With cold and flu season starting earlier than usual in many parts of the country, biochemist, immunologist, and mind-body healing pioneer Dr. Judith A. Swack is drawing attention to an often-overlooked factor in who gets sick and why: emotional stress and unresolved trauma.
Psychological stress can suppress immune function and trigger low-grade inflammation, making the body more vulnerable to cold, flu, and other seasonal illnesses. That connection matters especially now, when early outbreaks are already straining households and workplaces.
Dr. Swack, originator of the Healing from the Body Level Up™ (HBLU™) methodology, argues that the timing of illness is not random. "Many people catch upper respiratory infections in winter. They assume it's just a virus that's going around," she says. "It has been my experience, however, that people get sick for only two reasons: They are physically run down (i.e. not enough rest, nutrition, or exercise) or, more commonly, they had a traumatic shock 24-72 hours prior."
Whether it's receiving unexpected bad news, revisiting a painful place or memory, coping with family conflict during the holidays, or facing financial stress, these experiences can activate the body's fight-flight-freeze response. Elevated stress hormones, including cortisol, can temporarily reduce immune activity, creating an opportunity for viruses already circulating in the body to gain the upper hand. This helps explain why two people exposed to the same virus can have very different outcomes.
The implications extend beyond individual suffering. If stress and unresolved trauma are common triggers for illness, then workplaces, families, and health systems may be underestimating the role of emotional health in seasonal disease patterns. Dr. Swack notes that many people don't consciously recognize the emotional events that trigger a stress response, and that unresolved trauma can continue to activate the nervous system long after the original event has passed. That means the immune system may remain under strain even when the stressful event is over.
Dr. Swack teaches practical techniques to help calm the nervous system, including daily habits that support regulation and simple mind-body techniques people can practice after upsetting events to restore calm. She is author of "Clear Trauma Now: The Powerful Solution for Getting Unstuck" and will present a "Clear Trauma Now Live Healing Webinar" on Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, 12, and 19 from 7 to 9 p.m. Details are available at hblu.org/live-healing-experience.
For those looking to understand the broader framework behind her approach, more information can be found at HBLU.org. As flu season arrives early, the takeaway is that protecting immune defenses may require attending not only to physical rest and nutrition but also to the emotional shocks that can quietly undermine health.
