LAKELAND, Fla. — We've learned some lessons over the last year that we know can help keep us healthy.
Dr. Ken Redcross is a board-certified internal medicine physician whose practice is very patient-focused. He's even written a book on the importance of the doctor-patient relationship.
Redcross says that communication with your doctor is more important than ever, especially when it comes to protecting yourself from COVID-19 and other illnesses.
"During this time as we're going through the fourth wave of this coronavirus, vitamin D should be a hallmark of what we're doing. Look, the studies are there. We used to think way back a long time ago that it was all about bone health, but now we're recognizing that vitamin D is something that we need to balance our immune system and what better time than now to really focus on our immune system," Redcross said.
Besides a vitamin D supplement, Redcross recommends a COVID-19 vaccine for everyone who can get it, including kids and teens 12 and up.
"We all know that we want to get back to regular life, but the vaccine has to be a part of that discussion and investigate with your pediatrician why is it good for my child or why I have issues with it," he said.
Finally, he says to wear a mask in crowds. For those who question the science, Redcross says this: "Would you want to go in for an emergency appendectomy with your surgeon without a mask on? Would you want your surgeon leaning all over you cutting, opening, suturing with no mask? And the point is, of course, you wouldn't. Why is that? That's because you don't want the respiratory germs."
Redcross says if we all just come together on these few things, we can get through this pandemic and get back to our normal lives sooner rather than later.