By FRANK DESORBO
As my article for October came due, I was short on ideas. I went to a doctor recently, and inspiration struck: With all of the precautions these days with masks, alternating seating and no magazines, my mind wandered to my youth and some healthy advice from the past.
Wearing masks in the doctor’s office make so much sense. I was there for a semi-annual checkup, but what about the other patients who have ailments? Since it was my general doctor, there could have been people with some illness that could spread. Wearing masks in a doctor’s office should have become the basic mode of operation many years ago. There are sick and healthy people mixed in the office. What are the chances of going there healthy and returning home sick?
My mom always said money (cash and coins) was very dirty. Think of all the people who handled that money and where it was used. My college teacher in the late ’60s made the prediction that in the future, most of our transactions would be done with a plastic card. I know of businesses today that only take credit cards.
As an 8-year-old, I spent three weeks in a hospital and still have bad and uncomfortable feelings to this day about them. Visitors brought in germs or left with germs, and nobody took precautions. Of all places, a hospital was one where masks and gloves would be so appropriate, but we lived in a bubble with the idea that “I am not sick so why should I take precautions.”
A mask at sporting events would quiet the crowd and maybe their behavior. Those football fans with painted faces and costumes would be just ordinary unknowns rather getting their five seconds of fame. I am always concerned with the people who sit behind those who can’t sit for five seconds. Maybe lower noise from wearing a mask and earplugs might have some health value.
A veteran of WWII once told me that going out in the cold weather is how you catch a cold. If that was truly a scientific fact, then he found the cure for the common cold. Wearing a mask in freezing temperatures makes sense to keep you warm. I know some cold days are very invigorating, and yet they make me appreciate the indoors.
I use mouthwash every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, and I have not had a sore throat in so many years that I can’t remember. Since I also take an aspirin a day, likewise cold symptoms have stayed away. Moms told us that “an apple a day keeps the doctors away.” She should have also mentioned aspirin.
It is remarkable that medicine has come so far by has still been stymied by a worldwide crisis. I believe there will be a return to some degree of normalcy, and maybe some of the old tales and Mom’s advice will continue to be sound. After all, with life expectancy in the low 80’s, our children and grandchildren may be star athletes in their 60’s. Maybe this statement will become a healthy tale of the past.
The author is a Capital District resident and freelance writer and guest speaker. Contact him at fomservice.com.
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