Page 30 - IMCJ April 2020

PERSECPTIVE

Coronavirus (COVID-19): What a Pediatrician Wants You to

Know

Elisa Song, MD

Elisa Song, MD, is a board-certified, Stanford-, NYU-, uncovered so that we can all be calmly and
UCSF-trained holistic pediatrician. She founded Whole rationally prepared for a COVID-19 pandemic if it occurs.
Family Wellness (formerly Whole Child Wellness), an What follows below is the most evidence-based research I
integrative pediatric practice in Belmont, CA–one of the first could find to help us navigate these times with as much
and most highly regarded holistic pediatric practices in the knowledge as possible. All references are at the end, and I
country. She created Healthy Kids Happy Kids–dedicated to will update as new developments arise. Be forewarned–
empowering parents to take charge of their kids’ health … this is a long article, but I wanted you to have all the
naturally! She is a holistic pediatrician, integrating information you need in one place, instead of the gazillions
conventional pediatrics with functional medicine, holistic of sites and resources I ended up scouring and piecing
nutrition, homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and together.
essential oils. I’m also a lecturer for the Center for Education
and Development in Clinical Homeopathy (CEDH), Let’s fight fear with FACTS!
Academy for Pain Research, Institute for Functional What is COVID-19?
Medicine, and Holistic Pediatric Association, among others. COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China on
December 31, 2019, which started out as an outbreak, has
since become an epidemic, and may be set to become a
Flu hysteria has now transformed into coronavirus pandemic.
hysteria, and many of you have asked me how worried you Let’s clarify the terminology. An outbreak happens
should really be. News around COVID-19 has taken the when a disease occurs in greater numbers than expected in
world by storm and many of us are not sure whether to a community, and can even be just one case. You can have
panic or stay calm. Addressing the Munich Security outbreaks in different communities. An epidemic is an
Conference on Feb 15, 2020, World Health Organization outbreak that spreads rapidly to many people. A pandemic is
(WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom an epidemic of global proportions that has become
Ghebreyesus said: widespread across several countries or continents.
COVID-19 is the name of the respiratory illness
… we’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus that was first
an infodemic … This is a time for facts, not fear. detected in Wuhan, China. You will also see it referred to
This is a time for rationality, not rumours. 1 as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, or
SARS-coV-2. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses
I always say that knowledge is power, but in this case, that are named for the spikes on their surface that look like
because the world has never seen this particular crowns (“corona” in Latin means crown). By now, I’m sure
coronavirus (which is why it’s called “novel”), we don’t you’ve figured out that COVID-19 has nothing to do with
know a whole lot. Scientists and researchers across the the Corona beer that you may have enjoyed at some point
world are scrambling to learn more about COVID-19 and with a lime wedge, although many people have searched
possible treatment and prevention strategies, and we are Google for “Corona beer virus”. Coronaviruses can cause
learning more every day. I have to admit that I’m more mild illness like the common cold, or more severe illness
worried about COVID-19 than I was when Kenzi had the like we’ve seen with SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory
flu with a 105.5 fever. But when I get anxious about Syndrome) or MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome),
something, I try to dig in and get the facts. And that’s what and now COVID-19.
I did – for days. So let me share with you the facts that I’ve

28 Integrative Medicine • Vol. 19, No. 2 • April 2020 Song—Coronavirus Pediatrician's Perspective