For the past two weeks I haven’t traveled. As Health Director for Advanced Markets, travel is a big part of my job. Instead, I have been home sitting at my desk with multiple monitors, a microphone, and some other gear hosting webinars regarding COVID-19. There have been many webinar sessions, and it is very gratifying to know that Transamerica is supporting its business partners by providing reliable information during these challenging times. All of the guidance provided in Transamerica’s webinars is evidence-based and comes from authoritative, peer-reviewed medical and scientific sources.
Have you discovered there is an enormous hunger for genuine facts about novel coronavirus and trustworthy best practices to prevent infection? It’s no secret that before the pandemic, the rate of attendee drop-off during any webinar was significant. People have other things to do and time is precious. Nowadays, everyone remains online to the end. Perhaps it is an effort to satisfy their hunger for good information. Most webinars conclude with questions from attendees — lots of questions. Invariably, someone brings up the subject of that guy in Florida touting blow-drying your nostrils to kill coronavirus. Others want to know if ingesting colloidal silver kills the virus or if ibuprofen makes COVID-19 worse. The conversation pivots to dispelling misinformation.
It is my belief that anyone speaking publicly about important health concerns needs to have the most current and accurate facts. Enormous physical and emotional harm can be generated when myths and unproven tactics are disseminated as truth. Folks desperately hungry for good news will consume almost anything they hear or read, unable to filter if such quackery even makes sense.
Lately, I’ve been chasing down a lot of bizarre COVID-19 cure-alls purported to be legitimate. Let me share my sniff test with you: If it hasn’t been endorsed by our Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and if none of the recognized scientific journals have published persuasive research on the topic, then I disregard it and move on.
Face it, we’re all hungry. We’re all looking for good news, a hopeful signal, evidence that we are flattening that pandemic curve. And you’re not just seeking it for you — you also want to be able to provide your clients with accurate information. You’re trying to help them make sense of the unknown, instill confidence, and take anxiety off the table.
The most effective way to curb that appetite and avoid “intellectual malnutrition” is to steer clear of unproven theories and bogus claims. Our new COVID-19 outbreak webpage is updated frequently with valid recommendations for financial professionals and their clients. Still hungry? Contact your Transamerica representative to receive a link for the two live update webinars they’ll host every week until this crisis passes. And it will pass. That’s a fact!
Doctor Lloyd is a licensed physician and a board-certified surgeon and pathologist. As Health Director for Transamerica Advanced Markets, he provides valuable medical expertise for Transamerica’s Wealth + HealthSMthought leadership initiative.
Transamerica Resources, Inc. is an Aegon company and is affiliated with various companies which include, but are not limited to, insurance companies and broker dealers. Transamerica Resources, Inc. does not offer insurance products or securities. The information provided is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical, insurance, securities, tax, legal or financial advice or guidance. Please consult your personal independent advisors for answers to your specific questions.
