Hydrotherapy
The view from Dr. Pfister’s front yard reveals flooding from recent rains.
“Good men through the ages tryin’ to find the sun,
And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain”
After last week and especially Mother’s Day, I could not help but think of these lyrics from my favorite high school group, Credence Clearwater Revival. But for most of us, I think B.J. Thomas said it best:
“Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head
But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turnin’ red,
Crying’s not for me
‘Cause I’m never gonna stop the rain by complainin’”
It still amazes me, with 60% of our body being water and 71% of the earth’s surface being water, that so many people get upset with the weatherperson when it rains!
This year, we have been spoiled by some great March weather, leaving our underground water table on the low side, to begin the longer, warmer days of Summer. This being said, I’d argue the recent rains were a good thing.
I personally experienced the Drought of ‘96 in Zimbabwe and the 2016 drought in Namibia and witnessed how both took their toll on human life and wildlife. Before these two experiences, I really hadn’t taken water that seriously as a biological necessity…
But once water concentrations, at a cellular level, drop below a certain threshold, life as we know it ceases to exist!
In Zimbabwe, our goal was to move wildebeests and zebras to areas that had water. Many had to be lifted onto trailers with modified front-end loaders. Without water, the animals’ musculature couldn’t support them. Texas BLM (Bureau of Land Management) has studied dry vs. wet springs and most of the wildlife, especially the deer, showed a nearly 15 percent body mass increase, along with less fawn mortality, with wetter springs.
There is a direct correlation between early rainfall and increases in foliage production of the grasses and trees. Animals that are grazers and browsers win out. Yes, there is research proof that April showers bring a measurable increase in May flowers! And true, we will have more mowing to do. But personally, I’ll take lush green over baked brown.
It is interesting that the form moisture takes, as it enters our atmosphere, produces definite differences in our reaction to it.
Don’t you just love the first snowfall in December with those big, huge flakes floating down to be caught on our eyelashes and tongues. But dampen those flakes and send them with juicy raindrops on Mother’s Day… and it took a whole lotta lovin’ to keep mama happy this year!
With all due respect to Dick Goddard, I am no weatherman, so where am I going with this week’s blog post and a rain report?
I’m glad you asked. Because an interesting parallel occurs to me…
As drought conditions keep Nature and her flora and fauna from growing and developing, so has the Covid pandemic kept most of the world from resembling any sense of normalcy (all-the-while suppressing our growth and development). I feel the pandemic has been most detrimental to our children, their education, and even their sense of well-being. Many of my patients’ parents have remarked on this fact.
But in January, with the roll-out of the vaccine “raining down upon us” - and with some of the most creative forms of distribution over the past 5 months - we are approaching the needed goal of population immunity (or herd protection) so that we can grow and thrive again. This incredible feat of distribution was necessary to reach the maximum number of people, as fast as possible, before viral morphing and strain differentiation reduced the efficacy of our present vaccines.
Congratulations to all of you who put party differences aside. Yes, more time in testing would have made all of us feel better about getting the vaccines, but there was no time. Sometimes, situations in life have to be dealt with on faith and trust and the best case scenario in the long run… for the greatest good. This was definitely one of those situations. The numbers of Covid incidences and deaths have steadily dropped with each passing day due to the acceptance of the vaccine and positive behavior changes that have reduced Covid’s mode of transmission.
And just as a drought (COVID) is overcome by the rains (the vaccine - which, like rain, may be unpleasant to navigate at first), the rains, in turn, give way to light. On Wednesday, we heard what we have been waiting to hear Governor DeWine say for the last year. Effective June 2, 2021, he is lifting all Covid-19 health orders and the mask mandate! Bravo!
The rain this past Sunday has ensured that Nature’s plants and animals will have a great summer, as they grow and populate Ohio’s great outdoors. And with the protection of the vaccine and the lifting of the Covid-19 health orders, we, too, are looking at one tremendous Summer as we get back to normalcy - family vacations, summer camps in-person, and school this Fall in-person.
Cuyahoga Valley Railroad is opening up for passengers who want to take a more relaxed view of our Emerald Necklace, Northern Ohio’s Metroparks. But you know what I always say - put on a good pair of hiking boots and get off the beaten path. While Spring’s young flora and fauna envelope your senses, let it stimulate and motivate your soul to be the person you were meant to be, with no pandemic restraints or excuses to hold you back!
And as the rains yield life and growth and give way to brighter days, “The future’s so bright we’ll have to wear shades.”
Cheers to the end of a drought,
- Dr. P.