As winter deepens and the air grows drier, my body is still struggling to fully recover from a lingering cold. While the worst seems to have passed, the process of recovery takes time—especially at this age.
Although temperatures have risen and fallen, they are steadily moving toward true winter cold. I hope that by the time we pass the winter solstice, my body will have adapted to it.
The cold I caught recently has been slow to resolve. I first noticed a sore throat the day after my younger brother’s funeral, and it gradually worsened. The sharp pain has now subsided, and the mucosa seems to be repairing itself. Physically, I feel I have passed the worst point.
Dry air and stress likely damaged the mucosal lining, allowing bacteria to trigger inflammation. Macrophages and neutrophils led the initial response, while nearby lymph nodes recognized the disturbance and expanded their lymphocyte populations, resulting in swelling. As inflammatory cells gained the upper hand locally, the mucosa healed and the pain eased.
This is the phase of post-conflict cleanup. Lymphocytes—the peacekeeping forces—are now arriving in an organized manner. It is what we call acute bronchitis: small skirmishes may still be occurring here and there, so it is not unusual for recovery to take time, and the cleanup must proceed carefully.
Recovery requires stamina. Advertisements often suggest that taking cold medicine and sleeping for one night will bring quick relief. That may be true for someone in their twenties, but for a man over sixty, immune responses do not work so swiftly.
Enhancing immunity sounds appealing, but training macrophages or neutrophils is not easy. Adaptive immune responses driven by lymphocytes may be strengthened, yet even they require time—perhaps a week—to recognize the enemy, mobilize, and fight effectively.
Rather than focusing on immune cells, it makes more sense to protect the body’s entry points, such as the throat mucosa. With aging, saliva production decreases, and extreme dryness further injures the throat. Strengthening the throat itself is difficult, so protection becomes essential. In this regard, wearing a mask helps counter dryness. Though I dislike masks, I have reluctantly increased the time I wear one—not for infection prevention, but to protect my throat and as a matter of cough etiquette.
And then, sleep. Adequate sleep clearly supports immune function. Recently, I have been going to bed by 11 p.m., securing about six hours of sleep, which seems to be helping my recovery. Alcohol is not ideal, but since it helps relieve stress, I have settled for moderation rather than abstinence.
Ultimately, it is impossible to completely escape illness. What matters in daily life is minimizing the damage each encounter brings.
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