say they are free are not, what I have found useful : seesaw and honestly ONLY teachers really know, so ask a teacher ( A REAL one). That’s why I feel little groups will help else the teachers them going to be well overwhelmed 🙂

Seesaw is a great tool that “got told to me” by a teacher. I can’t emphasize this enough – ONLY THEY KNOW, they are the qualified ones. We are NOT qualified to teach and yet are being ASKED to. We do of course have free will. However our children do need us right now to attempt to step up. A VERY HARD ASK. But, with a community spirit I believe this can be done. Why do I go on and on. Because this is really only the beginning I believe. And we will all need each other -connected – united in a sense in our disunity -to achieve some vague form of schooling for the next few months.

Abuse at this time -a way out

It is a great burden and a sadness that at this time during lockdown the “opportunity” for abuse in many ways is just too easy for the picking on the side of the abuser. To this end the “abused” in many many cases has very little access to “sanctuary”.

I was reading a great article last night and it resonated in so many ways in terms of making each one of us, individually and collectively at this point in time a little bit more “bullet proof” and “protected” in the midst of very little “protection”.

The “just” of it being 1.) recognise the “feelings” of : helplessness, anxiety, depression as SIGNALS that are screaming to us to do something. Not what society up to now has expounded that you are : weak, pathetic, not strong enough, rather that that feeling is a signal to YOU, precious one, that actually You can STAND up and even lying down YOU have a voice, a right, an access to bridging the gap between poor mental health and strong mental health.

2.) when one feels that one does not have “agency” ie things are all lost and nothing can get better, hopelessness in a sense, it is a very hard and terrifying place to be.

3.) That is why recognising the “vulnerability” for what it is is so vital and not giving that power. But stopping that vast chasm of no agency feeling in its tracks – and only the INDIVIDUAL in their MIND can do that.

4.) REcongnise that even in this time there are THINGS you can do, starting small. REaching out perhaps now is even a little easier as long as you have internet or a way to phone or even reach out to a neighbour. Take small positive steps.

5.) The resources for those who have access to them are literally endless on the internet.

6.) For those that don’t : start by getting “out of your mind” flick the switch by running around a chair or your house, reading a poem, literally thinking out of your normal box and grasping onto a positive thought, image or smell even.

7.) AVailbable too : most doctors are doing telephonic consults at this time as are psychologists and other health practioners, churches have pastors available on the other end of a phone, if needed the police are available and I would say if your situation requires it keep pressing on that button until you are indeed helped. The security “saints” independant security companies are very present right now and have been both kind and amazing during this time.

Update 7-4-2020 …corona!

I have been asked a lot do I need a script for the flu vaccine? I got confirmation today that you do not. The vaccine is now available and should be available from pharmacies across the country. It is wise to have it. NOT that it prevents corona BUT if you get both the influenza (current 4 strains) and corona – well let’s just say you would rather only have one at a time as seeing as we HAVE a vaccine for the flu it makes logical sense that this is a great thing to have right now.

And I do hope those anti-vaxxers get it now.

Secondly, there is research to say that the death rate is higher amongst men and speculation right now is associated with 1.) gut biome 2.) smoking and drinking 3.)less hand washing – these three things MEN can actually do something about – probiotics, nil of no 2 and more of number 3 🙂