I Love Endogenous Drugs … and You Can, Too!

Endogenous drugs are legal, natural and FREE!

Endogenous means produced inside a human cell. An endogenous drug, therefore, is a chemical that originates within the human body and can be generated in response to physical activity. If you have ever heard of “runner’s high” that is an example of how the human body generates endogenous drugs.

Three of the most important endogenous drugs are: dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. 

1. DOPAMINE:

Dopamine is known as the feel-good neurotransmitter—a chemical that ferries information between neurons. This important neurochemical boosts mood, motivation, and attention, and helps regulate movement, learning, and emotional responses. It is designed, from an evolutionary standpoint, to reward you when you’re doing the things you need to do to survive — eat, drink, reproduce and – surprise – engage in physical activity. During these activities your brain releases a large amount of dopamine. You feel good and you seek more of that feeling. 

Dopamine receptors in the brain are more active in people who engage in regular physical exercise than people who don’t exercise. Plus, obese people have fewer active dopamine receptors. This means they must “struggle” to become physically active in order to activate their receptors.

But once you get moving and keep moving, you begin to crave physical activity in order to satisfy your dopamine receptors. Ultimately, you experience the benefits of this feel-good neurotransmitter.

2. SEROTONIN:

This neurotransmitter helps to stabilize your mood, as well as your feelings of happiness and well-being. Increased serotonin can help combat depression, anxiety, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Good News! Serotonin levels can be increased naturally by exercising.

As with dopamine, non-exercisers are at risk of low serotonin, making them vulnerable to depression thus unable to overcome the impulse to avoid exercise leading to … you guessed it, low serotonin!

But once you get moving and keep moving regularly, you will have fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety than if you didn’t exercise. Moreover, 16 weeks of exercise was found to be just as effective as antidepressant medicine in treating older patients who were not exercising prior to beginning their workout routine. 

3. ENDORPHINS:

Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers. These neurotransmitters are natural opioids that help you tolerate the discomfort of exertion. Obviously, your natural opioids are not as strong as morphine or codeine, but they do blunt pain. Endorphins are what allow you to go for a long run or hike without noticing sore muscles. The effects of endorphins can last for hours.

Vigorous physical activity stimulates the production of endorphins, your body's natural painkillers and mood elevators. In order to produce endorphins, you need to engage in at least 20 minutes or more of vigorous, physical activity. Thanks to endorphins, the feelings of relaxation and optimism that accompany many hard workouts lead to a more positive and energizing outlook on life.

Each one of these endogenous drugs provides healthy rewards but there’s a hitch – they primarily reward people who are regularly physically active.

Our ancestors were persistently “exercising” as they literally had to run, walk, and physically work for their food and water. They had a ready supply of endogenous drugs and their daily physical activity ensured that supply was ongoing.

Unfortunately, our brains have not evolved for our modern, sedentary lifestyle. When we are sedentary, our brain produces fewer endogenous drugs - we feel less motivation to move which leads to fewer endogenous drugs … a vicious cycle. We must make ourselves move (exercise) in order to benefit from the endogenous drugs our bodies can produce. 

So does this mean you need to run a marathon, bike 100 miles, hike the Grand Canyon, or swim across the English Channel? No, hell, no.

The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that adults get at least 150 to 300 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise (walking, hiking, swimming, gardening, dancing, cycling)

or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise (running, fast swimming, hiking briskly uphill, fast cycling, aerobics, most competitive sports) per week.

You should also do strength training activities of moderate to vigorous intensity twice a week and challenge your balance daily.

 

I agree with G. K. Chesterton who wrote: “For all the fundamental functions of a healthy man ought emphatically to be performed with pleasure and for pleasure; … it is the first law of health that our necessities should not be accepted as necessities; they should be accepted as luxuries.” 

 

In other words, find the physical activity/exercise that you enjoy as your own regular, persistent luxury. All the benefits of endogenous drugs will then be yours!

Research Resources:

Active Aging and Public Health: Evidence, Implications, and Opportunities

Benefit of human moderate running boosting mood and executive functioncoinciding with bilateral prefrontal activation

Exercise and Mental Health

Lieberman, D. (2020). Exercised : why something we never evolved to do is healthy and rewarding. Pantheon Books.

Physical Exercise and Mental Health: The Routes of a Reciprocal Relation

"They Thought the WAR Was On!"

October 30, 1962, Miraleste Elementary School in Los Angeles County, California.

The school was located on a crest overlooking the San Pedro Harbor and no one really thought about the school becoming a target until the previous two weeks. Our country was in the midst of a nuclear showdown with the Soviet Union – the Cuban Missile Crisis.

8:40am - Ten minutes after classes had started for the day, Mrs. Acuna, secretary to the principal, was in the school office opening mail. Suddenly the civil defense disaster alarm flashed a yellow warning signal and sounded an ear-splitting alarm. She looked at the clock. It was only 8:40am, the daily test wasn’t supposed to happen until 9:30am!

Then Mrs. Acuna also noticed that only the yellow-alert signal – warning of a nuclear attack within the hour – was ringing. Normally the daily test pattern was all colors together - blue (expect trouble soon), yellow, red (imminent attack) and white (all clear). It had never shown just one alert. 

The principal, Mr. Armitage, was administering a standardized test to fifth graders in the cafeteria. Mrs. Acuna immediately buzzed the intercom and asked him to come to the office. The alarm was audible over the intercom.

Mr. Armitage arrived in the office and told her to call the phone company that services the alarm system to check if the system was malfunctioning. Then she was to sound the “long bell” for a drill which meant the school was to be evacuated to the playground.

He turned on the office transistor radio which was already set for 640 kilocycles, the CONELRAD civil-defense wave length (precursor to our current Emergency Broadcast System). Music blared through the radio! Was this alert for real?

Meanwhile, Mrs. Acuna was speaking with the telephone company who stated they could find no malfunction and she should assume the alert was real.

Mr. Armitage called the Superintendent’s Office and was told that no other schools had reported yellow alarms. Again, the telephone company insisted that there were no malfunctions.

At 8:42am, two minutes after the alert first sounded, Mr. Armitage grabbed his portable electric megaphone and headed for the playground where the students and teachers were gathering. The alert was still sounding. He wondered, “Did the Cuban crisis erupt overnight? “

The students were being gathered into their 10 dispersal groups which were determined by the direction they would walk to arrive home. Some children lived just down the street, while others lived as far as two miles away. 

Mr. Armitage knew a submarine could surface in the harbor below and open fire in the direction of the school. He grabbed his megaphone and shouted, “Teachers, take your students home!” They were WALKING home during a nuclear alert!

film.nu

8:48am -Seeing that the children and teachers were on their respective ways, Mr. Armitage went into his office intending to call the sheriff when suddenly all was silent. The alarm stopped!

8:52am - The telephone repairman who had Mrs. Acuna stay on the line throughout the alert told her calmly that malfunction in equipment at the San Pedro office had allowed the signal to slip through all protective measures. The school was to excuse the alert.

Within 12 minutes, it was all over.

“My God!” cried Mr. Armitage. “I’ve got to get those children back!” He dispatched two teachers in their cars and then jumped into his car to head off the walkers.

9:15am – The 24 children who had reached home were back in school.

9:30am – Classes were again in session.

How did the children fare during their WALK?

In spite of their fears, the children were orderly and well-behaved. The older children helped and sometimes carried younger children. Some even sang songs as they WALKED – during a nuclear alert!

Afterwards, some children shared their thoughts -

Terry Thomas, 6 years old:“I didn’t think it was funny. Everything would’ve been destroyed if it had been real. Then it wouldn’t have been a very good place to live.”

Pam Patterson, 10 years old: “I thought about my dog and cat. They always wander away, and maybe, if it was real we wouldn’t get them back again.”

Joy Bowman, 9 years old: “I thought the whole school was going to fall down any minute. I felt kind of like this – wavy – all the way.”

Mark Hollingworth, 10 years old: “I was busy all the time answering the little kids’ questions. They asked me – ‘Are we going to live any longer? Are we going to be safe? Is this real, or is it just a drill?’ We all wanted to get home real fast.”

A few days after the false alert, Marla Dirks, 7 years old: “I was playing school with some of my friends. Sherry rang an alarm clock and yelled, ‘Go home!’ And we all rushed to the front door.”

And the adults ...

The experience left the adults more aware.

Mrs. O’Neil, First Grade Teacher: “Things seemed so different when we got back. I couldn’t help thinking: Why do we teach them to read? Are these children going to grow up to use all this?”

Mrs. John Barrett, Mother: “Ever since, every school day one mother is on duty to meet the children at the end of our street. If she leaves home, even for an hour, she must find a replacement and notify the school. “

Mr. Armitage, Principal: “I discovered a number of children would not be able to walk home in an hour. Thirty-two parents have requested that their children should remain at school. I also requisitioned planks to cover the windows. From now on, teachers are to ensure that students take lunches and wraps with them for the WALK. Finally, I recommend that teachers keep flat-heeled shoes handy.”

Parental letter to Mr. Armitage: “Johnny should stay with the Joneses, and if they’re not home, he should go to his own house and pray.”

(Los Angles Times, November 1, 1962, pages 37 and 38 and McCalls Magazine, Vol. 90, No. 7, April 1963, pages 96-97, 201-203.)

In this true story what we are left with is a sober meditation on the absurdity of how we thought we could just “duck and cover” or simply WALK away from a nuclear threat.  As current events unfold, we are still, unfortunately, under a nuclear threat from a variety of nations. Are we any better prepared? 

oldies.com

On this 60^th. Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, I highly recommend the docudrama, Ladybug, Ladybug (On YouTube) based upon this actual event. The film is a commentary on the psychological effects of the threat of nuclear war.

 

The Heat Is On!

Twenty-five years ago a shocking event during the Bix 7 forever altered my thinking about “heat waves.” When I first learned of Charles Crowe’s death at the half-way point of a 7 mile race, I had no idea how it would impact my running then and now. A year after his death, I experienced first-hand the effects heat and humidity have upon runners and walkers. Now, 25 years later, his story has even greater urgency. 

Quad City Times, Davenport, Iowa, 27 July 1997, page 2

Yes, he was 62 years old, but he was a seasoned race walker – in physical condition for the race, he lived in the area so he was acclimatized to the weather and water was available on the course. What went wrong? Was his age a factor?

Thermoregulation

Whatever your age, it is important to understand thermoregulation. This is how our bodies both conserve and dissipate heat. Dissipating or releasing heat, is essential during a “heat wave.”

In cold weather, our bodies conserve heat by:

• shivering to create metabolic energy and thus warmth, and
• utilizing vasoconstriction, the shrinking of blood vessels, to shunt blood toward our core, which protects our major organs and keeps blood flowing from our heart and lungs and to our brain.

While in warm weather our bodies dissipate heat by:

• vasodilating, or expanding blood vessels, sending more blood to the surface of our skin so that heat can leave the body and
• utilizing sweating and evaporation as long as the humidity of the environment is low enough. Interestingly heat loss through the evaporation of sweat (or water on the surface of our skin) is one of the most effective ways we can cool our bodies, which is why hot, humid environments are even more challenging to race and exercise in!

So the question is: Is age a factor in thermoregulation?

Before Charles Crowe’s death, a 1993 study concluded that “aerobic fitness, acclimation, and hydration state are far more important in determining successful ability to exercise in hot environments than is age.” 

At that time – 25 years ago - he, and many other runners and walkers, believed their age was not a factor in heat-related illnesses.

Now we know better. Recent studies (2014) have found that the age of walkers and runners IS a factor in heat-related illness. Researchers found that, "Age was the only variable to significantly correlate with whole-body sweat rate. This would suggest that when the stimulus for sweating is equal for all participants ... aging may have a larger influence on whole-body heat loss capacity than the fitness level or specific physical characteristics of the individual."

The researchers concluded that middle-aged and older adults might therefore have an increased risk of heat-related illness when exercising in hot weather. “Decrements in whole-body heat loss capacity were apparent as early as the age of 40 and declined with advancing age. We conclude that not only should older adults be cautious of the risks associated with performing physical activity when ambient air temperature rises, but middle-aged adults should also be aware that they could be more prone to heat-related illness compared to young individuals.”

These studies clearly show a reduced thermoregulatory function with aging.  

You don’t mess around with heat and humidity ... especially if you are over 40 years old.

So what can be done to combat or prevent the effects of high heat and humidity?

Most importantly, be aware of these age-related, thermoregulatory factors:

• Age-related changes to the skin such as poor blood circulation and inefficient sweat glands
• Heart, lung, and kidney diseases, as well as any illness that causes general weakness or fever
• High blood pressure or other conditions that require changes in diet, such as salt-restricted diets
• Reduced sweating, caused by medications such as diuretics, sedatives, tranquilizers, and certain heart and blood pressure drugs
• Taking several drugs for various conditions (It is important, however, to continue to take prescribed medication and discuss possible problems with a physician.)
• Being substantially overweight or underweight

Then follow these general guidelines:

1. Acclimatize your body to higher temps and humidity. When the weather becomes hotter and more humid, it will take 7-10 days for your body to acclimatize. Be patient and be extra cautious especially during a heat wave and even when there is one, random day that is unusually hot and humid.

2. Stay in good physical condition. Better-conditioned people have a higher blood volume, better oxygen consumption, sweat rate and more efficient use/replacement of energy stores. Avoid “going all out” when you haven’t exercised for some time. This is especially important if you “hibernate” during the cold weather and then up your activity during warmer weather. Again, be patient and cautious until your body is reconditioned and acclimatized.

3. Fluid replacement is critical in high heat and humidity. Fluid replacement starts before physical activity, continues during it, and doesn’t stop until long afterwards. Drinking to thirst and keeping urine clear (not dark yellow) are good measures.

4. Wearing light-weight, light-colored clothes of open-weave natural fibers or fluid-wicking fibers help increase evaporation and cool the body.

Twenty-five years after his death, Charles Crowe isn’t remembered just because he died from heat stroke. He is remembered, first and foremost by family and friends, as a “fantastic guy.” Obviously, his was a life well-lived.

References:

Intermountain Healthcare (2017, September 15). What is the effect of heat and humidity on athletic performance. intermountainhealthcare.org. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://intermountainhealthcare.org/blogs/topics/sports-medicine/2014/06/what-is-the-effect-of-heat-and-humidity-on-athletic-performance/

Larose, J., Boulay, P., Sigal, R. J., Wright, H. E., & Kenny, G. P. (n.d.). Age-related decrements in heat dissipation during physical activity occur as early as the age of 40. PLOS ONE. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0083148

Malcolm, C. (2021, December 30). Handle the heat: Heat acclimation for endurance running. iRunFar. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://www.irunfar.com/handle-the-heat-heat-acclimation-for-endurance-running

Millyard, A., Layden, J. D., Pyne, D. B., Edwards, A. M., & Bloxham, S. R. (2020, June 15). Impairments to thermoregulation in the elderly during heat exposure events. Gerontology & geriatric medicine. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7297481/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018, June 27). Heat-related health dangers for older adults soar during the summer. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved August 4, 2022, from https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/heat-related-health-dangers-older-adults-soar-during-summer

The Finish Line

 

Years after his Olympic appearances, Frank Shorter, a gold and silver medalist marathoner, ran a race in Seattle. He finished out of the top 20 runners. As he was preparing to leave, another runner approached him. “Hey, aren’t you Frank Shorter?”

To which Frank replied, “No … but I used to be.”

Frank’s “glory days” are over, he will never cross an Olympic finish line again. Instead Frank is successfully crossing a new finish line – Race4Kids’ Health. Frank uses his experiences as a runner and as a victim of child abuse to connect children with the power of health. He explains, “What I’m trying to do through my work with Healthy Learning Paths, is to show kids how to use healthy habits like good diet and exercise to better their social and emotional health and their resiliency—to run toward a solution and not just away from a problem.”

We – like Frank - will grow old and slow and our finish lines will change. But there is one finish line everyone must cross. Loved ones will die and, in our own time and in our own way, we, too, will cross life’s finish line. How will we choose to experience it?

Runner Dr. George Sheehan was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in 1986. In January 1993 he learned that his hormone treatment was no longer working, the cancer had gone into “fast forward”. George then needed radiation just to control the pain. At that time he was still ambulatory but could no longer run. He said, “My mission now is to deal with cancer, its therapy, and all the implications, and tell others what it is like.”

Success for George shifted from running to becoming the best George he could be. He chose to continue his search for meaning and truth, asking – “After I die, what?” which led to “Before I die, what?” He continued writing and reading extensively while he explored Quakerism, philosophy, and discovered anthropology. Two months before he died, George registered for a college-level anthropology course.

His running days were over but he made the best of his situation through reading, exploring new ideas and writing about his experience. George’s attitude towards his situation embodied the words of Holocaust survivor, Dr. Viktor Frankl, “Any man can, even under such circumstances, decide what shall become of him – mentally and spiritually.”

On November 1, 1993 George successfully crossed his finish line.

“In giving me cancer, fortune had smiled on me. Pain was key to opening up to a new and larger life. The interests of my past are still present, but now finally seen in perspective.”- Dr. George Sheehan

 

Perhaps more difficult than facing our own death, is dealing with the death of a loved one. Often we have to make decisions for someone who is unable to decide for themselves how and when they will cross their finish line. 

In 2003, my father was not feeling well and was admitted to the hospital. During phone calls with my mother, she insisted he was “fine.” Fortunately, my older sister called me to tell me Dad was not “fine” – he was dying.

I flew from Virginia to Illinois and went with my mother to the hospital. Dad was not responsive, he would occasionally open his eyes but only stared at the ceiling. I don’t know if he even knew I was there. No matter how much my mother wanted him to be “fine,” or how often the nurses checked him or gave him medication through his IV, Dad was not going to “get better.”

Mom and I sat in the room with him, talking as if he was “fine.” Then, as I drove her home at the end of the day, I told her I wanted to call my siblings to let them know they should come and see Dad because I thought he was nearing the finish line. “No!” she shouted, “He’s going to be fine!”

The next day we were sitting with Dad when his doctor asked us to meet with him in a consultation room. “We need to know if you want a do-not-resuscitate order,” he said.

Mom immediately said, “No!” Then she began sobbing. “I don’t want to fail him, we have to keep him alive.”

Patiently, and with precise details, his doctor explained exactly what would happen if the nurses attempted to resuscitate Dad.

I asked, “If you successfully resuscitate Dad, what then? Will his health be restored?”

“No.” the doctor answered, “We will just be prolonging the dying process.” He then explained Dad’s deteriorating physical condition. They had done all they could.

“Do not resuscitate,” I said. I looked at Mom and, through her tears, she nodded her agreement. Then I began calling my siblings.

Dad crossed his finish line on March 19, 2003 with several of his children at his bedside, holding his hands.

We did “the best” we could for Dad. The decision not-to-resuscitate due to his physical condition was informed and made in consultation with his doctor. Then we surrounded Dad with as much love as possible as he crossed his finish line. “The best” we could do for ourselves was to choose to be in control of our attitude towards our father’s death.

Dealing with death shifts the terms of success. “The best” often is not what we may want, nor wish for, and it can be extremely painful. In the worst situations our attitude may be the only thing we can control while in better situations we have more options from which to choose.

Many challenges will confront us as we move closer to our finish line. We will not always be healthy, we will grow old, we will experience the death of loved ones and, ultimately, our own turn to cross life’s finish line.  Regardless of the situation, we choose our attitude towards our experience. We are always free to “decide what shall become of us – mentally and spiritually.” 

 

Two Years Later ...

The COVID-19 pandemic changed life as we know it—and it may have changed us individually as well. But this coming year, if the vaccines drive down infections and variants are kept at bay, life could return to some form of “normal.” At this point, what did we learn from the past two years?

 

Life Lesson #1: CHOICE

On June 1, 2020. I wrote:

“Pause & consider your life choices

Pause & consider our shared humanity

Then act in ways to reduce suffering in the world” 

 

During the second year, it was evident that continuing to wear masks or to avoid crowds challenged people - especially in communities without mandates. Many people became “tired of” considering our shared humanity. They wanted to “get back to normal” and it was clear that their choices were the result of an inner decision about what to value… during the continuing pandemic.

 

Fundamentally, every person, even during a pandemic, can make a choice. Even if our existence is temporarily restricted by public health measures, our attitude towards them is totally our choice. Compliance or noncompliance with public health measures – whether you live in a community with mandates or not – is still a choice. 

 

So … Why wear a mask? Why avoid crowds? Why get a vaccine?

• I do it because I want to help prevent the spread of the virus so fewer people suffer.
• I don’t because I want to protect my freedoms so that I can do what I want.

We have both potentialities within us; which one is acted upon depends on what we choose to value, … during a pandemic. 

We learned that even under social, political or religious pressure - during a pandemic, and even with or without mandates we have a choice.  

We know the “why” and we choose to bear the “how.”

 

 Life Lesson #2: TRUST! 

During a pandemic, rapid behavioral change is crucial, so people cannot be told “this is just a flu” or “it’s a hoax.” They need clear information if they are to take the crisis seriously enough to listen and then know how to act.

Former US president Donald Trump admitted to downplaying the risks of the pandemic to “reduce panic”. He didn’t trust us to act responsibly and we didn’t trust him because he lied.

While he is to be commended for listening to public health officials and enacting the national shutdown, he then went on to discredit them publicly and engaged in behaviors totally opposite to those health officials were recommending – basically sending the message, “Don’t trust the doctors.”

 

The idea that the public is incapable of dealing effectively with the unpleasant truth and uncertainty of a novel virus stymied our pandemic management. A president and politicians, who also downplayed negative or complicated facts, led people to take unnecessary risks. In their desire to control the message they created political theater. They abdicated their leadership roles at precisely the time people needed trustworthy leaders. 

InsightBright

• Politicians that underestimate and mistrust people focus on what the public cannot do.
• Politicians that communicate self-efficacy, focus on what people can do to help themselves and their fellow citizens.

Current research confirms this: “a major focus during the current and future pandemics should be on providing clear information about protective behavior and formulating guidelines that facilitate a sense of self-efficacy in the public.”

Multitudes of Americans choose to listen to and trust our public health authorities for medical guidance, not the politicians. We know what to do and how to do it – we are self-efficient.

yahoo.com

Life Lesson #3 REMEMBER!

After two years of the COVID-19 Pandemic we are already hearing calls to “forget about the pandemic, it’s over.” While going back to a pre-pandemic “normal” may be appealing, history shows it could have harmful implications both for this pandemic—and the next one.

 

The strong desire to forget the pandemic translates to a lack of commemoration. While a million people in our country have died from this virus, there have been only a few temporary memorials to honor the victims.

We lost so many people in this pandemic. For the millions of people who have lost loved ones, as well as health workers on the front lines fighting the disease, the psychological fallout is devastating. … how could we ever just “forget about it?”

 

Our fates, especially during a pandemic, are bound together. We are not self-sufficient and independent; we are interconnected. Taking care of others is taking care of ourselves. Rather than “forget about it, it’s over” - we need to redouble our efforts to provide care and resources. We need to remember those who have suffered and died and reflect on what worked and what did not.

abcnews.go.com

The strong desire to forget the pandemic translates to a lack of change. Over a century ago, following the 1918 Flu Pandemic, Congress introduced a Flu, or Anti-Flu, Bill, in 1919 which would have appropriated roughly $5 million for the investigation of the epidemic, with an eye to preventing future outbreaks.

By 1920, the amount was lowered to $250,000 as politicians objected to sending more funds to the U.S. Public Health Service.

Ultimately, NO appropriation was made. The opportunity to enact meaningful public health changes in the wake of the 1918 Flu pandemic was lost.

We don’t want to repeat that history! Already public health professionals have outlined lessons learned and plans to improve our ability to respond robustly to the next pandemic. We must fund and enact meaningful public health changes.

quotefancy.com

REMEMBER!

The one lesson our country did learn from the 1918 Flu Pandemic is the importance of record-keeping. There is very little historical record or archival information from the 1918 pandemic. Historian Nancy Bristow, who wrote the book “American Pandemic: The Lost Worlds of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic,” had to sift through primary accounts from journals and newspaper headlines in order to write her book.

However, from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, libraries, historical societies, and local organizations began working to collect any and all records. In addition to statistical records, medical research records, transcripts of government briefings, and news reports; records also include individual testimonies, blogs, journals as well as interviews with grocery store workers, volunteer COVID-19 testers, virtual learners, and “everyday” citizens.

Collecting records will be useful for making policies in the future to help our country cope with the inevitable next pandemic. This lesson must include the “human element” - how and why people acted they way they did. Remembering what happened during this pandemic is the one thing we must do so that future generations don’t repeat our mistakes and suffer the needless loss of loved ones.

muschhealth.org

My Pandemic Archive

What I was reading – Annotated list of the 15 pandemic-related books I read during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Google Docs)

 

What I was thinking – Links to 3 pandemic-related blog posts I wrote during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Blogspot)

• Should I Go to the Yoga Studio or Not? - Yoga in a Pandemic World (June 1, 2020)
• I “Quit” (July 19, 2020)
• One Year Later – Pandemic Guilt (March 6, 2021)

What I was sharing – Link to a photo album of my pandemic-related Facebook posts (screenshots) posted during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Google Photos)