People who see the proverbial glass as half empty may be nearly four times more likely than their optimistic peers to come down with a cold.
According to a new report, psychological stress, particularly the chronic type that may accompany a neurotic and negative personality, is a risk factor for colds. An optimistic outlook and outgoing personality seemed to protect individuals, investigators found.
The findings indicate that high levels of psychological stress are moderately associated with common colds. While the common cold is rarely serious, it can be blamed for about 30 million days of lost work in the US each year.
To investigate whether stress increased the likelihood of developing a cold, the researchers surveyed more than 1,100 Spanish university staff and students at regular intervals over a 1-year period. The study homed in on different types of stress including stress life events, perceived stress, and having a generally negative outlook and neurotic personality compared with a positive and extroverted one.
Individuals with a negative outlook were at greatest risk of developing colds regardless of their use of vitamin C and zinc, and their smoking and drinking habits.
Those at next highest risk were individuals who believed that they were under stress. These people were nearly three times as likely to develop a cold, the report indicates.
Psychological stress can take a toll on the immune system by reducing the concentration of cytokines, proteins that help to ward off infections. Individuals who are under stress are also more prone to behaviors that can make them vulnerable to disease, such as
It can also raise the perception of illness.
Epidemiology May 2001;11:345-349
Yes folks, stress is a big one. When patients see me with a cold or flu, I always question them as to how their diet, sleep and stresses are going, as it is nearly always one of them that are off.
The most common single cause in my experience is falling off the wagon for the food choices. Sugar and grains are usually the big ones. However, stresses of many sorts are clearly nearly as common. For more information on how to optimize your immune system so you can permanently avoid flu and other illness, check out my new book.
I usually use an infusion of HCl and magnesium to treat the acute symptoms of the flu and encourage people to address the reasons why they became sick to prevent a recurrence.
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