Because of the miracle of modern science and my home address, I received my first dose of the Covid vaccine last month, as did my husband. The only reaction I experienced was a profound sense of relief and gratitude. I hadn’t realized how much fear and anxiety I had been carrying about my loved ones getting sick. It was as if I finally got to exhale.

I still worry of course about the impact of the quarantine on our mostly teenaged kids. Then I realize we have been sitting around the dinner table for ages after supper laughing and talking because there is nowhere to go and nothing to do. Who cares if it takes an hour to get the table cleared or if we each have two ice cream cones for dessert?

I don’t think too much about my vaccine now as we await our second dose, still months away. We continue to mask, social distance and limit our contacts. Life continues on zoom and in outdoor porch visits and walks. With the risks of the new variants, our kids are completely constrained. We survive. Some days we almost thrive.

Being even partly vaccinated is like money in the bank. It takes the edge off and provides hope for the future.

I know vaccine denial, among other things, continues to be a barrier to getting through the pandemic. I recognize at least some of this resistance is the result of huge misinformation campaigns. I have no patience for any of it.

Disinformation reigns in the public sphere. Even before it’s amplification by social media, faulty scientific research has been used to prop up false and outrageous claims by those who want to sell us something. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the wellness industry.

Almost everything we have been led to believe about diet and exercise in popular media is false and has absolutely no scientific basis. Yet it has become mainstream thinking and refuses to be dispelled: Carbs make us fat. Cardio exercise is necessary for weight loss. Our vaginas need to be steamed or otherwise cleaned. Entire food groups consumed for centuries are bad for us. Our bodies require detoxification with alkaline-based speciality waters.

Do you know the biggest benefit of drinking lemon water? It’s the water.

The messaging is all about control and deprivation. There is so little we can control in life but we believe if we try really hard, we can stop eating wheat and lose our belly fat. Science shows us this type of deprivation and control goes against our innate human instincts, is impossible to sustain and sets us up for failure.

There are a few voices now on social media fighting against the tide and providing fact-base information. It’s not very sexy though, and it goes against what we have been taught to believe as gospel truth. They are worth listening to. For everything related to women’s health and no-steam- clean vagina info, I highly recommend @drjengunter  (Instagram). For diet and food info including yes you can have ice cream for dessert, follow Yoni Freedhoff, Md  (Twitter).

There is no magic pill or diet or exercise. But there is a miraculous vaccine. Get jabbed as soon as you can.