HOME & LIVING
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020
Facing the challenge of COVID-19
By John Winters
Life on planet Earth has
been upended by a micro-
scopic speck.
Since a vaccine designed to
immunize, or a drug hoping to
cure COVID-19
are not yet avail-
able, the best
advice that 21st
century medicine
and technology
Winters
currently offer
is handwashing
and social distancing. These
steps are, in fact, very effective
in reducing disease, yet we can
do more than merely wait for
an uncertain solution. Past
experience has taught us that
basic measures, including
sanitation, good nutrition and
personal hygiene are the most
important tools in preventing
the spread of a pandemic. We
can build on this knowledge
to help our bodies do what
they are designed to do — ad-
dress challenges and remain
healthy.
Viruses are sub-microscopic
specks of genetic information,
found everywhere life exists.
Viruses infect everything:
people, animals, plants and
even other microbes. They
constantly change, or mutate,
to improve their chances of
survival. Viruses are bio-
logical ninjas; they are merely
stealthy packets of genetic
information that require living
cells to do their work. Viruses
invade cells and take over the
machinery, commanding the
cell to make more viruses, all
while hiding inside the cell
where the immune system
can’t detect them. Yet over
99% of the million known viral
strains are harmless to people,
and some are even benefi cial.
Viruses and other microbes
have co-existed with humans
for millions of years.
The human body was made
to survive viral challenge; your
own body has endured count-
less invasions from viruses,
bacteria and other microbes in
its lifetime. The new coro-
navirus is merely the latest
variation. We are swimming
in a sea of microbes; they are
all around us, on our skin and
in our guts. This is business
as usual for the body!
Healthy cells are much
more resistant to disease than
distressed cells, and many
avenues exist to improve cells’
inborn immune defenses.
Circulation of the blood and
lymphatic systems deliver
immune factors and nutrients
to cells, while removing wastes
and toxins.
Help your circulatory sys-
tem do its job through staying
well-hydrated (drink half your
body weight in ounces of water
daily), deep breathing, move-
ment, stretching and ending
hot showers with a cold rinse.
Regular physical exertion
improves immunity, while
also stabilizing energy, moods,
blood sugar, and hormone
levels. Fresh whole foods
(versus packaged) provide vi-
tamins (especially vitamin D),
minerals and other nutrients
required for effi cient immune
function.
Fresh air, full sunlight,
clean water, plenty of sleep,
and good mental health are all
key to stronger defenses.
Medicinal plants are an-
other avenue to explore to en-
hance immune function; some
that have been successfully
used for centuries are garlic,
licorice, echinacea, curcumin
and ginseng. These are but a
few examples of plants that
fi ght viral infection, pneumo-
nia and infl ammation directly
and indirectly.
Remember, the main
variables which determine
whether or not illness occurs
are the strength of the “patho-
gen” (i.e. COVID) versus the
strength of the “host” (your
name here). Now is a good
time to strengthen the host.
Getting sick is a test for
the body. Every day, we are
exposed to many challenges to
our health: viruses, poor sleep,
stress, inactivity, other people,
moods, etc. A healthy mind
and body will get stronger
with each new challenge, so
long as the challenge is not too
great.
For example, moder-
ate exercise may be tiring,
but eventually makes you
stronger. Learning a new
skill is challenging, but can
be rewarding. Likewise, your
immune system gets smarter
and stronger when it over-
comes an illness. The key is to
help it win.
Improve your resistance by
improving your health, and
feel better every day doing it.
Take good care of yourself in
every way you can.
John Winters, ND, is a
naturopathic physician who
recently retired after operating
a practice in La Grande since
1992.
Irrational fear over ‘murder hornets’
threatens millions of beneficial bugs
By Jeanette Marantos
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — People, get a grip.
Yes, the Asian giant hornet, now famously
known as the “murder hornet,” is one
huge scary wasp, capable of decimating an
entire colony of honeybees and savagely
stinging and possibly killing humans who
get in their way.
But since early this month, when it was
reported that two hornets were spotted
for the fi rst time in Washington state,
the national panic has led to the need-
less slaughter of native wasps and bees,
benefi cial insects whose populations are
already threatened, said Doug Yanega,
senior museum scientist for the Depart-
ment of Entomology at UC Riverside.
(Bees, for one, are the planet’s pollina-
tors-in-chief, pollinating approximately
75% of the fruits, nuts and vegetables
grown in the United States, according to
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.)
“Millions and millions of innocent na-
tive insects are going to die as a result of
this,” Yanega said. “Folks in China, Korea
and Japan have lived side by side with
these hornets for hundreds of years, and it
has not caused the collapse of human so-
ciety there. My colleagues in Japan, China
TACOS
Continued from Page 2B
VEGETABLE TACO
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
Vegetable oil spray
½ cup sliced red onion
1 cup frozen corn
kernels, defrosted
1 cup reduced-sodium
canned black beans
rinsed and drained
½ cup mild salsa
2, 8-inch lite whole
wheat tortillas
½ cup reduced-fat shredded
sharp Cheddar cheese
¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream
and Korea are just rolling their eyes in
disbelief at what kind of snowfl akes we
are.”
The worries started on May 2, after the
New York Times reported that a beekeep-
er in Custer, Washington, found an entire
hive of bees destroyed in November 2019,
their heads ripped from their bodies. Then
two Asian giant hornets were found near
Blaine, just a few miles north, near the
U.S.-Canadian border.
One of the hornets was found dead on a
porch. The other reportedly fl ew away into
the woods, Yanega said, and since then
Washington entomologists have been on
the lookout, encouraging residents to set
out traps for the hornets so authorities can
fi nd and destroy any nests before they can
grow.
Queens are the biggest of the world’s
biggest hornets. They can grow to 2 inches
from their cartoonish Spider-Man-type
face (with vicious mandibles) to their quar-
ter-inch-long stinger that can puncture
heavy clothing. They hibernate, Yanega
said, so scientists speculate that at least
two hornet queens hitched a ride to the
New World on a cargo ship, the fi rst time
it’s known to have happened “in over a
century of signifi cant maritime commerce
Heat a medium-size nonstick
skillet over medium-high heat
and spray with vegetable oil
spray. Saute onion for one min-
ute. Add the corn, beans and
salsa and continue to saute 2 to
3 minutes to warm the ingredi-
ents. Divide in two and place in
center of each tortilla. Sprinkle
the cheese on top and add the
sour cream. Fold in half.
The whole wheat tortillas
are soft enough to fold. If using
other tortillas, wrap them in
paper towels and microwave
20 seconds.
Yield 2 servings.
Per serving: 391 calories
(25% from fat), 10.8 g fat
(4.3 g saturated, 4.2 g
monounsaturated), 18 mg
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between Vancouver and Southeast Asia.”
Asian giant hornets are native to South-
east Asia, Yanega said, so fi nding a knob of
them at the western point of the Washing-
ton-British Columbia border was reason
for alarm. A nest had been discovered and
destroyed earlier that fall in Nanaimo on
Vancouver Island in British Columbia,
around 80 miles from Blaine, Washington,
but genetic tests showed that the dead
hornet found on the porch was not related
to the colony destroyed in Nanaimo,
Yanega said.
In the meantime, freaked-out people
across the U.S. have started putting out
traps, Yanega said.
Unfortunately, the bait in those traps
can be attractive to all kinds of native
insects, Yanega said, and so far, that’s all
people have been catching.
Considering the nuisance they can
be at picnics and other outdoor events,
some people might not fret about killing
bees or wasps, giant or not, “but they
are signifi cant benefi cial insects,” Yanega
said. “They eat several times their weight
in caterpillars from people’s vegetable
gardens and ornamental plants, so indis-
criminately killing them does much more
harm than good.”
cholesterol, 22.2 g protein, 59.5 move the pit and carefully peel
g carbohydrates, 17.2 g fi ber, the skin. Place the avocado cut
904 mg sodium. side down and slice. Divide
the lettuce between 2 dinner
plates. Place avocado slices on
top of the lettuce. Drizzle dress-
ing over the avocado slices.
Yield 2 servings.
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer
SLICED AVOCADO
SALAD
2 small avocados to
make 1 cup sliced
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 tablespoons reduced fat
oil and vinegar dressing
Cut the avocado in half. Re-
Per serving: 136 calories
(78% from fat), 11.8 g
fat (1.6 g saturated, 7.5 g
monounsaturated), 1 mg
cholesterol, 2.1 g protein, 8.5 g
carbohydrates, 5.9 g fi ber, 13
mg sodium.
THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD — 3B
NEWSMAN
Continued from Page 1B
I loved that beat and joined Forest Service personnel
inaugurating a stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail in the
Diamond Peak Wilderness. I remember clear, icy water
coming down in a small stream from that nearly perfect
symmetrical snow-capped mountain. It was about 15 miles
but was great because the Forest Service did all the work.
All I did was walk.
When I got back to Bend the next day, I found out I had
been offered a job with the AP. Not as a sports writer. That
would come later.
One morning in my early days in Portland, we received
a report that someone was shooting from the top of the
Holiday Inn into rush hour traffic. I climbed in to my brand
new 1975 Celica (a sweet hatchback with detailed striping)
and headed toward the hotel.
I expected to come to a police barricade and just wait out
the situation.
But I drove right to the hotel, parked in front and fig-
ured it was either over or a false alarm.
Then I heard the “blam, blam, blam’’ from the roof. I hur-
ried toward the lobby but it was locked. Someone let me in
and I joined 15 or 20 others who were trapped in the hotel.
I ventured up to the top floor, where I encountered the
only police officer in the building. One gunman vs. one
policeman seemed like a bad ratio, and I returned to the
lobby.
After what seemed like hours, a special police unit led by
a Serpico-looking character arrived and took the gunman
down. No one was seriously hurt.
I had been a sitting duck, but it turned out he was shoot-
ing only at police. One officer was struck but was wearing a
bullet-proof vest.
You never knew when a big story would hit.
On Dec. 28, 1978, I was driving down Sandy Boulevard
on my way to the Far West Classic basketball tournament
when the street lights blinked simultaneously. A moment
later, there was a bulletin on the radio about a plane crash
in east Portland.
I stopped at a phone booth (this was long before cell-
phones) and called the Portland bureau. An old-time wire
service colleague, answered and said, “It’s a big one, you
better get out there.’’
There was a stream of ambulances headed toward the
crash scene. I finally arrived and talked my way into place
where United Flight 173 slammed into two vacant houses.
The aircraft, bathed in light, was still mostly intact.
Amazingly, only 10 of the 185 on board died.
I went to the house of a woman whose home was nar-
rowly missed. The crash took out her dog run. And her
phone was broken because so many people had come to
ask to use it.
The plane, I reported a day later, appeared to have run
out of fuel as the pilot dealt with a landing gear issue. The
absence of fuel explained the lack of any fire.
“It was a miracle,’’ Richard Harrison, one of the
survivors said. “I didn’t know people live through plane
crashes.’’
So in between covering the exploits of the Beavers,
Ducks and Trail Blazers, I had plenty of excitement as a
news reporter. It was a job rewarding and challenging.
I have more stories to bore you with. I’ll save them for
another time.
But know this: Journalism is an honorable profession.
Every person I worked with was only interested in getting
at the truth.
Working on the news side made me a better sports
writer.
Actually a better writer — period.
Bob Baum, who grew up in Union, retired last year after 43
years with The Associated Press, the first 23 in Portland and
the last 20 as senior sports writer based in Phoenix, Arizona. He
covered 10 Olympics, seven summer and three winter. He lives in
Island City with his wife Leah, their two dogs and four cats.
GARDEN
Continued from Page 1B
• Try washing them off the rose bushes with a strong
stream of water.
Garden chores
• Herbs planted in average soil don’t need fertiliza-
tion. Too much fertilizer reduces fl avor and pungency at
harvest.
• Sow seeds of sunfl owers and zinnias.
• Place stakes by seeds of squash and cucumbers
and melons when planting in hills. You’ll know where to
water after the vines start running.
• Cucumbers, squash and melon seeds can be planted
next to (and then trained to climb on) a trellis or fence.
If you have garden questions or comments please
write to greengardencolumn@yahoo.com. Thanks for
reading!
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