Be careful what you say, because once it’s out there you can’t get it back. Be careful also what you don’t say, because there are effects from holding it in.

A client of mine, I will use the name Tom, called for a health consultation and reported he was having his fourth sinus infection within the year. He had no history of sinus disease prior to that, and otherwise was quite healthy. He had been trying to avoid antibiotics this time and wondered if I had any ideas.

I first asked Tom if he could accept the idea that he had some role in creating the infection, just like we understand that headaches can be related to stress in our lives. He agreed, so I started to explore what was going on in his life about the time the first infection occurred.

He stated he had retired from a 42 year career, but that had happened two months prior to the infection. He said he got bored really soon, and started volunteering his time at a hospice. This created two possibilities for a physical shift in his body. He had let go of a long career (and daily behavior pattern) and might be feeling less needed or productive. He also was now spending time among terminally ill patients, bringing in the possibility of the proximity to death impacting his body.

It still seemed we hadn’t discovered the root cause of the infections yet. I asked if there was anything that he felt or had wanted to voice with someone that he chose to keep inside. He remembered that shortly before the first sinus infection the clinical manager of the hospice sent him a message that his volunteer service was no longer needed. Now Tom knew the service he provided really helped the patients, and they all appreciated him, so he wanted to find out why he was essentially “fired” from his volunteer position.

The hospice manager refused to return any of his calls, and refused to see him in person when Tom visited the manager’s office. As Tom reviewed this, he remembered that his impression was that the manager was ultimately acting in many ways that were not in the best interest of the patients, and Tom desired to improve this.

That was it, the root cause of his newly created disease. Sinus infections are caused when there is a blockage of a sinus passage, and the sinus cavities can no longer drain into our throats. Without the drainage, an infection can build up. Tom had wanted to speak his mind to the young clinic manager, and had even wanted to go to her boss, and even the President of the parent company and share the story of the incompetence of the hospice manager.

Basically, Tom had some “toxic” words that he wanted to let out, but he was blocked from allowing them out. Armed with this new knowledge, Tom decided to create a plan to notify the president of the company about the situation of the incompetent manager. Tom set forth a plan to allow the toxic words to escape his body, now knowing that the toxins, or infection, in his sinus cavity could then drain as well.

So often this is the case with illness. It is a reflection and a creation from our thoughts and behaviors. Many times we can’t see the effect it is having on our body because we are too close to the situation, and we need an observer to uncover the truth for us.

It is not critical for Tom’s health that anything be done about the incompetency of the manager. It is simply important for Tom that he allow his thoughts to flow out of his body. Once released from holding in the thoughts, Tom will be allowed to focus on more peaceful and healthy thoughts.

Quite fascinating, eh? Oh, by the way, Tom is now infection-free and healthy again.