Relaxing With Wildlife Photography — the Easy Way€¦ · Relaxing With Wildlife Photography —...

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Volume 6, Issue 6 June 2020 Relaxing With Wildlife Photography — the Easy Way by Wayne Persky Many of us are sheltering at home, and avoiding boredom is an ever-present challenge. Here is an idea for an enjoyable and relaxing project. These days we are blessed with a seemingly infinite selection of very good cameras. The camera industry has made photography an option for virtually everyone. The capabilities of the cameras in our cell phones would have been priceless, had they been available a couple of generations ago. Beyond cell phone cameras, there are good point-and-shoot cameras with high-power zoom lenses that are more than adequate for wildlife photography, and many are available at a reasonable price.

Transcript of Relaxing With Wildlife Photography — the Easy Way€¦ · Relaxing With Wildlife Photography —...

Page 1: Relaxing With Wildlife Photography — the Easy Way€¦ · Relaxing With Wildlife Photography — the Easy Way by Wayne Persky Many of us are sheltering at home, and avoiding boredom

Volume6,Issue6June2020

RelaxingWithWildlifePhotography—theEasyWay

byWaynePersky

Manyofusareshelteringathome,andavoidingboredom isanever-presentchallenge.Hereisanideaforanenjoyableandrelaxingproject.

These days we are blessed with a seemingly infinite selection of very goodcameras. Thecamera industryhasmadephotographyanoption forvirtuallyeveryone.Thecapabilitiesofthecamerasinourcellphoneswouldhavebeenpriceless, had theybeenavailablea coupleofgenerationsago. Beyondcellphone cameras, there are good point-and-shoot cameras with high-powerzoomlensesthataremorethanadequateforwildlifephotography,andmanyareavailableatareasonableprice.

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If you don't crave to trek the backwoods, the easiest way to getwildlifetoposeforpicturesistosetupafeederandletthebirdsandanimals come to you. Of course if you live in an apartment orcondominiumthatwon'tbeanoption, butfeederscancertainlybesetupinmostbackyards.Youmayhaveonealready.Andtheycanprovidesomegoodphotoopportunities.

TheabovephotosweremadewitharelativelyinexpensivePanasonicpoint-and-shoot camera with a 10X zoom lens. They were edited(croppedandresized)withafreeimageeditor,Paint.net.

But there's an even simpler andcheaper way to get good wildlifephotographs. Trail cameras orgame cameras that take photosautomaticallyarerelativelycheap,and they've evolved to the pointwhere they can take someexcellentphotoswhenthey'resetup correctly. They can be set upvirtually anywhere, and they cantakegoodphotosinjustaboutanykind of weather, and at any timeof the day or night, totallyunattended. They're triggered

automaticallybymotionorbodyheatfromthewildlife.Youcanevensetmanyof the latestmodels to send thephotos to your own cellphone, so you can sit at home in an easy chair while the cameradoesalltheworkforyou.

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TheabovephotosweremadewithBushnellandBrowningtrailcameras.Theywerealsoedited(croppedandresized)usingPaint.net.

COVID-19ConsiderationsforMicroscopicColitis(MC)Patients

Animositybetweenhospitalmanagementandstaffatmanyhospitalshasbeenfesteringforyears.AlthoughthisissueisnotspecifictoMCpatients,itdefinitelyaffectsthequalityofhealthcarethatwemightbeable to receive, so all of usneed tobeawareof theworrisomesituation that exists in our hospital system. It can have a verypowerfuleffectonthewaythatdoctorsandnursesareallowedtodotheir jobs. This issuemanaged to stay out of the public spotlightuntil the Covid-19 pandemic uncovered the huge disparities incompassion, dedication to the welfare of patients and staff, andmoralcouragethatexistinourhospitalstoday.1

Outonthefrontlineofcareinthehospitals,thedoctorsandnursesput their lives on the line every day to do their best to care forpatients suffering from the virus or any other medical issue. Thelevelofcarethattheyareabletoprovide,however,isn'tuptothem.It'slimitedbythehospitalmanagementexecutives—ultimatelytheCEO.

In contrast, the offices of the hospital administrators are isolatedfromtherisk.Yettheyhavealmostcompletecontroloverhowwellthehospitalstaffareabletoperformtheirjobs,becausetheycontrol

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thewaythehospitalismanagedandmostimportantly,thefinances. They were so intent on watching the bottom line, and doingeverything they could tomaximize profits for the institutions, thattheyignoredtheobviouswarningsignsonthehorizonandfailedtoprepareforapandemic.

Thethreatofapossibleviruspandemicwaswellknown.Theprobabilitythatavirus-basedpandemicwasarealandeminentthreathasbeenknownformanyyears.BillGatesevengaveaTEDtalk on the subject back in 2015. So hospital administrators hadplenty of time to stockpile the supplies that doctors and nurseswouldsurelyneedtoallowthemtosafelydealwithsuchacrisis,yettheyneverbotheredtoobtainthosesupplies,eventhoughtheyhadtoknowhowcrucialthosesupplieswouldbetoanyoneonthefrontline. And this wasn't just an isolated problem, it was a problemvirtuallyeverywhere, at least this appeared tobe the case inmosthospitals in theU. S. Then, as if to add insult to injury,when thepandemic actually arrived, they admonished, and sometimes fired,health careworkerswho complained about having toworkwithoutadequate personal protective equipment (PPE). It's not surprisingthatdoctorsandnursesaresounhappywith theway they'vebeentreated.

Medicalcarewillneverbethesame.Likemany other businesses, hospitals and other organizations thatprovidegeneralhealthcarehaveseenahugedropintheircashflowdue to the virus. In many cases, their financial health has beenseverelydamaged.Operatingpolicychangesandrestrictionsintheway thathealthcareservicesareoffered, togetherwithpublic fearsabouttheriskofCovid-19exposure,hasseverelyreducedtheuseoftheseservicesbypatients.Misjudgmentsaboutthepandemicdidn'thelp. Already,clinicsarebeingclosed inmanyareas. Needless tosay,thissituationdoesn'tbodewellforthefutureofhealthcare.

As part of the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis,medical care in thefuture is not likely to go back to theway it performed in the past. Many medical experts believe that many (if not most) of thechangesmadetothehealthcaresystembecauseofCovid-19willbepermanent.

ConcernisgrowingaboutthehealthofICUsurvivors.Itappearsthatasmanyas80%ofpatientswhoareabletorecoverfromCovid-19inanintensivecareunit(ICU)arenothomefreewhentheyaredischarged.2 Theyare leftwithanassortmentof residualphysical,cognitive,andevenpsychiatricsymptoms.Theirliveshavebeensignificantlychanged,andtheywillneverbethesameastheywereoriginally.

The lives of doctors, nurses, and other heathcareworkers are alsobeingaffectedbytheaddedstress. InChina,astudyof1200frontline hospital workers showed that about 50 % of them reportedfeeling depressed, while anxiety was an issue for about 44 % ofthem.

Low-levelchestradiationisbeinginvestigated.TheMedscapearticlecitedabovealsomentionsthatItaly,India,Iran,Spain,andtheU.S.areconductingclinicaltrialsinvolvingaone-timetreatmentwith low-dosechest radiation. This treatment is thoughttoreducetheeffectsofthecytokinestormthatthreatensthelivesofcertainCovid-19patients.Thetreatmentoftenreducesinflammationlevel inthe lungsofseverely illCovid-19patients,allowingthemto

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reduce or totally avoid the need for spending time on a ventilator. Extended use of a ventilator is suspected of adding to the lungdamageincurredbymanyseverelyillCovid-19patients.

WHOmakesadisingenuousstatement.TheWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)issuedastatementsuggestingthatthespreadofCovid-19byasymptomaticpatientsisrare.Shouldwe believe that? They based that claim on the fact that theycurrentlydonothavesufficientmedicalevidencetosupportaclaimthatasymptomaticpatientscanspread thedisease. But then theyhave no medical evidence to support a claim that asymptomaticpatients cannot spread Covid-19 either. So why would they evenbothertobringitup?Accordingly,researchershavedisputedWHO'sclaim.3 There is indeedevidence thatasymptomaticpatientshavetransmitted Covid-19.4 How often it happens is the gist of thedispute.

This appears to be similar to the false claimbymanydoctors thatnon-celiac gluten sensitivity does not exist, simply because themedical community does not have an approved test capable ofdetectingnon-celiacglutensensitivity.AsMCpatientswhorespondfavorablytothegluten-freediet,we'rewellawareoftheabsurdityofthatclaim.

Covid-19killsbycausingseverelungdamage.The primary cause of death from coronavirus infections isprogressive respiratory failure due to lung damage. Autopsies ofpatientswhodiedbecauseofthediseaseshowwidespreadalveolardamage with T-cell infiltration into fluid-filled spaces around tinyblood vessels.5 This appears to be associated with severeendothelialdamagethatweakensthewallsofthebloodvessels.Thesmall capillaries become so thick-walled and weak that they leak,forming serumpoolsaround thevessel (which causes swelling thatsqueezes the capillaries), and microscopic blood clots within theblood vessels. Both these actions restrict blood flow in the lungs,compromising oxygenation of the blood. Covid-19 can causeapproximately9timesasmanytinyclotsassevereinfluenza.

It may be worth noting that many MC patients take Metanx, or agenericequivalent, inordertoovercomemethylation issuescausedby methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene mutations. Metanx also treats endothelial disease, so it might prove to behelpful in this situation. Of course this is pure speculation at thispoint.

ThereisevidencethatCovid-19maytriggerdiabetes.SomepatientswhorecoverfromCovid-19havebeenfoundtohavenewly-discovereddiabetes.6It'stoosoontoconcludethatthevirusdefinitelytriggersdiabetes,becausesomeofthesecasesmayhavepreexistedbutwereundiagnosed. Further research should confirmorruleoutthispossibility.

Be aware that the ingredient lists of some commercialproductsmyhavechangedwithoutanylabelchanges.Becauseofdisruptionsinthefoodsupplychain,processorsaskedforand received, permission from the FDA to make certain minoringredientchangeswithoutmakingchangestothe label. Theeightprimary allergens, including wheat, soy, eggs, milk, peanuts, treenuts, fish, and crustaceans, must still be prominently labeled (asbefore).Otheringredientsmaybechangedwithoutnoticeaslongas

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theyareconsideredtobeminoringredientsintheproduct.

BloodtypemayaffectCovid-19risks.Based on three recent studies, there is increasing evidence thathaving Type A blood might increase the risk of developing thediseaseandsufferingafataloutcome.7Thesamestudiesindicatedthat having Type O blood might be protective. These differencesappear to be relatively small, but they are significant (as medicaldata goes). From a practical viewpoint, until more data becomeavailable,it'sdifficulttosaywhetherthisshouldbeconsideredtobeanimportantdiscovery,ornot.

Dexamethasoneisbeingheraldedasa“breakthrough”drugintheUK.In trials in theUnited Kingdom, dexamethasone has been found toreducedeath rates fromCovid-19byabouta third.8 At this point,that's themostpromising response thatanyonehasseen fromanydrug being considered for treating Covid-19. Dexamethasone isinexpensive and readily available (by prescription only), so if thetrialscontinuetoshowpromise,itmayseemorewidespreaduse.HypertensionappearstodoubletheriskofmortalityfromCovid-19.

ThiswasalsodocumentedintheMedscapearticlereferencedaboveasnumber5,andthismaybeespeciallyimportanttonotonlymanyMC patients, but IBD patients in general,and anyone else taking acorticosteroid.Theevidenceisstrongenoughthatitwouldappeartoprovide an incentive to wean off budesonide as soon as possible,because one of the side-effects of budesonide (like allcorticosteroids) is hypertension. Also, remember that hypertensionis one of the symptoms of a chronic magnesium deficiency.Conversely,magnesiumtreatshypertension.

Butthere'sanothersidetothisissue.Dexamethasoneisasteroid,andaswehaveseenabove,itcansavelives when used to treat Covid-19. This creates an interestingparadox, since steroids promote hypertension, and as we havealready seen, hypertension doubles the risk of a fatal outcome forCovid-19 patients. Presumably the anti-inflammatory properties ofdexamethasoneoutweighthehypertensionrisksinthissituation.

So might budesonide actually be protective of Covid-19fatalities?Untilmorespecificresearchisdone,wecanonlyguessthatitmightbe. Itcertainlyappears that thismaybeapossibility. So ifyou'retakingbudesonidetotreatMC,there'sagoodchancethatitmaynotincreaseanyrisksassociatedwithCovid-19.Tothecontrary,itmayturn out to be protective. Again, at this point that statement isspeculation,sincethere'snoresearchtosupportit.

References:1.Mallidi,J.(2020,June04).MoralcourageonthefrontlinesislackingintheC-suite.Commentary.Retrievedfromhttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/931606?src=mkm_covid_update_200605_mscpedit_&uac=95382HN&impID=2408890&faf=1#vp_12.Nainggolan,L.(2020,June18).COVID-19update:Virus'nextvictims,lifeaftertheICU.Retrievedfromhttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/932620?src=mkm_covid_update_200618_mscpedit_&uac=95382HN&impID=2425443&faf=1#vp_13.Kincaid,E.(2020,June08).COVID-19Update:AsymptomaticInfections,AntibodiesinCSF.Retrievedfromhttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/931987?src=mkm_covid_update_200608_mscpedit_&uac=95382HN&impID=2411974&faf=1#vp_14.Dean,N.E.,(2020,June15).Asymptomatictransmission?Wejustdon'tknowyetfor

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certain.Retrievedfromhttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/9322465.Ackermann,M.,Verleden,S.E.,Kuehnel,M.,Haverich,A.,Welte,T.,Laenger,F.,...Jonigk,D.(2020).Pulmonaryvascularendothelialitis,thrombosis,andangiogenesisinCovid-19.Retrievedfromhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa20154326.Kincaid,E.(2020,June15).COVID-19update:FDApullsHCQauthorization,new-onsetdiabetes.Retrievedfromhttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/932386?src=mkm_covid_update_200615_mscpedit_&uac=95382HN&impID=2420855&faf=1#vp_17.McNamara,D.(2020,June17).COVID-19update:Bloodtypelink,comorbiditiesandmortality.Rewtrievedfromhttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/932524?src=mkm_covid_update_200617_mscpedit_&uac=95382HN&impID=2423646&faf=18.Giardina,V.(2020,June16).COVID-19update:'Breakthrough'drug,masksterilization.Retrievedfromhttps://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/932451?src=mkm_covid_update_200616_mscpedit_&uac=95382HN&impID=2422068&faf=1#vp_1