Reading Room
The reading room includes articles and videos of potential interest to consumers and medical professionals. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the NC Medical Board, its members and staff.
How have COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns affected our immune systems?
Medical News Today
May 2, 2021
The world is more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, so many people have been living with lockdown restrictions, quarantine periods, and physical distancing for an extended period of time. Hand sanitizer and masks are rife, and the common cold has not felt so common. But what will these lifestyle changes do to our health?
Long COVID and children: The unseen casualties of COVID-19
Medical News Today
April 29, 2021
Since children appear to be less at risk of severe COVID-19 than adults, those who do develop the disease may not receive as much attention from researchers and the media. Yet some of these children have become “long haulers” who experience symptoms months after they first contracted SARS-CoV-2.
The surprising link between melatonin and coronavirus
Mic
April 27, 2021
Ah, sleep. That restorative eight hours that you may or may not be getting every night actively combats stress while keeping you healthy, alert, and strengthening your immune system. This is why there are so many gummies, salves, potions and other aids out there containing melatonin. It’s a hormone that humans naturally produce that regulates sleep. Pretty much all of us don’t get enough rest, which is why melatonin is also made artificially and sold over-the-counter as a natural sleep aid. It turns out that the supplement actually might have an unexpected perk: A new study from the Cleveland Clinic asserts that melatonin could help fight coronavirus.
How to cope with pandemic numbness
NPR
April 25, 2021
As part of her job every week, NPR’s Connie Hazhang Jin checks the COVID-19 death numbers in the U.S. and worldwide. At first the growing numbers shocked her. But as the numbers grew to the millions the figures no longer had an emotional impact, leaving her feeling listless and indifferent. It turns out that psychic numbness is a common phenomena.
Burned out by the pandemic, 3 in 10 health-care workers consider leaving the profession
Washington Post
April 22, 2021
According to a Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll, roughly 3 in 10 health-care workers have weighed leaving their profession. More than half are burned out. And about 6 in 10 say stress from the pandemic has harmed their mental health.
We are turning COVID-19 into a young person’s disease
The Atlantic
April 21, 2021
Even as cases drop among vaccinated Americans, the coronavirus still can spread among unvaccinated people—who will be disproportionately children.