[Master_B]

Hi all,

I'd like to address this problem and hope to find a solution. If anyone else has similar experience please share it with me as well as how you've dealt with it.

I am in my early 20s, and prior to practicing kendo, I rarely get sick. I have been practicing for a year and I get sick once every two months like clockwork and lately the frequency has increased to once every month. Sicknesses include, colds, flu's, and last November the H1N1 virus. I know that rigorous physical activities reduce your immune system functions. However, at my dojo we practice twice a week, and for two hours each, which is probably not a whole lot compared to some of you guys. I am not an athlete and I have never done any sports or physical activities for pretty much my entire life before kendo. I understand that it does take time for your body to adjust to the newly introduced workouts but it has been a year! I keep telling myself that it will get better and have only seen otherwise. My family doctor gives me incoherent answers and my dojo members don't understand because they all seem fine.

I took some time off kendo lately due to frequent travels and an injured left heel, and I have to say, I am illness free. I can't help but make the assumption that kendo is making me sick. I mean, I hate to say it but given what I've seen, practicing kendo is weakening my immune system. I enjoy kendo, but I am afraid that I do not have the capacity to be sick and drugged up half of the time. Missing school, missing out on my social life, the feeling of incapability, wondering what is wrong with me, all of that is depressing and infuriating.

So if anyone cares to give me some advice it would really mean a lot to me.

PS I don't know if this helps but I am considered to be "too skinny" as I've been told by many, many people including my sensei, but honest to God, I was born like this. I eat lots, sleep lots, happy, active. I don't do drugs, quit smoking, and only drink occasionally and never let it get out of hand. Really, there is nothing terribly wrong with me. Nothing except this.

Thank you for your time

Stacy

[syptopsygieds]

Your activity levels aren't all that high. Your diet is probably a much bigger factor here...

[soprofaxel]

I eat relatively healthy though. I don't eat fried food and I don't drink pop. I don't ever go on a diet or cut out any particular food group. I tend to steer away from fatty and greasy food but sometimes you just can't say no to that steak and mashed potato.

[swoluelvede]

I would go see your doctor and explain your concerns. I doubt that kendo is the cause.

[sposicke]

I’m not a doctor and just a n00b when comes to kendo so there are probably better advisors on this forum then me. So what I wrote bellow is just something what I’ve learned by sitting at home in bed sick and grumpy because of the flue.

For me is the other way around I have a weak immune system and the only thing that kept me this winter from getting a flu was an anti-flue vaccine I did.
There are ways to increase you immune system by the way, weak anti-flu drugs that keep you immune system in shape (I know because I take some of them….also you need lots of vitamin C -I always have an orange in my bag…but the best thing is ask a doctor about it so he can prescribe something, if the family doctor didn’t gave you the right answers maybe is time to talk to another doctor)

One thing I did notice is that I get really sick after kendo practices if:
I get to leave the dojo with my hair wet. Because of the effort I sweat allot so going out immediately after the class is finished especially if outside there are -10 degrees can’t be really helpful. Also it helps to wear something on your head even if it is warm outside.
There are windows opened when you practice and it’s could outside. There were times when one part of the floor was freezing cold because it was just besides the window (we had a really ruff winter by the way) but the air inside the gym was so hot you could barely breathe.
There is dust of other stuff ….no matter how hard you clean one gym there is always going to be something in the air …combining this with the pollution in one city and you get a hypersensitivity to all kinds of viruses ….if you are a smoker it gets worse.
Don’t forget if you are a girl and skinny there is a probability you have anemia (but that will show if you do some blood work ) …that will make you more sensitive and you immune system weaker.
Also eating allot doesn’t men eating healthy food. (something I have to remember as well)

[oB8LI2kP]

Could it be allergies of some sort? Maybe in any incense (if its being burned) or to something else that you come in contact with at the dojo?

[beth]

Could be allergies. Talk to your doctor.

[Vmysobfi]

First off, you need to go to your doctor. All the internet diagnoses in the world don't measure up to a single 5 minute blood test. That said, there's a couple of things you might want to consider.

1) As goth melancolia stated, as a skinny girl in her mid twenties, you're most likely anaemic, it's just a matter of determining to what level. When you mention that you'll occaisonally eat a steak and potatoes it suggests that perhaps you're not eating much red meat, which would amplify this significantly

2) Even though you said you're eating healthy, you may well be not eating enough. There are two main ways to get sick from diet, nutritional deficiency (not eating the right kind of things) and energy deficiency. Do you know why humans love junk food? they're absolutely fantastic sources of energy. If you're eating a lot of salads and less carbs and protein, there's a good chance you're simply not getting the number of calories your body needs to maintain itself. A major symptom of this is a weakened immune system. Try to record just how much energy you're putting in to yourself on a daily basis.

3) You may have a chronic disease which reoccurs when you exercise (as was stated, exercise does suppress the immune system). Things like hepatitis, glandular fever, ross river fever and the like can easily remain in your system for years. This is a very low probability, but I don't believe in sugar coating things. Again, see your doctor and see what they say.

4) This is similarly a one in a million chance. Is it particularly humid where you live? Bogu are actually pretty disgusting inventions, there's a small chance you have mold growing somewhere in the futon. If you're sure kendo is what's making you sick, that's a far more likely culprit to me than your immune system getting suppressed when no-one else in your club's is

[kucheravka]

Guys, it ain't allergies lol. It's kinda gross so I don't wanna say it but lol it's not allergies.

GothMelancolia, I eat pretty healthy and I take supplements. I think you're right about the temperature cuz I am pretty sensitive to that and going from hot to cold in kendo is not helping.

stealth_monkey, I eat red meat everyday and I don't really like vegetables. By trying to eat healthy I really meant that I try to eat more veggies. My diet is mostly meat, carbs, fruits, and some diary. I do eat a lot. According to my friends I eat shockingly large portions. That's just how I was raised, lol eat lots and sleep lots! How would you know if there are molds growing in your bogu? I mean it's only a year old and I dry it after every practice. I do live in a humid environment but not nearly as bad as some regions of the world.

[Sotmoigma]

do you touch your face alot? do you rub your eyes? Are you washing your hands properly? Most colds and Flu are from touch. For example, You touch a contaminated door knob or elevator button then touch your face. boom you got the cold. Also more than likely you contracted your cold or flu 2 to 3 days before you felt the effects. Somehow a virus was able to get past your skin barrior into a membrane and into your blood stream.

maybe during taitari you may get droplets in your face but that person has got to be spraying big time. Catching a cold or flu from physical activity is a huge assumption. I know whenever I'm sick, Physical activity makes me feel better...along with chocolate ^_^

[popillio]

I am not a supporter of internet diagnoses either, but would like to throw in an opinion.

If you really want to know if it is Kendo that is making you sick. Go to the doctor, but do it twice.

Now would be a good time to do it the first, because you stopped practicing for a while. Have some blood taken, maybe a blood pressure measure.

If everything is fine (or maybe you do have some illness) start practicing kendo again and in a month or two (preferably before you get sick again) go again, do the same tests, and see if anything has changed for the better/worsed.

This is something I have done for my astma, to see if sports improved it and it was rewarding.

[rootoronpunty]

You might get your vitamin D levels tested while your at the clinic.

Hope the Doc can help you figure this out!

[Navzrrqt]

I'm not going to comment on your diet, you like fine by me.
I had a girlfriend with the same problem, she ate like a sailor but had size 0 or 2 (not really familiar with US sizes).

What do you do after practice? Do you just sit and talk for over an hour in your wet gi or do you directly hit the showers?
I had some problems myself but that was because I just sat in my wet gi talking for over an hour in a relatively cold dojo, or when putting on my normal clothes I directly went outside and had some small talk there.

Good luck, hope you find the solution and stick with kendo.

[NumsAmenniams]

Since you're pretty sure it's kendo I see no alternative but to just quit ;-)

Seriously as has been said by more than one. This is a matter for you and your Dr(s)? to figure out not for the general internet community.. aw hell, even if I was a Dr. I'd barely be able to get a decent medical history here.. I'd certainly not be able to do some of the simple tests that might nail this down.

[Fegemiembendy]

You should definitely get checked out again and let your doctor know all the details of your routine and things like that. As Ron said none of us are in a position to give much more advice than that over the internet. There are a great many factors that could increase your exposure to sickness, being close in the dojo can be one factor. Also your body changes as you age a bit and at every stage your immune and other systems can be affected differently. Of course your doctor will want to make sure that you don't have some underlying sickness that is compromising your immunity as well. But there are lots of things that can be going on that are not directly related to doing kendo and that can be minimized or prevented with the proper care.

[aaaaaaahabbbby]

Do your friends share your healthy lifestyle? Getting colds and the flu... unless you live in a bubble, that just happens, and contrary to what people will tell you, an ounce of prevention is fuck all. Both I and my wife teach school, so I'm always getting colds. I wash my hands all the time, take vitamins, etc. etc... these things will get in there. Stress will also lower your immune system. If you're in midterm season or whatever, that could be it....

I seriously doubt it's kendo, however. It's probably helping you!

[Charryith]

Cant you just be sickly for no reason?

[kubekniekubek]

I am a doctor. My advice, make an appointment with a doctor. Have your physician take a detailed history, do a physical examination and perform lab tests appropriate to your differential diagnosis. If you're not happy, get another opinion or see a specialist for further evaluation.

[Oriesssedleli419]

I think the best advice you've gotten is to go explain all of this to your doctor, and have him help you figure it out. However, your story rang a bell with me ... loudly!
Way back in my mid-twenties (yeah, that was quite a while ago), me and a friend of mine decided that we wanted to look like professional wrestlers. So, we started doing the whole body builder routine, which included going to the gym three times a week and working out for several hours. By the time eight months had gone by, my friend was ready to quit because he said all of the intense working out kept making him sick. After months more of arguing and visits with his doctor, they finally came to the conclusion that he touched his face too much, and wasn't washing his hands enough. He would wipe sweat from his face with his hands, or with a small towel that he would throw onto the floor, a bench, or a piece of equipment. He would continue to sweat even after we were done and showered, so he'd wipe his eyes for a couple of hours afterwards. Once the doctor pounded it into his head, and he became super careful about anything that could transfer viruses into his body, he stopped being sick all the time. Of course, he was a dweeb and ended up becoming somewhat of a germ-o-phobe. And he never did have enough drive to truly develop his muscles so he just ended up gaining weight. But he did figure out that it wasn't the exercise directly that was making him sick.

[Nubtoubrem]

Hi!

Well, I read everyone else's replies first. I noticed that you said that everyone including your sensei thinks you are much too skinny. First, I am CLEARLY not an expert on Anorexia, but I have seen many shows on the topic and read several articles about it. Anorexics often think they are eating what they think is a large amount of food, but it really is a portion that can't even keep a bird alive. Or, they put a lot of food on their plate and swish it around to make it look like they ate more than the few bites they actually ate and then toss it. Anorexics also get tired and/or sick often from doing any strenuous activity due to the lack of food they eat and therefore a lack of decent nutrition that would keep their bodies running properly.

A person who is anorexic does NOT usually realise they are anorexic and will deny that they are, until it is too late or almost too late. You can get kidney failure, osteoporosis(A bone thinning disease that is caused by not getting enough vitamin D and calcium daily. ANYONE young AND old can get this. A person needs about 1200 mg of calcium and 800 IU (pref. more) of Vit. D a day to keep bones healthy, plus a healthy diet.), heart problems and a whole host of disorders that can either disable you or kill you if you do not eat properly.

I am saying this because nobody else has yet, and the fact that you said that everyone is telling you that you are too thin could be a sign that you are indeed anorexic. Only a Doctor can determine this by examining you and by asking family members and friends how you eat, because you may have a distorted view on your actual intake of food each day.

Anorexia is a dangerous disease that you MUST take into consideration or you could end up dead. Maybe it isn't, but what if it is? If I was you, I'd seriously take a look at what you REALLY eat each day and ask others the truth in what THEY see you eat.

If you are not eating properly AND enough food, then doing a strenuous activity like kendo that wears the body down(making you tired after each practice.) really could then make you sick a lot more because of the lack of nutrients and food in your body, which can make your body more susceptible to illness due to the lack of food and nutrition and the rigorous activity combined.

Well, that's just a thought. It may or may not be that, but I thought I'd toss it out here for you to think about. Please do seriously think about this. After reading your posts, it seems like you are REALLY picky about your food in a way that is like an anorexic might be. I may be just reading into it of course, but it's a serious thing, and not something to ignore.

PLEASE go see your Doctor and ask him/her about this possibility and about your problem with getting sick a lot.

I hope you will find the root of the problem soon.

Kaoru