The Connection Between Mind and Body: Colds and Flues

by Kaleb Montgomery, Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Each of us has first hand experience of how a flu bug can sweep through a work place or school. It is amazing to watch. Every winter we spend time and energy worrying about or trying to avoid getting sick. However logical it may seem to try not to get sick, avoiding a cold or a flu is not necessarily the best plan.

As we all know when the flu wipes out an office not everyone gets sick. Even those that do get sick, do not all succumb at the same time. Why is that? Science has shown that the "bugs" that cause colds and flues are around us all the time. It is impossible to avoid them, they are on everything we touch. So, why aren't we all sick all of the time?

The answer lies in reason why we get sick in the first place. Intuitively we all know we catch a cold when we are run down, stressed out, doing too much or eating and sleeping poorly. In reality all colds and flues are, are our body's way of telling us it's had enough."SLOW DOWN and REST" is the message.

When the fuel light flashes empty in your car, we know it's time to get some gas. If we don't put fuel in the car, it's stops working when the tank is empty. Colds and flues are like our low gas indicator light coming on. It's our body's way of saying our fuel levels are low, slow down and refill the tanks. Use the information that our bodies give us for our advantage. If we run on empty too long other more serious health problems can occur. However that is a story for another day.

An analogy that illustrates this point well compares our body to an ecosystem. Now biologists understand that an ecosystem is a complex web of life that interrelates in ways we don't completely understand yet. Removing one plant or insect species can have a ripple effect that is felt by the whole ecosystem. A good example of the complex interrelations in ecosystems are forest fires.

Up until recently forest fires were seen as a bad destructive force to be avoided at all cost. Now however that view has changed. National Park managers realized that letting smaller fires burn is actually good for the parks. These smaller fires burn out the dead stuff leaving good soil and nutrients for new life to occur. Without these smaller space creating fires, bigger hotter fires burn through that destroy everything and that take a lot longer to regenerate from. Now Park Managers actually light small controlled burns to help keep the park ecosystem healthier and more able to regenerate itself.

Colds and flues are like our own small forest fires. They force us to stop and give some energy towards rebuilding our self. Like with the parks, it is much better to have a few smaller burns, than one big one.

If you want to avoid getting sick then slow down and rest before your body forces you to do it. If it's too late and you are already sick, then don't fight through it. Stop, slow down and rest. It's what your body wants. You will be rewarded with improved energy and a healthier body that is better able to deal with the regular stresses of life afterwards.