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During the quarantine, the Casa Editorial El Tiempo continues to present Facebook Live broadcasts in which health experts help clarify the coronavirus landscape and make recommendations to avoid or reduce the impact that the pandemic is having on our lives.
In the most recent installment, broadcast on May 5, Adriana Garzón, editor of the Vida section of El Tiempo, spoke with doctors Mónica Avendaño and Edda Medina about mental health care during confinement.
The importance of this topic is reflected in a recent Profamilia survey that indicates that 75% of Colombians are having a mental health problem due to the current situation.
According to Dr. Avendaño, a psychiatrist therapist, this is due to two factors with great influence in this pandemic: on the one hand, the abrupt change in daily life; and on the other, the fear of catching a virus that spreads easily and is life-threatening. “That explains why people go through so many emotions. Calm has been lost and there is hopelessness, helplessness, depression, sadness, loss of security, sleep problems and even problems within families, “said Avendaño in the conversation.
According to the therapist, this is largely due to the feeling that death is lurking in a literal and a metaphorical sense: literal, due to the effects the virus is having on people’s health; and metaphorical, due to the losses that many experience or fear to experience in areas such as work, economic, social, family or love.
Something that is striking in this regard is that young people are among the most affected in the pandemic. “They are used to socializing to relax from the stress of classes, for example. Now, they are always in front of a screen receiving one class after another, which does not allow them to structure their personality properly or to adequately combat loneliness, “added Avendaño.
For her part, Dr. Edda Medina, an intensivist pediatrician, also warned about the impact that the situation is having on older adults: “They have a stricter confinement and feel abandoned, rejected, they are separated from their families. In addition, they are the ones with the most comorbidities ”, Medina pointed out.
These stress and anxiety situations are also concerned about their impact on the physical health of people of any age. “It is a vicious circle: what happens organically
it affects the central nervous system, and vice versa. Stress, for example, generates high levels of cortisol, a hormone that can create different disorders, such as addictions to cigarettes, alcohol, and even sugar and carbohydrates, because cortisol causes important digestive changes, “said the intensivist pediatrician.
recommendations
How to reverse the panorama, which seems so dark at times? In the opinion of Dr. Edda Medina, the first thing is to know that the mental and the physical cannot be fought separately. Hence, the importance of eating well to avoid disorders caused by high levels of cortisol.
“You can feel a lot of appetite, but if you know the cause, you can control yourself and choose healthier foods that do not have inflammatory effects. In this sense, it is advisable to avoid pork and to prefer turkey or chicken, as well as nuts or almond and quinoa breads, “Medina suggested.
To this type of physical actions we must add other mental ones. For Dr. Mónica Avendaño, in the case of meta metaphorical deaths ’it is very important to review how the situation is being perceived: whether from lack or from possibility. “Placing ourselves in the place of possibility allows us to focus on what we already have, not what we need, which will allow us to use our creativity to solve the problems that afflict us,” the psychiatrist therapist recommended.
For specific ages, there are also specific recommendations. Older adults are recommended to stay active, exercise, and try to lower cortisol levels, if possible, with naturally-derived medications. “I usually advise Neurexan because it has many benefits: it can be used at any age, it reduces hypertension and exacerbation of diabetes, it improves intestinal transit, it produces endorphins, and it also helps you sleep well,” Medina noted.
Avendaño also highlighted the benefits of this medicine: “Medicines like Neurexan help to sleep well without being sleeping pills, and good sleep is key in this situation: it strengthens the immune system, improves mood and reduces stress,” said the therapist. psychiatrist.
Finally, both professionals agreed on the importance of younger children to overcome this crisis. “We can help them by creating environments of trust, talking and laughing, but the truth is that the youngest children will be great teachers because many of them have never experienced what older people miss, and look at how they adapt to the new circumstances will constitute a great learning experience for all of us ”, concluded Dr. Edda Medina.
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