Heroes Of The COVID Crisis: How Dr Norman B Gaylis of NviroMune Stepped Up To Make A Difference During The Covid-19 Pandemic
I believe many of the problems stemming from the pandemic are causing irreversible damage, and there may be huge consequences in the future. For example, we know that Covid adversely affects the brain. We have seen this on MRIs and scans, and since we already have an aging population affected by dementia, Alzheimer’s, and brain fog, my fear is we may unfortunately see a huge increase in the number of people developing pre-senile, organic brain syndrome.
As part of my series about people who stepped up to make a difference during the COVID19 Pandemic, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Norman B. Gaylis.
Dr. Norman B. Gaylis is a board-certified Rheumatologist and internist who has been elected by his peers to the prestigious title of Master of Rheumatology (MACR). He has been in clinical practice and research for the past 40 years and his work has appeared in more than 50 publications. He has lectured, taught, and presented at medical schools and conferences throughout the world. More recently, and after treating many COVID patients, he is dedicated to researching and developing treatments for COVID long hauler patients.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how and where you grew up?
I grew up in Johannesburg in South Africa where I enjoyed the outdoors, wildlife photography, and playing sports such as soccer, tennis, and cricket with my two brothers. I was heavily influenced by my father, who was a physician, so I followed in his footsteps. I practiced in Johannesburg, the UK, and Israel before moving to Miami, where I completed my residency at Miami University and became board certified in Internal Medicine. Thereafter I established my own practice and research center in Miami, where I am still practicing today.
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. For me, the book represents the futility and corruption of war. It also illustrates how the value of life can become trivial.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote?” Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
One of my favorites is “When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade.” I believe life is about learning how to navigate the bumps in the road and roll with the punches. Everyone faces adversity throughout life, and it’s easier to deal with if we can find a way to turn adversity into something positive. This has been very relevant in my life and work because when I encounter a difficult position, it helps me be more creative with problem solving and solutions. For example, adversity stemming from the pandemic and Covid-19 presented me with an opportunity to do extensive research and become an expert on Covid-19 and Long Haul Covid. Ultimately, this life lesson has helped me recognize there are multiple paths and opportunities throughout life, and often it takes adversity or setbacks for us to recognize these pathways and achieve personal growth. I believe this attitude also prevents burnout, which we are seeing so frequently among medical professionals today.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview.
Ok, thank you for all that. Now let’s move to the main focus of our interview. You are currently leading a social impact organization that has stepped up during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to address?
We are measuring autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction to determine how to treat Covid and Long Haul Covid patients. When the Covid epidemic and long haul patients first started making headlines, I was doing research for a start up company in Seattle that had a new device that could measure the autonomic nervous system and determine whether patients had ANS dysfunction. The timing was a huge coincidence, as I was focusing on long haul patients and this led to discovering the ANS connection. It was serendipity when we discovered we were measuring the exact symptoms long haul patients were describing. Through my research and treating more than 1000 Covid patients, I discovered there is severe dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, known also as dysautonomia. It was a bit scary at first because we saw so many patients at my clinic who were suffering from symptoms such as lack of taste, lack of smell, anxiety, joint pain, brain fog, and extreme fatigue weeks or months after having Covid. Many of the patients’ symptoms could be explained by dysautonomia, and this connection helped us treat them.
I have a history of being involved in medical research for many years, so I was approached to do a study about Long Haul Covid. When the word started to spread about the study, the exposure ramped up and we started getting more patients coming to our clinic for Covid and Long Haul Covid symptoms. I began working with researchers in Tel Aviv to create a supplement that would help anyone with Long Hauler Covid symptoms and we formulated the supplements we now call RESTORE with targeted nutrients to help patients with Long Hauler symptoms, and DEFENSE, a supplement that works to keep many viruses from replicating in the body.
In your opinion, what does it mean to be a hero?
In my opinion, being an influential person means taking actions that others have not considered or acted upon to resolve a problem that may often affect many members of society. Having the courage to be the first person to step up and take action when others have been reluctant to act is the true definition of an influential person who can make an impact.
In your opinion or experience, what are “5 characteristics of hero? Please share a story or example for each.
Brave
A certain amount of bravery is needed to create change in the world and inspire others, especially when it goes against what many think and believe. For many they are raised with certain beliefs or “norms” that are mainstream thought. To take the steps to make your voice heard over all others, to have others hear and believe your words and ideals through what inevitably they come up against-hate, vitriol, learned behavior-takes such strength and bravery.
Humble
I think of men like Nelson Mandela-he was the voice of so many in South Africa, fighting against the injustices of Apartheid. As his voice grew louder above the opposition, as his words were heard from Johannesburg and beyond to the rest of the world, he continued to be humble. He never made himself larger or more important than anyone else. He was a successful lawyer who fought for his fellow South Africans to fight the injustices of colonialism and Apartheid, endured almost three decades in prison for his beliefs-continuing his fight against the injustices of Apartheid from his prison cell. Once released, he continued to fight for justice and equality without making himself more important than any of the men and women who fought (and died) for the same cause. He continued to be humble as he rose to prominence in South Africa and around the world, becoming the first Black president of South Africa and winning the Nobel Peace Prize. He never seemed like a man who was out of touch or out of reach, he remained humble until his death almost a decade ago.
Dedicated
Someone who is a leader or a person of influence is always dedicated to their work or cause. Their strong belief in what they are doing, that they are making a positive contribution to the world, comes from dedication to that cause and those who benefit from their work. That dedication helps inspire others within their field and beyond, as often when we see someone wholeheartedly dedicated to a cause, thought or idea it can inspire us to continue to work towards our goals.
Compassionate
Inspiring others requires compassion for the greater good. We need more compassion to stop pain and suffering, compassion to help lift others from situations they may not find a way out from, and compassion to make life and the world better. In a world that seems lacking in empathy and compassion, those who lead with compassion are a light in the darkness for others. Being compassionate means an openness to others, and it makes us feel more approachable and open to others. We cannot make a difference, inspire change, or help others without compassion.
Thoughtful
Thoughtfulness, not just intelligence, is important. Thoughtfulness is coupled with compassion, when we have compassion for someone, for their situation, we become more thoughtful. We use our knowledge and education base and often build upon that through continued schooling or our own research to find new ways to create the change or outcome we desire. For leaders, they learn laws, rules and regulations to help create change…or create new laws and regulations that benefit the greater good. For physicians, we do research to find answers to our questions or connections that create change. For those who see injustices, they lend their thoughts and emotions to their cause to inspire others, to help show that there are numerous facets to every situation, to inspire others to put themselves into the shoes of others to gain new perspectives.
If heroism is rooted in doing something difficult, scary, or even self-sacrificing, what do you think drives some people — ordinary people — to become people of influence?
I believe that in many cases, it is the magnitude of the need that drives ordinary people to become an influential or inspirational person. With Covid, for example, some people have experienced the devastating effects of losing a loved one or being separated from loved ones. These are heart wrenching situations that propel ordinary people to think there must be a better way or there must be something that can eradicate this threat to our lives. When the need for solutions is urgent, we often see ordinary people become extraordinary — that is, they are willing to step out of their comfort zones and take whatever action is needed to solve a problem.
What was the specific catalyst for you or your organization to heroic action? At what point did you personally decide that action needed to be taken?
The catalyst was seeing patients in my office suffering with long haul covid symptoms. These patients were desperate to find relief from their symptoms, but not finding any help to improve or resolve their physical issues. When I saw the pattern of symptoms in my patients, we had a solid foundation to begin finding therapies or treatments that could help alleviate or lessen some of these symptoms. We realized we were working with people who had been largely ignored throughout the pandemic, when all the attention was given to the number of new Covid cases. No was reporting anything about the patients who still had symptoms weeks or months after having a positive test. I personally decided to take action when I saw there were no protocols in place for treating long haul Covid patients. This was all new to the medical field, and not many healthcare providers were acknowledging it yet or making it a priority. I realized that we were going to be dealing with Covid and its variants, as well as long haul Covid, for a very long time, so I decided to devote more research and time to this health crisis.
Who are your heroes, or who do you see as heroes today?
My heroes include anyone who is working tirelessly to combat Covid. Cleveland Clinic immediately comes to mind, as they are doing a lot of good work there with Covid and viruses in general.
Let’s talk a bit about what is happening in the world today. What specifically frightened or frightens you most about the pandemic?
I believe many of the problems stemming from the pandemic are causing irreversible damage, and there may be huge consequences in the future. For example, we know that Covid adversely affects the brain. We have seen this on MRIs and scans, and since we already have an aging population affected by dementia, Alzheimer’s, and brain fog, my fear is we may unfortunately see a huge increase in the number of people developing pre-senile, organic brain syndrome.
Despite that, what gives you hope for the future? Can you explain?
One thing that gives me hope is that we are becoming more resistant and more capable of living with Covid. Many people are more mindful of their surroundings and when to take precautions. I believe that eventually we will overcome this virus and epidemic, because throughout history there have been many epidemics and everyone endured the pain, suffering, and casualties until they learned to deal with it. For example, the Spanish flu in 1917 wiped out nearly a quarter of the world’s population until everyone became more resistant and learned how to treat it. With our current situation, we are seeing the pathways to treating Covid with vaccines and novel therapies. We have learned that viruses are forming mutations to get around the vaccines, so it has forced us to continually address new ways of defeating Covid.
What has inspired you the most about the behavior of people during the pandemic, and what behaviors do you find most disappointing?
In my opinion, I find it inspiring that thousands of healthcare workers showed up at their own risk and did what they took an oath to do, which is help people. I was likewise inspired by people who looked after their loved ones, even when they were taking risks to do this. I was also amazed by how people coped with losses and moved on together.
Of course, there are disappointing behaviors that surfaced during the pandemic. For me, these include the deniers, the naysayers, and people who ignored science. It’s hard to fathom people who make selfish choices such as refusing to do the simple things like wearing a mask. While everyone is entitled to their own choices, there is a certain component of selfishness when we disregard what the scientists say to do in order to protect ourselves and others around us.
Has this crisis caused you to reassess your view of the world or of society? We would love to hear what you mean.
My view of society has changed somewhat by realizing when there is a time of crisis, people come together to support and help each other as much as possible. For instance, we saw and heard a lot about people, communities, and the entire world coming together after the 911 disaster. I believe we are able to see the good parts of human behavior coming out when these things happen.
What permanent societal changes would you like to see come out of this crisis?
I would like to see people be more openminded and receptive to science. It would be a wonderful thing if people would only realize we are trying to help them, not hurt them! Currently, we are dealing with many people who are very skeptical and resistant to recommendations based on science. Many believe they are entitled and should get perfect answers immediately. It would be a nice change if society would acknowledge the relationship between patients, doctors, researchers, and scientists is a team effort, and we all need to work together with an element of trust.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
I would tell them that few things compare with the wonderful feeling of helping others and giving back to society. The pleasure of giving far outweighs the benefits of taking or receiving. In my case, if I have a successful outcome and I can help someone, money can’t buy this amazing feeling. Young people need to know it’s not always going to be easy and there will be bumps in the road, but the satisfaction in giving back to society is immensely gratifying and rewarding.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would start a movement to implement clinical research in clinical environments rather than just institutional environments. I believe we need to look at real people in real time in real places and do research that will ultimately be much more relevant than research done in isolated silos because it wasn’t studied in a real time situation. For these reasons, I established the Norman D. Gaylis, MD, Research Award and became the first practicing rheumatologist to make a $1 million commitment to the Rheumatology Research Foundation. This award supports rheumatologists in community-based practices who, in addition to their active patient care, want to test their own observations and ideas through innovative research. I believe that thousands of patients will inevitably benefit from this research and clinical trials.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would have loved to have breakfast or lunch with Nelson Mandela. Growing up in South Africa, Mr. Mandela was a pivotal figure in my country. He inspired me, my fellow South Africans and the world with his bravery, dedication, and relentless pursuit of freedom from Apartheid. He was a humble man who showed through both words and actions his humanity, compassion, brilliance, and strength to both fight all aspects of Apartheid but forgive those who resisted change.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
You can find and follow my work on my NviroMune website www.nviromune.com or https://www.rheum-care.com/team/norman-gaylis-md/
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Heroes Of The COVID Crisis: How Dr Norman B Gaylis of NviroMune Stepped Up To Make A Difference… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.