Flu Fear

Most of us have been there, puking our guts out, coughing so much that we think we’re going to burst a lung, or running to the bathroom hoping that we make it there in time. Sometimes we are unfortunate enough to experience all of these symptoms simultaneously and we feel like we are going to die. Alternating between fever and chills while trying to deal with the other acute comings and goings of the flu usually leaves us drained of energy. The flu can certainly change the way that we feel and make us question our desire to live.

It’s no wonder that we fear the flu and want to prevent it from entering our lives. But have we gone too far? Have we lost a balanced perspective about healthy lifestyle choices because we have let fear take over? People do, and have died from the flu. If you want to keep a close eye on death rates you can go to the flu watch website http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/fluwatch/09-10/w38_09/index-eng.php. As I write this article this site is reporting that, so far this year, 24 H1N1 related deaths have occurred in Ontario. There are multitudes of causes of death other than natural aging so lets get some perspective on this. Go to the “Leading causes of death, Canada, 2004” chart http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/lcd-pcd97/table1-eng.php and just spend some time reviewing it. Infectious and parasitic diseases or respiratory system diseases are not highlighted as leading causes of death for any age group. By conducting further research I found these statistics:

* Each year regular seasonal flu causes 4000-8000 deaths in Canada. http://www.lung.ca/diseases-maladies/a-z/flu-grippe/index_e.php

* In Canada, ordinary seasonal flu is directly responsible for the deaths of between 500 and 1,500 people every year. http://health.lifestyle.yahoo.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_id=3471&channel_id=2034&relation_id=34552

* Seasonal flu has a death rate of less than 0.1 per cent — but still manages to kill 250,000 to 500,000 people globally every year. http://www.canada.com/health/Swine%20death%20rate%20similar%20seasonal%20expert/2001615/story.html

* Swine flu death rate similar to seasonal flu By Maggie Fox, Reuters September 17, 2009 http://www.canada.com/health/Swine%20death%20rate%20similar%20seasonal%20expert/2001615/story.html

So we have established that flu can be a killer and is something to be concerned about. But I believe there is a difference between concern and fear. In my opinion, concern is a decision that we make, to give something that is potentially harmful, some of our attention, with the intention of developing a positive outcome. Fear is a reaction, which we haven’t necessarily made an informed decision about, and may sometimes cause us to act in ways that we normally wouldn’t, if we were not operating from a reactive perspective. If you think about my definitions and then ask yourself if you are operating from fear or from concern, you will probably gain some clarity. Unfortunately many of us live our lives motivated mostly by fear and rarely by true passion, joy, or love. Don’t blame yourself for this. I believe it is a throwback to our earliest days when we lived with survival as our main motivator, and our bloodlines have carried this through to us. Fear definitely protects us and teaches us about things that can be a threat to our life, but if we allow it to take over our lives it can seriously harm us and our resulting quality of life.

Fear can push us out of our bodies, knock us off centre, drain our energy, erode our immune system, cause us to live lives that are out of alignment with our purpose, and cause many other things. Here are a few interesting online resources to browse for additional details about fear and its effects:

* http://www.depression.oldguy.us/fear.php

* http://www.wingchuncenter.com/Articles/art01.htm

* http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/a/a_04/a_04_p/a_04_p_peu/a_04_p_peu.html

* http://www.cimmay.us/oncall/pc_w.s.sadler.pdf (a 338 page download about the physiology of faith and fear)

There are many more resources available to help you understand fear and its effects, but in this column I want you to think about the fact that fear can actually weaken our immunity and make us more susceptible to contagious bacteria, viruses, ways of thinking, other’s emotions and experiences etc. It can literally undermine our whole being and keep us from living fully.

It is easy to say get over it and move on, but fear does have its way of getting hold of us and not letting go. Overcoming our fears is often a lifelong process, but it can be a very rewarding and exhilarating (that is a topic for another column, and I will try to stay on track here, okay, okay, I will give you a brief peek at something, check this out http://drbenkim.com/overcome-chronic-fear-anxiety.html). Gathering unbiased information about the subject of your fears is a good first step, and looking at other perspectives on the issue that is making your knees weak may help you to loosen fear’s grip a little. So let’s take a look at the benefits of experiencing the flu in its various forms.

Developing a fever gives the immune system a boost. In a 2006 issue of Nature Immunology Sharon Evans and her colleagues report the findings on their research with lab mice http://hum-molgen.org/NewsGen/11-2006/000015.html. Other additional sources relay the same information to us http://www.parents.com/baby/health/fever/fever-benefits/, http://www.brighthub.com/health/alternative-medicine/articles/33438.aspx, http://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/28/science/fever-new-view-stresses-its-healing-benefits.html. Researchers are just coming around to digging deeper into this natural body response. My work with meditation and Shamanic Journeying taught me early on that natural processes such as fevers are important for our whole (body, mind & spirit) growth and evolution, and if we shortcut these processes, we are shortcutting our potential. My studies and work with Jin Shin Jyutsu® have also taught me that staying with a fever and processing through it (feeling and releasing all of the emotions, physical, and spiritual sensations that accompany it) gradually, layer by layer clears away by fearful beliefs and makes room for a more faithful attitude. Fevers are whole being cleansing and initiating agents that can be monitored, left to their own pace, and only interrupted when life is thought to be threatened. This has long been understood by many cultures, and practices such as sweat lodges and saunas were, and are considered necessities of life.

Coughing, vomiting, and diarrhea are powerful cleansing mechanisms of the body. Yes they are extremely uncomfortable and often bring us to our knees, but they are serving to cleanse the body of some form of offending energy. Flu is an acute reaction to the offending virus that has entered our body. The symptoms of flu are our body’s mechanism for protecting and healing itself, and experiencing a flu gives these mechanisms a work out, keeps them fine tuned, and perhaps helps to keep our immune system strong and healthy (some day the researchers will come to this conclusion). A recent study is alluding to this idea: “Seasonal flu shot may raise H1N1 risk, studies find”

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/seasonal-flu-shot-may-raise-h1n1-risk-studies-find-61012632.html

I am concerned about the amount of effort that we have used over the last several decades to prevent ourselves from feeling the symptoms of colds and flus. Most of the products designed to alleviate our symptoms and get us back to work quickly work by suppressing (driving the symptoms back into the body, or stopping them completely) symptoms. Are we short-cutting our body’s ability to develop a strong and healthy immune system when we do this? Are we setting ourselves up for autoimmune diseases, congestive diseases, mental health disorders and much more by choosing to use mainly suppressive forms of health care? We don’t use the label of disease in Jin shin Jyutsu® practice. We consider all disharmonious experiences as projects, which we can work on and learn from. Here are a few more postings to consider:

* http://peristaltor.livejournal.com/48451.html

* http://www.slideshare.net/AutoSurfRestarter/overtreated-why-too-much-medicine-is-making-us-sicker-and-poorer-by-shannon-brownlee

* http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12595624

If you contract the flu, statistics show that you probably will not die from it. There are many non-invasive and natural ways to support yourself as you live through the flu. Consult your local professionals for this information if you need it. In the Chatham-Kent area we have licensed Homeopaths, Registered Nutritional Consulting Practitioners (RNCP), Chiropractors, Certified Iridologists, Certified Reflexologists, Registered Massage Therapists, Licensed Acupuncturists, Certified Mind-Body Therapists etc. who can assist you (forgive me if I have left any of you helpful people out and reply to this article with your contact information so that the public can get to know you). If you would like to learn how to help yourself through the flu with Jin Shin Jyutsu®, please contact me and I will send you some information to consider.

It is important to keep a balanced approach to all things. If your symptoms are worsening and your fever is approaching dangerous levels, contact your medical professional for their assistance. Contact medical professionals if you experience any of the following things (from http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/infections/cold-flu/073.html#ArticleParsysMiddleColumn0009 you might want to print this out and post somewhere for easy reference, to help reduce your anxiety and allay your fears):

In children:

* High fever(above 103 degrees), or a fever that lasts for more than 3 days

* Symptoms that last for more than 10 days

* Trouble breathing, fast breathing or wheezing

* Bluish skin color

* Earache or drainage from the ear

* Changes in mental state (such as not waking up, irritability or seizures)

* Flu-like symptoms that improve, but return with a fever and a worse cough

* Worsening of a chronic medical condition (such as diabetes or heart disease)

* Vomiting or abdominal pain

In adults:

* A high, prolonged fever (above 102 degrees) with fatigue and achiness

* Symptoms that last for more than 10 days or get worse instead of better

* Trouble breathing or shortness of breath

* Pain or pressure in the chest

* Fainting or feeling like you are about to faint

* Confusion or disorientation

* Severe sinus pain in your face or forehead

* Very swollen glands in the neck or jaw

I hope that I have been able to give you another perspective on some things and that you are blessed with good and improving health.