Hello everyone, or indeed no one. It could go either way.
I had intended to call this The Banana Blog following the auto-spellchecker hilariously changing my name to Dr Banana when sending letters to colleagues some years ago . The replies to Dr Banana caused fits of laughter in reception and the name stuck! However searching the web for the “Banana blog” led to lots of gay porn” websites so I’ve gone for simplicity.
So welcome to Dr Bannon’s blog.
I will be writing this blog to share my ideas on how to get by in these troubled times.
The world is already in the middle of the climate crisis; now diverse environmental and economic challenges have been brought to the front of billions of minds by this non-living accidental package of protein and fat enveloping a tiny amount of genetic material called Sars-CoV2-19, otherwise know as COVID19.
Having had a medical career with an interest in preventing illness, and then my own MS led me take a long look at what I could do to protect me from its particular ravages. I found out a good deal about what makes us resilient and what makes us vulnerable. Aside from of course, good luck.
With COVID19 this is thrown into a new and urgent relevance for us all.
So one of my first posts is about being ready for COVID19. Many of the lessons from an exploration of MS and lifestyle apply equally here, though some are particular to this particular infection.
The urgent message is: be as ready for COVID as you can!
COVID19 is also forcing us to take a close look at many of the ills of society as they are being magnified. The adverse effect of our global trading and travelling, agribusiness, social inequality, smoking, our terrible national diet, poverty, air pollution, unhealthy environments are all, in effect punishing the most vulnerable in society here and around the world. More on that too.
Our politicians, with noble exceptions, have revealed themselves to be skilled orators but little else, with strategic thinking seemingly still rooted well in the illusory glories of the past. The pre-COVID era seem like a long time ago already!
Across the pond, things could hardly be worse. Like rabbits caught in a dazzling light they can barely understand, Trump has blundered into reluctant action, trying to making the most of a very bad job. We need politics to change. More of that later too.
So this blog will condense, I hope, with as much humour as I can muster, Ideas on what is going on and how to survive it.
I can’t guarantee that I will respond to all comments, but I will try when that is helpful.
I should of course, emphasise that I am a
retired doctor though I do take part in the running of a healthy lifestyle clinic for people recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. That means that everything I write is my opinion and not “medical advice”. For that you might visit a working doctor.
Highlighted text is liked throughout the blog, to online information or publications rather that using a starchy list of references at the end.
However, I hope that thinking about some of the tips here might make that visit to the doctor or hospital less necessary. If one person reading this blog improves one aspect of their lifestyle, and so their health, and so their outcome after COVID then I say a big thank you!
Whoever you are, you will have made it all worthwhile.
Likewise and thanks for the feedback. Im posting most days with the odd break. There seems to be so much going on! All the Best!!
What a delightful surprise to cross your path while on our daily walk in our beautiful part of the country. We thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog. It has certainly widened our knowledge on covid19. Reading your blog archive has given us so much knowledge on all of the topics.
Your motivation has definitely inspired us.
Thank you.
Thanks for the feedback. There is so much to think about!
Hi Colin. Sara posted your blog on FB so I had a read. Thank you for your balanced and well researched information. The oxygen levels article was particularly informative as was the vitamin D. I will check in regularly! Take care and stay safe (and don't reply to the Gmail address if it's shown, I use btopenword…
Thanks Colin. I think you will have quite a few readers, and rightly so. Having known you for many years, I have the greatest respect for your experience, knowledge and reasoning, and especially for your motivation to genuinely help people. It's noble. Long may it continue.