Re: JK's colds

[whometense]

Heard this story on NPR this morning that may explain a lot. Somehow, I don't think a low-stress life is in the cards for him any time soon.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6797207

Low-Stress Life May Be Best Way to Prevent Colds



by Allison Aubrey

Researcher Sheldon Cohen at Carnegie-Mellon University is focusing on the role of stress.

"We know quite a bit about stress and infection," says Cohen. "We've been doing research in that area for 25 years."

In one study, Cohen and his collaborators interviewed 400 healthy adults about how stressed out they are. They asked questions such as:

— Do the demands you face exceed your ability to cope?

— How anxious, angry, or depressed have you felt over the last week?

"After we administered the questionnaires," says Cohen, "we exposed the people in the study to one of five viruses that cause the common cold."

Cohen's team then tracked the volunteers for six days and found that those who had reported higher levels of stress were twice as likely to catch a cold as those who were less stressed out.

[ginnyinWI]

1. also the way he circulates among so many people

It's inevitable, I suppose.

[karynnj]

2. Very true

He really shakes a lot of hands and hugs a lot of people. I hope he's better soon.

[beachmom]

4. Hugging is actually better than shaking hands germ wise

Hands are where you catch germs the most. Maybe he should make his campaign a "Hugging Campaign" -- he'll only hug people and forego the handshake. It would sure make the media circuit and prevent many unwanted colds.

[MBS]

7. I would guess that the grotesequely- undeserved garbage he's had to endure

recently, not to mention the other obvious pressures, can't be helping. I also hope he's better very soon . I'm awed by his stamina and resolve; I'm sure that he will be feeling better soon, both emotionally and physically, as his cold recedes, and as he continues to climb onward and upward on his worthy path, leaving the latest fecal deposits of the MSM and lower political beings back in the dung-heap where they belong. (Metaphors out of control here, I realize, but no time to make it better; hopefully, the general idea comes through anyway)

[Island Blue]

3. He also seems to touch his nose with his finger a lot.

I'm sure that this doesn't help.

[wisteria]

5. I think you are on to something there. That is not a good habit to have.

He seems more susceptible to colds than others are. All politicians are around a lot of people all the time. I recommend a lot more vitamin C and rest. The chicken soup doesn't hurt either.
You know, I was wondering if perhaps he doesn't medicate himself for illnesses like colds. Others take all kinds of pills and liquids to give them temporary relief. Isn't Teresa into more natural remedies?

[beachmom]

6. I think it also simply has to do with him being so thin.

Maybe I'm stereotyping, but thin people tend to get more sick with colds then those not so svelte.

There's hygiene, yes, and then there's the immune system, for which Whometense is very on to something, that stress weakens your immune system to fight off colds. It is no surprise that after the "joke" week, he came down ill -- the stress must have been enormous. Also, at 63 he's no spring chicken (sorry, JK) -- isn't it by 65, you're supposed to get a flu shot as being in a more vulnerable age group, just like the 2 and under group.

All of this factor in to more colds. That and dumb luck.

[wisteria]

8. He certainly could use more weight. Gosh, I wish I had a problem of not gaining.

Sure, stress does play a large part. Perhaps he would benefit from stress relieving measures.
I get a flu shot every year, getting the flu one time motivated me to take the time to do that.
He is extremely busy,that makes it difficult for to keep up with stress management, exercise and eating well. He knows he is getting to thin. He mentioned that at the party in Dec.

[beachmom]

10. Really? He said he was too thin, and needed to gain weight?

How did that come up? The exact opposite of everyone else at Christmastime -- God I've got to LOSE weight.

[whometense]

11. I heard him say that.

He said something about how as he gets older he gets thinner. It was a kind of throwaway line.

[beachmom]

13. Oh, in his speech at the party -- I also took that as a throwaway line,

not serious either. Thanks for reminding me of that.

[TayTay]

14. Skinnier and tougher.

LOL! (Seriously, do we have come to DC with sandwiches? I mean it. No skinnier, please.)

[rox63]

16. Yeah, I heard that line too

He can always use "tougher", but skinnier we can do without. ;)

I hear that Teresa likes to fuss over him when he's not feeling well. That's so sweet. :)

[wisteria]

18. Exactly, All of us "mom's" should get together and give him a basket of

all of those wonderful fattening foods we can't eat and some cookies and candy.

[beachmom]

20. Sweets aren't the problem. He just needs to eat real stick to the ribs food

and on a regular basis. Junk food isn't going ot help him.

Actually, now I remember reading about Ralph Fienes and how he needed to gain weight for Schindler's List -- he said he drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of spaghetti. Afterwards, he hired a personal trainer to get the weight off.

[rox63]

24. He needs some good old-fashioned home-cooked meals

Meat and potatoes and veggies. I'm sure with his busy schedule, he eats a lot of junk food and take-out.

[wisteria]

29. Beer and carbs. Now that is a diet. You are right though, Bulk him up with good food.

Better for him and his health.

[JI7]

32. he gained some weight when he was on crutches

since he was unable to be as active as he usually is. and he looked so cute.

i bet he would look cute even if he was kind of chubby.

really, he needs to GAIN SOME WEIGHT.

i wish i could trade metabolisms with him. he is tall also so whatever he gains wouldn't show so easily.

[Luftmensch067]

12. I've worried about this like the rest of you

I used to have a big problem with catching constant colds when I was in grad school and under impossible stress. I think that's a factor, but I essentially stopped having ANY colds once I did two things and I've been longing to tell JK (or THK) about this:

1. Washing my hands as soon as I can whenever I've been out in contact with other people and never EVER touching my face with my hands unless I've just washed them.

2. Using a nasal wash/spray that contains xylitol, a natural sugar that is known for detaching germs, allergens and pollutants from the nasal passages before they can cause the cold. I swear this has kept me healthy and cold-free for two years! I almost gave THK a bottle in December, but I chickened out! If anyone has access to her, please see if they know about it: http://xlear.com/xlear/aboutXlear.aspx

I know JK can't go around obsessively washing his hands, but he could (especially if he goes back into a campaign situation) try to break himself of the habit of touching his nose all the time and he could at least use some kind of hand sanitizer.

I hope he does something because, in my experience, it's easier than one would think to stop getting constant colds and I agree he's not likely to live a low-stress life anytime soon. :-)

[wisteria]

19. Hey, thanks for the tip. I am going to get some of this for my family. n/t

[Luftmensch067]

21. I know at least one other JK DU'er who uses it and finds it helps, too. n/t

[Noisy Democrat]

28. Yeah, I swear by Xlear

Thanks to Luftmensch for making me aware of it. I wish JK's aides knew about it and brought it to his attention. It really works.

[whometense]

22. Yeah, thanks!

I've heard about xylitol, but didn't realize they had it in spray form. I'm going to try it too.

[Luftmensch067]

23. Good, next time any of us sees them, we can present it as a deputation. LOL!!! n/t

[whometense]

25. Great idea.

I just looked it up, and the place I order my vitamins from has it at a discount: http://www.vitacost.com/productResults.aspx?ss=1&Ntk=products&previousText=xclear&x=0&y=0&Ntt=xylitol

[karynnj]

26. I'll have to look for it too

Thanks

[MBS]

30. what a great group! fighting on all fronts,

including viral ones! :) I do saline washes myself (NeillMed and other variants), but Luftmensch has made such an effective sales pitch for xlear, I'll have to try that, too. Both are biologically sound in principle: nuke those biofilms!!
We will all need our health for this next battle, but Sen. Kerry most of all!

[Blaukraut]

9. Another factor is this year's unusually warm weather

A lot of people have been getting sick with the fluctuations in temperatures - more so than usual. I don't remember JK being sick this often before. Poor guy.

[cadmium]

15. jetting around all the time

is a big risk to pick up unfamiliar virus. Once you get a cold you are pretty much immune to that particular virus, but jettting around the world puts one in touch with thousands of strains. He seems to be on a plane every day. I dont know if they have gotten better with plane ventilations systems. Purell and similar alcohol based hand gels really work for cutting down the numbers of colds/flus. you have to use them frequently.

[rox63]

17. I wonder if he picked up a virus when he was in the Middle East? n/t

[europegirl4jfk]

27. The climate difference could have been a reason too

It's much warmer in the Middle East than in New England. I often have this problem when I fly from the warm south of France too the much colder Germany. Thank God I didn't catch a cold in Boston in December.

[ProSense]

31. I used to believe it's

caused by a lack of rest and a lot of stress. I still do to an extent, but now I attribute it more to coming in contact with a lot of people.

When I rode the subways and buses to work, I was always sick. It dawned on me one day during that period, but only after a few years of frequently coming down with a cold . I couldn't remember how often I used to get them, so I kept trying to force myself to rest. It help to get over them more quickly, but didn't make me less susceptible to getting sick.

I no longer take the subways to work and I've had a really bad cold in years. Still when I feel like I'm coming down with something, the first thing I do is rest. So there, whatever works.