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The pandemic has affected our attitude to our physical condition. Exactly how, experts say.
The word “health” has taken on new meaning for many of us over the past year. No health – the body does not have the resource to resist COVID-19, and the threat to our existence is increasing. From an abstract concept, health has moved into the category of concrete, it has been perceived as a chance to survive, hence its increased value.
“When the pandemic began, for the first time I regretted that I had neglected medical examinations,” Anastasia, 31, admits. – Everyone thought – there is nowhere to hurry, I will have time! And then a thought popped into my head: what if I have some kind of disease and am at risk? Promptly began to make an appointment with doctors and undergo examinations!
Area of attention
“Health has always been in the top 3 values in the minds of the Russian population,” says biologist Larisa Popovich, director of the Institute for Health Economics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, director of the Independent Institute for Social Innovations, “and now the fear of getting sick, infecting relatives, being without help and, in general, fear of COVID -19, according to many social studies, brought him to the fore dramatically.
Disruption of plans, loss of money or opportunities – that’s what “poor health” meant for us a year ago. Now, for the first time, we have realized that something more is at stake: life.
“When the pandemic began, any ailment began to cause concern – I sneezed a couple of times and immediately thought: is it not covid, but will I survive!?” – says 40-year-old Stanislav. He was embarrassed for his “suspiciousness”, but he soon learned that this is common to many.
“The level of concern about their health among patients has increased,” general practitioner Svetlana Batugina describes the situation, “symptoms that previously would not have forced them to go to the doctor are now worrying many. Patients seek help more often, they have a desire to be examined, and we are talking not only about tests, but also about quite serious procedures. Sometimes patients insist on computed tomography (CT) to check the condition of the lungs.
We have to explain that such an examination without symptoms is not worth doing, it has limited indications, and in general it is not such a safe method to be carried out often and in large numbers. If earlier patients asked for more gentle treatment, now, on the contrary, they demand to immediately prescribe antibiotics, so that for sure, and I dissuade them if such treatment is inappropriate.”
In general, the doctor considers the changes in attitude to health to be positive: “When it became known that overweight people are more susceptible to coronavirus, many were puzzled by weight correction.” Attention to health in our country is expressed in strengthening the immune system and proper nutrition, to a lesser extent – in physical activity, studies of the Public Opinion Foundation show.1.
I believe – I do not believe
The best gift from Santa Claus, which the majority of Russians (2021%) wished for the New Year 29, turned out to be health for themselves, relatives and all people in general. Another 11% called the end of the pandemic, the lifting of restrictions and the coronavirus vaccine2.
Attention to our health during the pandemic has made us more obedient patients. We began to trust doctors more and follow the instructions more clearly. If we already asked for help, which the doctor prescribed, then we accept it, we don’t argue and we don’t experiment with dosages. And not only in the case of coronavirus.
“Clients listen more to recommendations, are open to any treatment options,” says family psychologist and Gestalt therapist Olga Volodkina. — Since March last year, I have been collaborating with a psychiatrist more often than before, since many clients now need not only psychotherapeutic, but also medication support.
In “pre-Covid” times, clients almost always treated this with caution, with apprehension, now they perceive it as a necessary measure, they do not resist prescriptions, they even agree to long-term medication (from three months to a year), and before, many stopped taking medication as soon as it became a little better”.
We have lost our freedom and now we are sad. We know that things will definitely be different.
The most common request to a psychotherapist today is how to cope with anxiety. Many are afraid for their lives, the health of loved ones, frightened by uncertainty.
“A year ago, when I recommended in such a situation to do breathing exercises, walk at least 30 minutes a day, take care of yourself more, pay attention to sleep, regimen, in fact, no one took such advice seriously, did not consider this an effective measure, and now they follow them, they say that it helps. And I see it,” continues the Gestalt therapist. – Many have passed into the stage of acceptance, today they are experiencing what in psychology is called living the mourning associated with the loss. We lost our freedom and now we feel sadness, we realize that everything will definitely be different.”
Gradually we learn to live in a changed situation.
Weakness in front of the “crown”
Why do men get sick more often, more severely and with more severe consequences?
Nikolai Briko, chief freelance epidemiologist of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, spoke about this back in March 2020.1. There is no single answer to this question.
The cause of COVID-19’s gender discriminating is still constantly being investigated by virologists and epidemiologists. Among the not fully confirmed assumptions: a greater number of chronic diseases, a more burdened anamnesis and susceptibility of men to pneumonia.
The predisposition of men to coronavirus is also associated with certain behavioral habits. First of all, we are talking about the different reactions of women and men to diseases in general and coronavirus in particular. If the former act on the principle of “it’s better to play it safe once again”, then the latter are more often guided by the slogan “be patient until it’s too late.” Men go to the doctor only as a last resort and only under pressure from their wives and girlfriends, at least in Russia.
Back in 2019, the results of various sociological studies showed that men are half as likely as women to seek medical services. But the pandemic has changed the situation: in September 2020, the difference is already 20%, according to VTsIOM.
According to the same study, the pandemic also made other adjustments – men began to pay more attention to the prevention of SARS. Smoking cessation, medical examinations and physical activity are leading among the measures taken.2.
Despite the spread of coronavirus around the world, Rosstat predicts an increase in life expectancy to 2020 years in 73,87 according to the average forecast option: for men – up to 68,87 years, and for women – up to 78,66 years. So far, the difference is 10 years, but by 2035, the indicator is projected to increase to 79,1 years for the entire population3.
1 mskagency.ru
2 wciom.ru
3 strana2020.ru
Virtual Medicine
During the pandemic, we have become accustomed to sacrificing personal communication for the sake of safety: the less direct contact, the lower the risk of infection. All life has been concentrated in the online space – zoom conferences, presentations and even friendly gatherings, remote work. These changes also affected the sphere of health: virtual consultations with doctors have become more popular.
Telemedicine – the remote provision of medical services – is not a new phenomenon for our country; Russian clinics began to introduce virtual consultations several years ago. But it was during the pandemic that we began to perceive them as a real alternative to face-to-face appointments (we are talking about visiting doctors in public and private clinics, and not about the advice of a doctor we know).
“During the pandemic, the need for telemedicine services has increased,” says Kamil Bakhtiyarov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, founder of the Find Your Doctor online community, “as patients try to leave their homes less often.
True, not everyone understands how telemedicine can help, and sometimes they want more than we can offer. For example, as part of the initial online appointment, you can only give general recommendations, but you can’t recommend a specific drug in an exact dose, it’s impossible to make an accurate diagnosis.”
Among Russians, every second admits the possibility of remote consultation with a doctor by phone
The online doctor has the right only to suggest what the problem described by the patient may be related to and advise which doctor of which specialty he or she should contact. Why?
“In addition to legal restrictions, this also has a medical explanation,” answers Kamil Bakhtiyarov, “because the patient may not say something, give incorrect information, a description, and to check all this, a visual examination is necessary. Telemedicine comes to the rescue when it comes to re-admission.
For example, to advise the patient if he needs to change the dosage of the drug, to suggest how much the current treatment (already prescribed by the doctor) helps him according to the results of the tests, and if necessary, adjust it.
Among Russians, one in two admits the possibility of a remote consultation with a doctor by phone (53%) or on the Internet (48%), and almost one in ten (8%) has already used an online consultation with a doctor, according to VTsIOM2.
A temporary measure or a new vital principle?
Attention to yourself and your needs, health care, slowing down the pace of life … How long will these new trends be with us? Those who have tasted the fruits of a healthy lifestyle due to the events of the past year are sure that it is. Social media is full of impressive stories of positive change.
“In the first months of the pandemic, the amount of work I had was sharply reduced,” says 37-year-old Idel, “but there was time to visit doctors for compulsory medical insurance. Thanks to this, I learned about health problems, which, by the way, put me at risk for the incidence of covid. After that, I actively engaged in strengthening the immune system and began to lead the most healthy lifestyle. Thanks to a free schedule and remote work, for the first time in many years, proper sleep, physical activity and proper nutrition have returned to my life. In six months I have lost 10 kg and feel better than in the last few years. There is no desire to return to the former pre-Covid life.”
Our experts note that, in general, we have learned to focus on the “here and now”, stop waiting for global changes and begin to pay more attention to our well-being and everyday life. They say the best investment is an investment in yourself. It seems that the crisis caused by the pandemic has become an incentive for many to put this well-known advice into practice.
Is there a child superpower?
The media has repeatedly reported that children do not succumb to the coronavirus. Does this mean that parents have nothing to worry about?
No, not really. Rumors about children’s resistance are exaggerated: COVID-19 does not bypass children, and of all ages, including newborns, studies have shown the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor *. But the disease really occurs in them in a milder form than in adults.
“This is due to the peculiarities of the work of the immune system,” says pediatric otorhinolaryngologist Diana Dvoynina. – In children, it is imperfect, they easily pick up viral infections, but at the same time, their lymphoid tissue is very active (inflammation of the lymph nodes is the body’s immune response to the virus), which means that the body fights the infection more strongly. Quite often, the disease in children passes without symptoms. What if a family with a child lives with grandparents? If a child has symptoms of SARS (runny nose, cough, sore throat), it is worth limiting contacts with relatives over 65 years old and be sure to follow the rules of hygiene: isolate dishes, towels, rinse your nose with saline. But if there are no symptoms, such measures are unnecessary.
By the way, loss of smell is not a 19% sign of coronavirus, as many people think. This may be a symptom of chronic sinusitis, polyp, sinus cysts, vasomotor rhinitis. In general, a large number of ENT diseases fall under the symptoms of COVID-XNUMX. That is why my advice to parents: first of all, go to the doctor, and not urgently take a test for coronavirus.
There is a lot of debate about whether children should wear a protective mask. “A child, like an adult, is infected by airborne droplets. But children are much more active than adults, and it’s difficult for them to run, jump and wear a mask at the same time, Diana Dvoynina notes. – I think that in public places and in transport such additional protection will not interfere with the child. Not only because of the danger of catching coronavirus: there are a huge number of other diseases. Viruses were, are and will be.
* crie.ru
1 covid19.fom.ru/post/zdorove
2 wciom.ru