AVOID THE BUGS

By Ken Sunwalker

We needed to restock a few things, so we thought we’d hit Cosco early on a weekday morning to avoid the crowds.  Wrong!  The bug had hit.  I’ve never seen so many people, so early, in one place.  The long line of cars turning into the parking lot was the first indication that something was different.  The parking lot itself was packed and overflowing into other stores’ spaces; we could hardly find a parking place.  Walking across the distant lot we noticed many people pushing carts – most containing bottled water and toilet tissue.  The store was packed with shoppers.  The checkout lines were amazingly long.  We joined the throng, but it was no use.  We were told that some of the items we’d come for had sold out within ten minutes.

We eventually escaped this craziness.  And I’m sure the bugs were pleased to see so many people packed in one place.

We got home, only to realize that the entire world had gone nuts.  Gatherings of all types were cancelled – schools, sports events, church meeting, political contests.  Even healthy outside gatherings in the sun were cautioned against.  The stock market was experiencing huge swings - we’d lost thousands of dollars seemingly overnight.  It was like a science fiction movie – Attack of the Bugs!  Could this be real?

Facts not Fear

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” - Mark Twain

My wife tried to put a positive spin on this bug attack fear: “It’s not really fear; some people are just being cautious so as to lessen the impact.”  Maybe so, but why?

Let’s call the various types of contagious virus “bugs”.  Sure, they may be slightly different, but they all produce flu-like symptoms.  So, let’s look at some “facts” about these BUGs!

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      - The now common flu bug kills from 25,000 to 69,000 people every year and has killed at least 360,000 people in the last 10 years.

-     - The 2009 SARS bug had a fatality rate of 10% and killed nearly 14,000 people in the good old U.S.A.  It especially attacked young people.

-    - 81% of the coronavirus bug cases are MILD, 14% are MODERATE, and only 5% are CRITICAL.  And this COVID-19 bug has a fatality rate of less than 2% - but it does prefer older, less firm folk!

-    - On one bad day, 108 persons in CHINA died of coronavirus.  BUT, on that same day 365 people died from bugs contracted in hospitals, 4,300 people died of Diabetes, 24,641 people died of Heart Disease, 26,283 people died of Cancer, and unfortunately suicide took more lives than the coronavirus did, by 28 times.

Those are the buggy facts.  Sure, we should take this current bug invasion seriously.  After all, it has a 10% higher death rate than the flu.  However . . .

- Should we live in fear when the chances of catching a critical case of this current bug are relatively low?

- Is this big scare worth the damage it is doing?

- Have we become a hostage of the bug?

- And most important, what should we actually “do” to avoid the bug?

Facts Matter

Speaking of what we should “do”, we have some experience dealing with these dastardly bugs.

Shortly after World War I, in 1918, medics found that sunlight prevented deaths among flu patients and infections among medical staff.  Sunlight is germicidal and there is evidence it kills the flu virus.

“Putting infected patients out in the sun may have helped because it inactivates the influenza virus.  It also kills bacteria that cause lung and other infections in hospitals.  During the First World War, military surgeons routinely used sunlight to heal infected wounds; they knew it was a disinfectant.  What they didn’t know is the role of vitamin D.  Low vitamin D levels are now linked to respiratory infections and may increase susceptibility to influenza.  At the time of the 1918 pandemic, the important part played by sunlight in synchronizing these rhythms was not known.” - Richard Hobday, health researcher

Researchers in the early years of this century found that sunlight produced protective vitamin D in the body, with the resulting death of bugs.

“Might influenza be little more than a symptom of vitamin D deficiency?   Being overwhelmed by the ‘flu bug’ could signal that your vitamin D levels are too low, allowing the flu virus to overtake your immune system.  At least five studies show the higher your vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections.” - Dr. Mercola

Recent research indicates that sunlight might produce similar results for the current bug pandemic.

“UV light breaks down nucleic acid.  It almost sterilizes [surfaces].  If you’re outside, it’s generally cleaner than inside simply because of that UV light.  UV light is so effective at killing bacteria and viruses it’s often used in hospitals to sterilize equipment.” - Ian Lipkin, director of the Columbia University's Center for Infection and Immunity, who has been studying coronavirus

Common Sense Precautions

So, what can you do to avoid catching the any bug?  Those in the know suggest these six actions:

- Wash your hands

- Clean surfaces

- Sneeze in a disposable tissue (or on your arm)

- Drink lots of water and eat healthy food

- Stay away from those who are infected and stay home if you’re sick

- Be especially cautious if you’re older and already sick

“We're all being told about social distancing, but what we really need is a bit of social nudity.” - SM Denham

The Unspoken Suggestion

What are authorities “not” saying?  What is the unspoken suggestion?  Get naked to avoid the bug!  What better way to keep yourself away from looking right at the Truth than not talking about it and convincing yourself it’s false – the elephant in the room.

“I believe medical practitioners should be able to prescribe nudism as a remedy for various ailments.  I am convinced that nudism might just heal many folks without the need for them to use pharmaceuticals.  And if medical doctors could prescribe longer summers along with a heavy dose of nudism, then we would definitely be living in a Utopian world.” – Jade Sambrook

Naturists should be pleased.  The health benefits of naturism are finally being recognized.  The bugs may actually be good for naturism!  So, come out of hiding.  “Now” is the time to live a healthy naked lifestyle.  “Now” is the easiest time to share your healthy naturist beliefs.  “Now” you can share your Bug Prevention Plan with family, friends, even strangers.

And now is the time to prepare.  Not only by stocking up on things like water and toilet paper.  Doing that simply exposes you to other panicked people – some who may actually be spreading the bug.  “Now” is the time to plan and prepare a healthy lifestyle to avoid the bug altogether.

Bug Prevention Plan

“Prepare, we shall.  Panic, we shall not.” – Yoda

A Bug Prevention Plan (“BP Plan” or “Beep Plan” for short) includes important bug prevention actions to take always, daily, weekly, and monthly.

1. Always keep the bugs out of your house.  Clothes often carry bugs from outside to inside and are much more difficult to disinfect than hard surfaces.  So, what is the simplest solution?  Take your clothes off before entering the house.  This will take some preparation.  You may need to attach some clothes hooks in the garage, porch, or mud room.  A sitting beach or shoe rack may be needed.  You may need to acquire inside shoes.  Then, take a bath or shower - get rid of those bugs!  (As an added benefit, your family might just feel closer to you if you smell good!)  Once inside, sleep naked (to avoid producing even more bugs in your body sweat), keep temperatures moderate, and go about your daily tasks naked – cook, clean, vacuum, visit, relax, read a good book, watch TV, meditate, do yoga, etc.  Soon naked will feel totally comfortable, even normal.  Eventually, you might even answer the door naked - home sweet naked home.  Sit on a towel, but otherwise, why wear clothes that just might contaminate your house?

“It was a bit strange in the beginning to strip all my clothes off when I came home after work, but it feels like ‘coming home’.  You are just yourself - all the stress disappears with your clothes.  It was a total relief for me!  It feels more liberating and relaxed to live naked!” - Natuurlijk

A piece on the Today Show on Thursday morning [3/12/2020] discussed ways to reduce spread of the coronavirus.  As the piece wrapped up, host Hoda Kotb added ‘and as soon as you get home, take your clothes off!’  She was suggesting a way to reduce the risk of virus being carried into your home on clothes and shoes.  This was an excellent suggestion!

2. Take a dose of sunshine “Every Day”.  Sunbathing is easy, healthy, kills bugs, and even leaves a natural tan which protects you from sunburn!  Get a lounge chair, or use a blanket, or just lay on the grass; however, give yourself a daily dose on sunlight.  If you find sunbathing too boring, how about soaking in a hot tub, or finding a private place to walk or meditate?  Bathing in nature adds peace to your Bug Prevention Plan.  How about cleaning the yard, watering the plants, or feeding the fish?  Walk the dog.  Wash the car.  The point is to get out in the sun to kill the bugs for at least a half hour every day.  And totally naked is certainly the best way because those areas of the body that we consider most private are also those areas that most need anti-bugging.

"The naturists were the first social sunbathers, the first to turn what had been a medical necessity (to cure tuberculosis or combat rickets) into a way of life.  Before about 1930, there was no real distinction between ‘sunbather’ and ‘nudist’.  The nudists were devoted to healthy living and the great outdoors, and were simply sunbathers with attitude, fighting for things we now take for granted in our relationship with the Sun.” - Robert Mighall

Those who work from home might even have an outdoor workstation.  Set up a table.  Purchase a phone cord extension and sun protected computer screen.  Arrange your papers in wind protecting folders.  Why work indoors when you can benefit from healthy sunlight outdoors?

3. Get more sun “Every Week”.  Anything is better and healthier done naked.  Some garden naked at least once a week – planting, weeding, raking, etc.  Is yard work pressing?  Why not do it naked to get more disinfecting sun?  Healthy bug killing options are endless.  Mow and trim the lawn.  Work outside doing house repairs.  Find an outdoor hobby – skinny dipping, hiking, running, bird watching, rock or plant collecting, photography – do everything as naked as you can get so you get more healthy sun.

“The best dress for walking is nakedness.” - Colin Fletcher

4. “Once a Month” socialize with others.  It’s so incredibly important to do things that feed our souls – it keeps us healthy - so why not get together with others who are also implementing a Bug Prevention Plan and understand the importance of nakedness.  Socialize with a few naturist friends every month!  Sun together.  Soak in the hot tub together.  Skinny dip together.  Play sports together.  Canoe or boat or cruise together.  Camp together.  Take a hike in nature together.  Fish together.  Play outdoor games together.  Eat a picnic together.  Mountain bike together.  Garden together.  Party and dance together.  Being naked together will lessen barriers; you will form a special bond with your friends.

“The loner's life has its plus side, but friends are important, as sharing - moments, experiences, other friends - fulfils us.” – SM Denham

5. Finally, why not take a fun vacation (or nacation if you can do it naked) at least once a month?  See the sights.  Sun at a lake or beach.  Camp and hike.  Visit hot springs.  Go to a nudist resort.  Skinny dip.  Take lots of memorable photos.  It doesn’t have to be a costly distant location – just stay close to the area with which you are familiar.  And remember, a vacation is always nicer with friends and family.

“Public nude or clothing-optional beaches, resorts, and retreats can be found worldwide, in places like France, Denmark, Jamaica, Brazil and Hawaii.  Depending on the venue, you have the opportunity to do almost everything in the nude - from hiking and kayaking to sailing and beach volleyball to swimming, sleeping, hot tubbing and whale watching.  Nude holidays are among the world’s fastest growing vacation sectors.” - Yvonne K. Fulbright

Don’t Live in Fear

“People, stop stressing out about coronavirus, take off those masks as well as your clothes and relax, all is fine. - Francis Larochelle

“Most recreations for adults are like golf—work hard, try hard.  There’s no silliness.  I think it’s time that the world was more silly.  And nudity is one of the ways you can be silly.  The people having fun are not the ones to worry about.  The people you have to worry about are the people who are really serious and feel threatened.  When people are frightened, they’re not playful.  When people are laughing and having fun, they don’t do harm to others.  The world needs more play.  The world needs more laughter and fun.” - Brian Ferris, clinical psychologist in North Vancouver

Don’t live in fear; instead, be happy and have fun – this is the best suggestion of all.  Now is the best time to be living; it’s your time.  And it’s the best time to honestly open up about your naturist beliefs; people can understand “now”.  Let people know who you are and what you believe.  Avoid those nasty bugs.  When times change, opportunities arise.  Carpe Diem!