What Illness Teaches Us About Time

February 15, 2020

And what time teaches us about illness.

Time is relative, right? That’s what Einstein proved. Time may bend and widen and distort in the expanse of the universe, but our own reality is that time does not change — much. Sure, sometimes it seems that time flies by and sometimes it’s slow as a snail. And in times of illness time tends to be on the slower side. But trying to heal quicker than the body allows is, as of the present day, an impossibility.

Remember the fable, The Tortoise and the Hare? In this story by Aesop, the tortoise challenges the hare to a race. The hare, being fast and confident, can’t imagine losing the race to a sluggish shelled animal that crawls slower than an infant. You know the punchline — the hare sped off and decided to take a nap before finishing the race, believing there was no way the tortoise could catch up. But it did, and the tortoise won the race. The moral, “slow and steady wins the race.”

Your health is a great example of why a tortoise mindset can benefit you greatly. There aren’t many illnesses or injuries that heal in 24 hrs. Frankly, a week is usually the minimum time it takes to recover from most maladies.

But that’s too long, you say. You need to work. You have kids to take care of. We all know how inconvenient it is to be out of commission. Believe me, if I had a magic pill, I would prescribe it in a heartbeat. The truth is, most of the time the only cure is time. If only sorcery could make time move faster during illness. But alas, we are grounded again by the realities of science.

I often tell my patients that I’m going to give them a very important prescription. It’s a tincture that is the best remedy for any sickness or injury. And it’s called — wait for it — a tincture of time.

I know it sounds lame. You’re probably saying, “I’m done reading this, it’s no help to me.” But hear me out. Time can be a magic motivator. If we understand the duration of illnesses and injuries and set our expectations accordingly, we can save ourselves psychological agony and even some money. Here are three examples.

Back pain

Those who have experienced back pain know how severe the spasms can take hold of your body, gripping you like a vice and shooting electrical shocks down your legs. It can be excruciating as well as a time suck, being out work.

Physical therapy (PT) is really the only treatment that has been shown to decrease time to recovery. But even PT can’t heal you better than time. People often ask if I can get them feeling better so they can get back to work in a couple of days. When I tell them the symptoms are likely going to last 2–4 weeks, they’re shocked.

As difficult as it is to accept 2–4 weeks for recovery, if you allow your mind to accept this duration, setting your expectations appropriately, you’re likely to rest, heal well, and feel much more reassured during the entire process. It also prevents multiple doctor’s visits when the symptoms do not resolve in 1 week.

Sprains, Strains, and Tendonitis

Ankle sprains are probably the most common sprain to occur, but the wrist, knee, and shoulder are fairly prevalent as well. Sprains refer to tears in the tendons and ligaments, while strains refer to muscle tears, all of which can cause inflammation and pain. These injuries usually occur from minor trauma like the accidental twisting of a joint.

Tendonitis, on the other hand, is usually an overuse injury. For example, frequent typing at work or athletics such as golfer’s and tennis elbow can cause inflammation around the tendon.

Just as back pain, these injuries can last 2–4 weeks and sometimes longer. Most do not heal within a week and you should set a longer expected duration for recovery.

Upper Respiratory Infections

I see patients almost every day with upper respiratory symptoms such as sore throats, sinus congestion, and cough. The duration of these colds is probably one of the most misunderstood time courses. Most people believe that a typical cold or bronchitis — which are all caused by viruses — should be gone by 1 week. This myth propagates the notion that one should seek a medical evaluation if symptoms last longer then a week. Most people are nervous they might have pneumonia or need an antibiotic if symptoms continue past the 1-week mark.

The truth is that upper respiratory viral infections — the most common cause of upper respiratory illness — generally last up to 2 weeks. Sure, many people have had viruses that are gone by 1 week, but the expectation should be 2 weeks for symptom resolution. And unfortunately, a cough can linger up to 6–8 weeks and sometimes longer, even after all other symptoms are gone.

In the setting of a fever or other worsening symptoms, one should certainly seek a medical evaluation to rule out a bacterial infection. But if cold symptoms are simply persistent, wait out the 2 weeks before worrying that you might have something more dangerous. You’d be surprised how many times the extra wait can save you anxiety and the headache of going to the doctor.

Illness is to time as time is to illness

If illness teaches you that it takes time to heal, then time teaches you that you can persevere through illness.

Have you ever had the dreaded stomach bug — you know, the 24 hours of awful vomiting and diarrhea. I can’t tell you the number of times people have told me, “I thought I was going to die.” As horrible as you feel, you recover, right?

Time makes us strong because it shows us that we can conquer the infections and injuries, and even many of the chronic diseases that plague society. Simple illnesses and injuries generally come and go, leaving no trace of the problem after resolution. Knowing that you can defeat the simple illnesses can give us courage when more severe illness or injury finds us.

There is no better cure than that of time and rest. If we stay in the present with mindfulness while creating appropriate expectations for the future, this preparation brings reassurance, hope, and ultimately peace. And I believe that the more at peace you are with yourself and your illness, the faster you will perceive healing — maybe you will even heal faster by having a positive mindset.

And perhaps this is the way to circumvent time, by sensing a quicker recovery than that of the reality in which we live. No matter the perception, time is still time no matter how much we want it to move faster. So embrace time instead of despising it and you’ll be happy you did.