Not long ago, COVID did not even exist. We are learning a lot about it every day, and there is still a lot to learn. There are many different suggestions out there – supplements to try, foods to eat, medications to use, ways to cope, and ways stay safe. You are probably wondering, “OK, I am hearing all these claims and sales pitches. How do I decide what to do or not do?”

This guide offers a tool – the “EASY Guide “– to help you make those choices.

So, what is EASY?

The word “easy” might be just about the worst way to describe how things are right now for all of us, with COVID and all of its effects. With the EASY tool, though, the letters in “EASY” stand for four things you should think about as you make a health care choice:

Effects: Does it work? That is probably the first question on your mind when you think about trying something new for your health. Is it effective? How do I know for sure? Sometimes it isn’t easy, because we will hear mixed opinions. Even if good science research supports something, we have to decide if something that helped a group of people in a study will be helpful for us as individuals.

Access: We also have to be practical. It doesn’t matter how great something is if we don’t have access to it – if we can’t get it for some reason. Something we want to try might cost a lot, or only available somewhere far away from us. There might be a long wait list to get in to see someone for a visit or procedure.

Safety: Is this safe? Another key question. Say we know something is amazing for preventing COVID (does well in terms of “Effects”). But what if it can also cause you problems – maybe it is a drug or herbal remedy with side effects, or a procedure that has risks. Safety also matters, and we don’t always know for sure how safe something will be for us. This is most important when we are thinking about doing something that has not been tried much before, which is true for most things when it comes to COVID-19.