2022/12/25

I'm sure you all remember that at the end of 2019, after human infections with Covid-19 were confirmed in China, the virus quickly spread to Hong Kong, causing many foreigners to flee to their home countries. Now, in the three years since then, those who have been newly appointed to Hong Kong and those of us who have chosen to remain in Hong Kong have been forced to endure the inconveniences of institutional quarantine and compulsory testing.

However!! Finally, restrictions on entering Hong Kong have been greatly relaxed, and I think many people have decided to return to Japan temporarily this winter. My family is no exception, and my youngest child decided to return to Japan temporarily for the first time to set foot on the soil of his home country.

It's been three years since I last visited Japan. What I'm scared of is the cold and dry weather. As soon as we arrived in Japan, an endless loop of runny noses and coughs began in our household. Perhaps the virus that my child brought from Hong Kong had made its way around the family, and just when it had calmed down, another child spread a different virus, and the end is finally in sight. It's a time when we have a lot of fun plans, like meeting relatives and friends, going to places that you can only go to in Japan, so as a parent, I hope that he will somehow get better with determination!

...Huh!? Can willpower cure a cold? First of all, what does the old saying "illness comes from the mind" mean? In this article, I would like to explore the truth of this from a psychological and neuroscience perspective.

When we are under excessive mental stress, as well as physical stress, our immune system weakens and we become more susceptible to catching colds and other illnesses. In other words, the state of the mind and the state of the body strongly influence each other. In addition, in winter, there are more advertisements for cold medicines on TV commercials, and in conversations with teachers and adults at school, we naturally hear more and more people say, "Be careful not to catch a cold." Children are very sensitive to adult conversations, so the idea that "it's easy to catch a cold in winter" is imprinted on their minds. At the same time, parents' anxiety and worries about what to do if their children catch a cold are conveyed to their children, which can worsen the child's cold or illness, or even cause the child to develop symptoms themselves. It's a kind of suggestion, but this is due to the fact that psychological and neuroscience aspects have a large influence on catching colds and illnesses.

On the other hand, an experiment using rats showed that when rats with the same disease were divided into groups, rats in group B, which were given "hope" to be able to control the situation and avoid bad situations, had a higher survival rate than rats in group A, which were placed in an environment where they could not avoid stressful situations. It can be said that being able to find hope even in a highly stressful environment or situation reduces stress and strengthens the immune system. In other words, it is known that the cognitive aspects of how a person perceives the stressful situation and how they perceive it play a major role not only in the process of contracting a cold or illness, but also in the process of recovering from it, and that these factors affect the immune system.

So, what is the best way to prevent and treat colds and illnesses during this time of year when colds are likely to spread? It is to "not be overly conscious of colds and illnesses." We inherently have within us the energy to become healthy, the energy to cure illness, and the energy to become the person we want to be and achieve self-realization. If we become too conscious of illness and think too much about "what if I get sick" or let excessive anxiety and worry about "what if I never get better," we will use this energy on the anxiety and fear that arises. If we can use the energy we inherently possess for prevention and treatment, it will lead to the prevention of colds and illnesses and a quick recovery.

When a child falls down and starts crying, as long as you focus on the blood coming out of his leg, the child will not stop crying. However, the moment you say, "That must have hurt. Shall we buy some sweets to take home?" the child stops crying, and when you are choosing sweets at the supermarket, you may remember the crow that was crying earlier. The power of consciousness is that great.

As mentioned above, "hope" strengthens the immune system. It is also very important to help children to think of fun things to do after catching a cold or getting sick, and to put them in a state of mind where they can feel at ease. Various studies have shown that when a child is given a fake medicine (placebo) by a doctor, they believe that it must be effective because it is given by a doctor, and their headache or stomachache goes away. The words "It's okay" from a parent provide a great sense of security for a child, and will strengthen the body's natural immunity.

Of course, it's important to prevent colds and illnesses, but it's okay if you get stuck in an endless loop like in our house. Let's get through the cold winter together by having conversations that relieve stress and making fun plans for when you recover!

There's an event at our clinic!

This is a support group for parents who are having difficulties with their relationships with their children between the ages of 12 and 18. Why not explore ways to improve your relationship by exchanging opinions with experts and other parents?

Marie Kawai

Clinical psychologist. In Japan, she worked as a school counselor, providing psychological support to children who refuse to go to school, children who attend school in separate rooms, and children with developmental disabilities, and also provided individual counseling for panic disorder, PTSD, depression, eating disorders, etc. at a psychiatric clinic. In the rehabilitation outpatient clinic, she provided group therapy for patients who were on leave due to mental illness, and also provided in-company follow-up counseling after returning to work. She gained clinical experience in the fields of education, medicine, industry, and law, including group correctional education in prisons. After moving to Hong Kong, she was busy raising her three children, but by chance she returned to work at a psychiatric clinic.

OT & P Healthcare/ Mind WorX Clinic
MindWorX is a specialist psychiatric clinic run by OT and P Healthcare.
It is located a 2-minute walk from Central Station, and has a doctor who can speak simple Japanese and a Japanese clinical psychologist, so you can receive counseling in parallel with your prescription. If you don't want to take medication but would like to receive counseling, please contact us.

If you are experiencing any of the following problems, please feel free to contact us.
- Having trouble falling asleep at night or waking up too early in the morning
・Feelings of anxiety and worry never leave your mind
Excessive eating or lack of appetite
I'm tired of raising children
・I'm feeling stressed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
・Worried about relationships with your husband, wife, partner, or others

If you need support in Japanese when making your first reservation, please send us an email at marie.kawai@otandp.com and we will assist you in Japanese.

Mind WorX Clinic
OT&P – Internationally Accredited Medical Clinics in Hong Kong (otandp.com)
1/F Century Square, XNUMX D'Aguilar Street, Central, HK
6th Building, Century Plaza
Tel: 852 2468 3577
Fax: +852 2111 3850
Appointment WhatsApp: +852 6339 2639

Hong Kong LEI has set up a free question box for Marie Sensei. If you have never tried counseling before but would like to know more about counseling, please apply. Click on the screen for more details!