March 8 is the official date of Capitol Rehab’s anniversary, and we are grateful to still be serving the Greater Arlington community, especially through so many trials and tribulations. In fact, what better time than now to recount all that we have endured through and survived during these past 24 years?
For instance, we have survived disasters like Y2K and HOV lanes. Oof. We also endured very real catastrophes like Sept. 11, 2001, Anthrax scares, and pandemics of varying severity and threat to our global population — MRSA, Ebola, MERS, Pertussis, SARS, and Zika. And let’s not forget the various strains of flu — Avian, Bird (which might be the same thing), Swine, and good old influenza.
Now, we are dealing with another virus of as-yet-unknown proportion — Coronovirus, more formally known as COVID-19. As of this week, Coronavirus has been confirmed in three people in Montgomery County, Maryland, two in their 70s and another individual in her 50s, all of whom had been traveling abroad. No reports of Coronavirus have been made in Virginia or D.C.
The most concerning parts of the virus are that it is still questionable how long it can survive on objects like doorposts and light switches and how long the incubation period lasts. One aspect that may give us some relief is that of this writing, there have been NO deaths worldwide in children from Coronavirus under age 10, and ONE death in a person under age 20. In general, the virus has hit very few young people. Additionally, people who are symptomatic are likely not contagious.
As with most viruses, older populations are at greater risk. That’s bad for our friends over 70 years old — apparently the minimum age which you must now be to run for president of the United States (joke, people) — but one consolation is that of the 40,000+ currently active Coronavirus cases worldwide, 83 percent are classified as mild. Furthermore, the fatality rate is much higher in people who have pre-existing conditions — high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, cancer or diabetes, among other ailments. World Health experts report that the death rate for people without a pre-existing condition is remarkably low, and as we get closer to finding a cure or treatment, this number will decrease more.
Pre-existing conditions is the big variable, and those with them need to pay the closest attention to the virus’ spread.
Why do I bring this up? Because every year when March comes around, our anniversary reminds us how fortunate we are at Capitol Rehab to do the type of work we do. Our love and commitment to serve the Greater Arlington community is unyielding, and we appreciate the continued support and love we receive back.
Public health scares are a reminder that life is fragile. We recognize that we must continuously strive to provide services for which our clients express a need — whether these clients are elite athletes or office workers. Everyone wants to enjoy a higher quality of life.
So in being able to play a part in improving people’s lives, we have been expanding our resources. That’s why I asked Dr Denia Tapscott to join us. She arrives to us at a perfect time. Dr. Tapscott specializes in functional medicine, the integration of modern medicine with a comprehensive approach to long-term health. This month, she is sharing ways to help support immunity in the face of cold and flu season. And in mentioning pre-existing conditions, I want to say that Dr. Tapscott is a genius at helping patients manage or defeat chronic disease and illness.
We also started offering IMPACKD, a 52-week online program to help young athletes maximize their long-term goals of playing their sport at the next level while remaining pain-free. We started this program because we believe that young people have incredible futures ahead of them — solving the world’s problems that earlier generations have left behind — and we want those young athletes who practice discipline and fortitude and dedication to maximize their opportunities to get a head start on their futures.
Lastly, though it feels like we’re in an era where we are really starting to focus more on inner beauty, feeling good about our appearance remains an eternal goal. And there’s nothing more frustrating than working toward a goal and not seeing the results we want. That’s why we introduced CoolSculpting into our practice. CoolSculpting is an aesthetic procedure to help remove unwanted fat that just won’t disappear no matter what you do. The results are truly amazing. Patricia, our office assistant, is a CoolSculpting specialist and is happy to talk all about it.
Capitol Rehab continues to offer its traditional services as well — chiropractic, physical therapy, and massage therapy. If we’re lucky, we will continue to serve this great community for another 24 years. Meanwhile, we want to thank you again and look forward to you giving us the chance to prolong our good fortune of working every day on the fundamentals of healthy living. Happy anniversary, friends.
