In situations where social distancing is difficult or impossible, the CDC recommends wearing a cloth face mask. However, wearing a mask is not something we are all accustomed to, so this post will mention some tips to make sure you are getting the most protection and limiting the potential spread of any airborne pathogens such as the virus responsible for COVID-19.
The CDC recommends the wearing of cloth face masks in public areas where social distancing cannot be maintained, such as the grocery store or a pharmacy. Dr. Erik Reich, a chiropractor in Meriden, CT, offers some advice on how to wear a cloth mask properly.
Wash Your Mask Regularly
The CDC recommends you wash your mask routinely. Either hot, soapy water, or a washing machine will suffice. Dry thoroughly. Also, be careful and try not to touch your face or eyes as you remove your mask. Next, masks should not be worn for more than four hours due to the chance that virus particles may accumulate on the cloth’s surface.
Make Sure the Mask Covers Your Mouth and Nose
Your cloth face covering mask should cover both your mouth and your nose. Leaving your nose uncovered could potentially spread virus particles if you were to exhale or sneeze while your nose is not covered.
No Touching Your Cloth Face Mask
Once your mask is on, don’t touch it. Try to avoid adjusting your mask once it is on your face, as this can contaminate your mask. Furthermore, don’t take your mask on and off. Once it is on, leave it on until you are ready to remove it and wash your hands.
Continue to Practice Social Distancing
Even while wearing a mask you should continue to maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet, and some studies even support staying up to 13 feet apart. Cloth masks function best as a supplement to social distancing guidelines. They are not supposed to replace social distancing as one of the best tools for limiting the spread of the virus.
Should Children be Wearing Masks?
The CDC has advised against the wearing of cloth face covering for kids under the age of two years old. Older children are recommended to wear cloth masks, but special care should be taken to ensure that the mask is fitted correctly, and proper hygiene is followed.
Dr. Reich, Meriden chiropractor, and his son.
Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. located at 303 South Broad Street. Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, and desk workers. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.
A lot more people are working at home lately thanks to the global pandemic Covid-19. This new situation can lead to challenges in setting up a work station which will be both comfortable and reduce the chances for strain and injury. So in this article I will outline several tips to improve ergonomics. Ergonomics means fitting the job to the person, which is important to consider while you work from home.
Working from home can be stressful. Your work space shouldn’t be.
1. Practice Good Posture
Many tasks you will likely be performing at home while working will be done with your arms and hands outstretched to the front of your body. For example, typing, checking your phone, writing, using a laptop, and reading are all activities which place your shoulders and arms in a forward position. This posture is chest and shoulder dominant. This means your chest and shoulder muscles are contracted more frequently to position your arms forward and closer to center. This can lead to shoulder irritation and poor breathing patterns.
In order to counteract this predominance of the chest muscles and forward rounding of the shoulders, you should be mindful of sitting and working with your chest forward. Think of someone tying a string to your breast bone and pulling you up. In this way your chest leads in front of your shoulders and places you in a more “open” posture.
Furthermore, if you are sitting at a desk, be sure to adjust your chair so that you are at a comfortable height and your thighs are parallel or slightly higher than parallel to the floor. Your keyboard and computer should be directly in front of you, not off to the side. Also, the computer screen should be at least 18″ from your face and the top 1/3 of the screen should be at eye level.
2. Don’t Forget to Move
Even while you are sitting or standing to work at home, movement is important. If your work requires you to spend long hours at a desk, small movements such as tapping your feet, rolling your neck and shoulders, and fidgeting with your hands and fingers, can help stimulate blood flow and decrease stiffness. Short breaks to stand, pace, performs some air squats, calf raises, or desk push-ups can also be very helpful.
3. Set a Timer
If you are like me, sitting to write or type, or finish computer work, you may be prone to stay put for long stretches of time to complete the task at hand. What can be helpful is to use your phone’s clock timer or another inexpensive timer to set micro-breaks for every 20 minutes. This way when the timer goes of you have an auditory cue to get up and move for a few minutes, without becoming overly distracted.
4. Your Breathing is Important
When working from home you may be sitting a lot. Sitting places the hips in flexion and can impede full expansion of the lungs while breathing. Naturally while sitting you will tend to take shallower breaths.
Take some time to focus on deep breathing and you may notice your posture improves, your back feels less tight, and you don’t fatigue as easily. Keeping your shoulders behind your chest as previously discussed can help.
Furthermore, placing one hand on your chest and one hand on your stomach and taking a deep breath, you should feel the hand over your belly move. Shallow chest breathing where your diaphragm doesn’t expand into your abdomen limits rib expansion and decreases circulation. So make sure both hands are moving well when you breath, get your diaphragm involved!
With improved rib expansion while breathing your blood will carry more oxygen, your joints will circulate their fluid to provide nutrition to the joint cartilage, and your stress levels will reduce. Good breathing has many health benefits.
5. Take Walking Meetings
Many meetings these days are being conducted remotely. There are many apps which make this possible, and when working from home it may seem convenient of comfy to sit on the couch at your chair for the duration. I would suggest if possible that you walk or pace comfortably around your house while on these calls. You may have already been sitting for some time before the meeting starts, and getting back to more work following the meeting. So if possible try and use this time to move around.
So there are 5 tips which I hope you will find helpful during these times when you are working from home, whether by choice or due to the recent coronavirus pandemic.
About the Author:
Dr. Reich, Meriden chiropractor, and his son.
Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. located at 303 South Broad Street. Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, laborers, and desk jockeys. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.
If you turn on the news this week you will no doubt be bombarded with talk of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). This can be scary. You may be stressed and uncertain of what steps you can take immediately to avoid contracting this virus and to limit the spread of coronavirus and other viruses such as the flu. So let’s begin with some advice on how to fight coronavirus in Meriden, CT.
Wash your hands multiple times each day with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and don’t touch your face without clean hands.
First, the basics. Wash your hands with soap frequently throughout the day, and spend at least 20 seconds doing so. Second, disinfect surfaces which you commonly come into contact, especially if these objects touch your hands or face, using a disinfecting spray or wipes. Third, avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
4 More Not So Obvious Tips
Don’t try to be a hero by going to work or school if you are sick. Your coworkers, commuters, and fellow students will not appreciate your dedication. Also, it is just a bad idea during a viral outbreak.
Also, if you have relatives or friends who are elderly, have weakened immune systems, or other serious health conditions, do not visit them if you are sick or have been around others who have been taken ill recently.
Furthermore, eat healthful meals. As we are still in the middle of flu season, and now with COVID-19 spreading at almost pandemic levels, take extra steps to boost your own immune system.
Begin with eating healthy sources of fats, protein, and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Much of the immune response begins in the gut, so keep those good bugs happy! Don’t smoke. Smokers have weaker immune systems in general and take longer to heal as well. You can’t control everything around you such as people coughing next to you, but you can control what you put into your body.
Next, and this is a harder one due to societal norms around greeting, but do not shake hands or hug people when meeting them. A simple wave or nod of the head is adequate and important to fight the spread of coronavirus in Meriden, and the flu virus as well.
Dr. Erik Reich, Meriden chiropractor, and his son.
About the Author:
Dr. Erik Reich is a chiropractor in Meriden, CT. He practices at Omni Physical & Aquatic Therapy Center, Inc. located at 303 South Broad Street. Where he treats all types of patients from high school athletes, seniors, victims of trauma such as auto accidents, laborers, and desk jockeys. Spending time with his wife and son, and their Boston terrier, is something Dr. Reich also enjoys.
