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IMPORTANT COVID-19 UPDATE
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 Rising COVID-19 infection rates across much of the United States are resulting in frequent changes to public guidances and requirements. As such, it is important for your health and the health of those around you to stay updated on the changes in the places where you live, work, and visit:
In addition, we want to remind you that at Foxhall Internists we have made several changes to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in our offices. We have stopped seeing patients with respiratory infections in person, and we ask that if you have any symptoms which are potentially due to a COVID-19 infection, you inform your doctor's assistant before you come in. A complete list of these symptoms is available on the CDC website here: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html.During the pandemic we also are only offering lab and vaccination services on a scheduled basis, so that we can minimize the number of patients in our waiting areas at any time. All staff and patients are required to wear masks or other protective face coverings at all times. We will continue to be here to help manage your medical care, and we appreciate your support as we try to maintain as safe an office environment as possible.
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| SLEEP AND MENTAL HEALTH | |
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many aspects of our lives, including how well we sleep.
Insomnia and other sleep disorders can take a heavy toll on your physical and mental health. A lack of quality sleep can impact your energy, focus, and ability to function during the day, especially if you have the added pressure of trying to work from home or homeschool your kids. it can also make you moody and irritable, exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and even lower your immune system.
While sleep problems are common at the best of times, all the stress, worry, and turmoil created by this pandemic have made existing sleep difficulties even worse-and triggered new sleep problems in those who used to be "good sleepers". Even as some stay-at-home restrictions start to lift, many challenges seem likely to remain.
You can find useful tips for improving your sleep from Harvard Medical School. In addition, if you find yourself experiencing prolonged problems with sleep you should speak to your physician.
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FOXHALL INTERNIST IN THE NEWS
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Our physicians and staff are often called upon by the media to provide expert advice on important health issues.
Dr. Clay Ackerly, an internal-medicine physician in Washington, D.C., and former assistant chief medical officer at Massachusetts General Hospital, said one of his patients first became sick with a mild cough and sore throat in April, when he tested positive. The patient, a 50-year-old man, recovered and felt healthy for nearly six weeks, during which he tested negative twice.
In mid-June, the patient was exposed to a family member with Covid-19 and became sick once more, testing positive again in early July. This time around, the patient's illness was much more severe, according to Dr. Ackerly. He experienced high fever, shortness of breath and low blood-oxygen levels, which required multiple trips to the hospital.
Dr. Ackerly said that there is no evidence so far that a prior infection can guarantee long-term immunity, but he acknowledged that there could be other explanations for these cases. "There's still a lot we don't understand about this virus and the immunology," he said.
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