We’ve been told to go outside more. Get some sun. Breathe fresh air. Take a walk in the park. But the perfect time of year to frolic in fields of lush grass, pretty flowers, and happy trees is also the ideal time of the year for seasonal allergies to knock you off your feet and leave you tumbling down a hill as you roll into a sneezing ball of pollen. Allergies can turn a pretty time of the year into a pretty awful time of your life.
Everybody knows about the five-second rule. You drop your corn dog on the ground only to quickly pick it up, exclaiming, "5 second rule!" Now everybody knows you're not some repulsive human being who likes eating dirt. Because if your food fell on the ground, gross, right? But if you think about it, everything we eat came from the ground and was just some filthy plant or animal at first. Healthy soil contains essential vitamins and minerals that are transformed into edible plants. This transformation allows our bodies to digest and metabolize the nutrition directly from a heaping pile of dirty wet mud. Maybe we should embrace food covered in dirt and think of the ground as a healthy part of our nutrition.
One of the best ways to include more dirt in our lives is through a garden. Gardening is rewarding on many levels. You can learn about the plants you eat, get slow and steady exercise with healthy vitamin D from the outdoors, and have an excuse to play in the mud. It's a slow process, but you'll be in awe of the first zucchini you pick that's somehow the size of a watermelon. No plant is more nutritious than the one you grow yourself with soil and care. The pride that comes with growing your first tomato makes you feel pretty awesome, too–go ahead and brush your shoulders off… there's some dirt on them.
When it comes to gettin' down and dirty, start small. A few cucumbers here, a few carrots there. You can also have some plants growing inside with proper light and temperature. Throw in some grass pickin' chickens, mud munchin' pigs, and dirt jumpin' goats, and you've got yourself a small farm. If you're not into having your own garden or don't have space, join a local farmer's co-op or community garden. You could even start a neighborhood garden. Let's give dirt a helping hand and start treating food that's been on the ground as a good thing. A little dirt won't hurt. It supports our whole life.
You may have heard recently about the new strain of COVID-19 that has emerged from the UK, resulting in travel restrictions and strict lockdown measures to help prevent the spread. As Texas grapples with record COVID cases and deaths, the idea of another strain can feel demoralizing and lead to more questions. What do we know about this new strain and how does it differ from the current virus? Is there reason to be alarmed? Should we change our behavior in any way to remain COVID-19 free?
What’s different about this strain?
Though there isn't an exact answer at this moment, it appears that this mutation behaves largely the same as the original. The strain was officially detected in early December and was found in areas of the UK that are experiencing a higher transmission rate than the norm. Infections in these areas were analyzed and found to be just over 70 percent more transmissible than the current virus. A study published on the 18th of this month indicates that increased transmission rate can be attributed to a mutation in the spike protein; this protein is what allows the virus to infect human cells.
Should we change our behavior?
Many people are wondering: should I do anything different? According to Professor Mark Harris, a virologist at the University of Leeds, “..it is important to point out that it is still the same virus, causing the same disease. The mechanism by which it is transmitted is also the same, but the genetic changes in this variant appear to enable it to transmit more efficiently, although the biological explanation for this increased rate of transmission remains to be determined. So, the key messages to prevent transmission are the same – limit the number and size of gatherings, maintain social distancing, wear masks in public areas, wash hands frequently etc. The virus can only mutate into new variants when it infects people, so reducing the number of infections will also decrease the potential for variation.”
What about the vaccine?
At this time, there is no reason to believe that the vaccine would not be effective against this particular strain. We will know more in the coming months as the vaccines are distributed to the wider population and this mutation is further researched and understood. For now, there is good reason to remain optimistic about the imminent vaccines.
Remember to always refer to the CDC guidelines and other trusted resources when confronting new information about the virus. Stay safe and healthy!
