The Bronchitis Experiment

Purely in the interest of science, I decided to catch the nasty bronchitis bug that’s going around so the effects of exercising with bronchitis could be studied.  It’s a service I selflessly provide, because nobody else in the history of the internet has ever tried to run with a chest cold and posted about it online.

And the results are mixed.  Exercise can make symptoms better or worse, depending on how bad the symptoms are to start with and how intense the exercise.  As an extreme example, when my symptoms were at their worst, walking to the bathroom exceeded my exercise capacity.

On the bright side, some heavy breathing can be a great way to get congestion moving out of the system.  If it’s done gradually, it’s possible to increase the intensity of exercise as the lungs clear out.  If it’s done too abruptly or symptoms are simply too severe, it’s a recipe for out of control coughing.  Nothing makes me look more athletic than being bent over on the side of the road coughing up my lungs.

Which brings up the downside.  Exertion can irritate the lungs, which makes the bronchitis worse.  So there’s a happy medium, where breathing is heavy enough to clear out the lungs but not so bad as to leave them hyper-sensitive and inflamed.

You may have noticed the use of the terms “exercise” and “exertion” instead of “running”.  After taking time off to rehab my knee, then further time off while bronchitis was at its worst, the best I can manage at the moment is a brisk walk up a slight grade, and maybe a mild jog downhill.  It’s not really enough to improve my fitness.

So why do it?  Because the weather is beautiful outside, and nothing feels so good as a brief burst of speed carefully stepping from rock to rock on a muddy section of trail, during that brief moment when you can breathe deeply and comfortably.  For a moment I am healthy, and perhaps it’s a bit naïve, but how can that moment possibly be bad for me?

Meditate with Mucus

After days of laying on the couch with a fever, a trip to the doctor, and several doses of antibiotics, I finally awoke this morning feeling rested and normal.  A perfect time to meditate for a few and focus my mind on fully returning to the land of the living.  And so…

Breath in deeply, feeling the lungs expand.  Exhale gently, feeling the flow of air through the nose and hearing the gurgling and bubbling sounds emanating from the chest.  Breath again and don’t just hear the sounds, but feel the congestion resisting the flow of air.  Note the reluctance to exhale fully, in an attempt to avoid the unfamiliar and creepy sensations.

Focus on the sensations of breathing, but try not to react to them.  Note that the ribs are tender and sore from days of intense coughing.  Note that the teeth are clenched with the tongue in between.  Calmly place the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth and return the focus to the breathing.

Write about the experience on your blog.  Pause to think about what to write next and notice that gurgling is still there, despite having left a sizable amount of mucus in the bathroom.  Wonder how the tongue found its way back between clenched teeth.

Realize that meditation is not automatically calming.  It is the practice of observing but not reacting to sensory input and thoughts.  Calm is the absence of instinctive reaction.  Focusing on the breath usually leads to calm because the brain does not think “OMG, I’m breathing normally!”

But when you mediate with mucus, new and novel sensations result from the act of breathing.  The brain tries to determine if this is a threat.  A sudden urge to drink water arises.  Fluids are good for thinning mucus.  Adrenals are activated.  Why focus on breath at a time like this?  Getting water is the single most import thing in the world.

The urge must be resisted.  Give in, and the brain will create a dozen new urges.  Realize the urgency is a result of adrenal involvement.  Make a mental note to get some water later, and look for the adrenal off switch.  Sadly, it’s located in the room marked “focus on the breath”.