Page 104 - South Mississippi Living - July, 2019

HEALTHY LIVING head havoc
PSYCHOLOGY OF THE
veryone knows the ailing feeling at the onset of a cold. People want to continue their routine in the functioning world, but know it is best to get plenty of bedrest and drink fluids. What is occurring in the brain
throughout a bout with a cold?
According to the American Psychological Association (APA) website, the immune system jolts into action and activates the release of several exacting types of cytokines when the body detects an attacking bug. These small proteins perform many different functions, but they are essentially the immune system’s messengers, alerting the central nervous system of the illness and that it is time to mount a counter-attack.
Pediatric and Adult ENT, Allergy and Sinus Specialist and Head and Neck Surgeon, Bryan
D. Leatherman, M.D., FAAOA of Coastal Sinus and Allergy Center says, “Different cytokines are released under certain circumstances to try and accomplish a goal of taking care of a problem. These cytokines also communicate with other cells to say, ‘I need your expertise as a different type of immunologic cell to come here and help take care of the problem.’”
The APA website states that cytokines play havoc with brain chemistry. A sick brain declines in its ability to think, feel, learn and react. Mood is one of the first things to change, when an individual catches a cold. Both sexes tend to get angry, short- tempered and experience something psychologists refer to as negative affect, which is an elaborate term for feeling crummy about oneself and life in general.
The flood of illness connected chemicals in
the head muddles with mental performance, especially alertness and reaction time. Concurrently, one’s ability to synthesize spoken information staggers and changes to the activity in the frontal lobes may lead to problems with psychomotor abilities including coordination, strength, speed and balance. Furthermore, being sick jumbles the brain’s ability to store new information and memories.
Most of a person’s mental and psychological murkiness lifts along with other cold symptoms. It is still unknown why reaction time remains slower a week after a cold passes.
Dr. Leatherman says, “When you don’t feel well, you tend to be drowsier, less attentive and less oriented to details. When you have a cold,
it certainly can affect your mental preparedness and your ability to deal with complex situations, questions and tasks.”
The APA website declares that apart from slaying a common cold with sufficient rest and forcing fluids, there is not much that can be done to offset the unfortunate affects of cytokines associated with this familiar illness. At least when it comes to alertness a person can drink a caffeinated beverage, which can help sharpen the brain even when someone is feeling poorly.
104 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • July 2019
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net
story by Lisa Toye Kaufman