To All of Our Valued NAMA Professional Members,
As the United States and our global community confront the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ayurvedic professionals are eager to know how they can be in service to their clients and communities. As mentioned in our previous communication, “There are no known nutrients, botanicals, vaccines, prescription, or over the counter products available to prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19.” However, many of us still have clientele who are asking questions and want to know how Ayurveda can help.
First and foremost, NAMA is still recommending that our professionals, and especially Ayurvedic bodyworkers, follow the published local, state, and federal guidelines. The American Massage Therapy Association website, www.amtamassage.org, is a resource that can provide information and guidance, including details on financial relief resources and state health department COVID-19 state landing pages, which offer the latest information about the virus in your area.
NAMA strongly encourages all of you to avoid unnecessary person-to-person contact per recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov. CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield emphasized in a recent interview that social distancing is a “very powerful weapon” in reference to fighting the novel coronavirus. The coronavirus transmits easily and is believed to be three times more infectious than the flu. Because of this, the social distancing model and keeping six feet between you and others are critical, because the virus cannot sustain itself when we are at this distance. Social distancing will stop this outbreak sooner if we all do our part and heed the advice of experts in the United States and in the other global communities who have already encountered the challenges of this pandemic.
Therefore, NAMA is recommending and encouraging our professionals to opt for using HIPAA-compliant communication platforms for telemedicine as an alternative for your business consultations. These can be purchased from technology vendors that are HIPAA compliant and will enter into HIPAA business associate agreements (BAAs) with professionals. Some examples include Skype for Business, www.skype.com; VSee, www.vsee.com; and G Suite, www.service.google.com. Please review the HIPAA Implementation Guide in order to familiarize yourself with their service and offerings. Many options exist, but please make certain that whatever platform you purchase will protect your clients’ data and privacy and is securely encrypted.
Additionally, all professionals should understand HIPAA Guidelines on Telemedicine, which can be reviewed on the Health and Human Service web page on Health Information Privacy: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/special-topics/emergency-preparedness/notification-enforcement-discretion-telehealth/index.html.
These guidelines can help you make informed decisions and eliminate any uncertainties you may have about how to protect your clients’ privacy. In many professional communities, virtual trends are enabling employers and employees to continue business operations from home during the pandemic. Online platforms are a viable resource and a way to stay in business, whether you do one-on-one consultations or would like to offer a program, such as a yoga class, in a group setting.
For those with small business financial concerns, another resource to consider reviewing is the Small Business Association site, www.sba.gov. The organization offers small business guidance and a loan resource, which could be of help to many of our professionals who are small business owners.
We will continue to update our Ayurvedic community, but in the meantime:
Stay healthy, stay safe, and protect yourself. The virus is believed to spread mainly from person to person, especially among those in close contact with one another (about 6 feet).
Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after being in a public place, and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
If soap and water isn’t available, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Cover the surface of your hands with the sanitizer, and rub them together until they feel dry.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Distance yourself from others, especially if the COVID-19 is spreading in your community. This is especially important for those who are at high risk.
Stay at home if you are sick (except to get medical care) so that you can protect others from infection.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, or, if you don’t have a tissue, use the inside of your elbow. Throw the used tissue in the trash and immediately wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water.
Wear a face mask if you are sick.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily; these include tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
Over the past weeks, I have heard many people compare this viral pandemic to the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. I came across a verse from that time written by Rudolph Steiner, an Austrian philosopher who lived long enough to reflect on the great pandemic of his time:
We must eradicate from the soul
All fear and terror of what comes towards man out of the future.
We must acquire serenity
In all feelings and sensations about the future.
We must look forward with absolute equanimity
To everything that may come.
And we must think only that whatever comes
Is given to us by a world-directive full of wisdom.
It is part of what we must learn in this age,
namely, to live out of pure trust,
Without any security in existence.
Trust in the ever-present help
Of the spiritual world.
Truly, nothing else will do
If our courage is not to fail us.
And let us seek the awakening from within ourselves
Every morning and every evening.
In closing, I want to reassure you that NAMA is a strong community with a mission to preserve and protect the great profession of Ayurveda. For millennia, our medical science has endured illness and disease and helped countless individuals achieve health. This is not the first pandemic Ayurvedic medicine has experienced, and it most definitely won’t be the last. Although we are apart, we are enduring these challenges together as a community. We are not alone, and together we will persevere.
Namaste,
Margrit Mikulis, ND, AD, NAMA President