Pulseoxymeter

#pulseoxymeter #breathlessness #HeyParth

The pandemic brought in wrath unseen and unheard problems related to physical and mental health. There is no doubt about a fact that we as human were in no way prepared to handle such a situation which had equal implications on all aspects of our health. We have been fighting the virus and will surely deal with it in the near future.

However, every war gives birth to a new hero but there are unsung heroes whose services were small yet invaluable.

One of such warrior in this war was the Pulse Oxymeter. Without an iota of doubt it was the sheer brilliance of this small but power packed medical instrument which allowed us to have the concept of Homecare and Online consultations applied with huge success.

The protocol is simple. Just put the Pulse Oxymeter on the right index finger or thumb and keep the instrument for 30 seconds. Voila you know 2 vital parameters of your health
1. Oxygen Saturation
2. Pulse or Heart Rate

By sharing the details of this along with your temperature with the doctor via online consultation the support to the crumbling healthcare system was immense.

But, just like every hero has a chink in their armor the Pulse Oxymeter also brought a mental health hazard along with it.

Psychiatrists started seeing a surge in patients who were constantly measuring their oxygen saturations even though the levels were normal. These patients were constantly calling their physicians complaining of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing but neither were they suffering from infection nor did they have any problems of maintaining their oxygen saturation.

As a Mental Health expert we found out that lot of these patients were actually suffering from what is known as “Health Anxiety” a fear that i will suffer from some detrimental health hazard and i need to take control of my health by assessing my parameters very frequently. In the past various health bands and fitness apps also created such health anxiety issues but the enormity of the problem was unprecedented in recent times.

Another complain that patients had was their oxygen saturations were normal but they found that they had fluctuating levels of heart rate or pulse. What was this exactly? Well in our minds we all suffer from Anticipatory Anxiety, which means that we suffer from fear, Anxiety and thoughts by simply anticipating a situation or problem without it actually occurring.

Both Health Anxiety and Anticipatory Anxiety can cause Panic Attacks, the exact problem which patients reported to their physicians, normal oxygen saturation still having difficulty breathing or having shortness of breath and fluctuating heart rates which are cardinal physical or what we in psychiatry call as somatic symptoms during a panic attack.

Yes this small miraculous instrument the Pulse Oxymeter is miraculous but it has its own problems. If not used as per medical advise it can cause the panic attacks and anxiety issues as we discussed so simple steps to use a Pulse Oxymeter to measure your oxygen levels instead of anxiety are:
1. Use it in the right index finger or thumb for 30 seconds don’t jump to conclusions
2. Use it at intervals as prescribed by doctor.
3. If levels are found to be normal dont buy more than 1 instruments to counter check.
4. This is not a treatment but an investagitation.

To sum it up we must conclude that mental health is as or even more important than Physical Health. It was easier for people to beat the illness who had their mental strength intact or who developed better coping skills in the last year. There is no question about the fact that in these times it is difficult to stay positive and normal but my point is to stay realistic and optimal which we can definitely do to manage stress, fight depression and avoid anxiety.

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400 દિવસ નું યુદ્ધ vaccine ની તલાશ થી ચાલુ થયું તું oxygen ની અછત પર આવી ને ઊભું રહ્યું……
Everyone is suffering in some way but Is Fear becoming deadlier than virus?
Stay away of toxic positivity dont simply say “Be Positive” rather say “BE REALISTIC”. STAY SAFE Lets get Mentally healthier and happier