Bogu Makes you sick?

[nothing]

OK, so I had pneumonia in January of this year... finally got healthy, but now have asthma... took abotu 5 weeks off kendo and felt much better. I just practiced 3 times this week, and by the third class, I had an upper resperatory infection.. could my men/bogu be making me sick?

[bullet08]

OK, so I had pneumonia in January of this year... finally got healthy, but now have asthma... took abotu 5 weeks off kendo and felt much better. I just practiced 3 times this week, and by the third class, I had an upper resperatory infection.. could my men/bogu be making me sick?

shouldn't whatever germs that was on your men/bogu have died while you took that 5 weeks off?

pete

[Halcyon]

OK, so I had pneumonia in January of this year... finally got healthy, but now have asthma... took abotu 5 weeks off kendo and felt much better. I just practiced 3 times this week, and by the third class, I had an upper resperatory infection.. could my men/bogu be making me sick?
When you say you "now have asthma," does this mean you were newly diagnosed with asthma recently?

[ne0r]

I can imagine that you can get sick if your men is moldy.

[Bruce Mitchell]

Yes, your bogu can harbor germs. I would recommend using something like Febreeze anti-microbrial on the non-leather parts and maybe a damp soapy cloth on the leather and mengane. Then hang it up to air dry thoroughly.

[Nanbanjin]

You could get sick from my bogu. I guarantee it.

[DarQik]

"Studies have shown that excessive, exhaustive exercise can deplete the immune system and increase the risk of colds." (from webmd, I didn't trust my memory)

Pneumonia can make it hard on the lungs to recover and leave you more prone to future infections and pneumonias. Build up the strength through regular exercise and don't overdo it right off the bat. (I should keep that in mind myself. Bah, like I'll do anything except go all out till I drop again...)

I suppose you could spray down your equipment with lysol... ? Always unpack it and let dry it out after practice to keep the evil things from growing.

[nothing]

Yea since the pneumonia I have been very prone to upper resperatory infection. The doctors told me that I may have developed asthma (but not an official diagonosis). I took the 5 weeks off, practiced 3 times pretty hard, then after the 3rd class.. boom.. my chest started to bubble and I'm shot. I was told that pneumonia can really do relatively long term damage to your immune system and that over excersize and over doing it can drop what's left of my immune system. So maybe it's a combination of all of it. I'm probably have to keep my practicing down to 2 times a week, spread the schedule out a bit and do some light excersize during the week. That plus eating right...

and I'll probably get some lysol for my men..

[Halcyon]

and I'll probably get some lysol for my men..
If it is indeed your men that's triggering the problems, do yourself a favor and go easy on the chemicals. Try using non-toxic methods first -- the most important one being to make sure you dry out your men thoroughly after each use. If you can get a little sunlight on the inside of the men, that should also help kill the germs/mold. Rubbing alcohol seems to work for me -- it doesn't leave any residue or scents. Heck, if it really becomes an issue, get yourself a spare men and switch between practices. Yes, it can be expensive and a hassle, but it beats getting sick.

[JoonShik]

Yea since the pneumonia I have been very prone to upper resperatory infection. The doctors told me that I may have developed asthma (but not an official diagonosis). I took the 5 weeks off, practiced 3 times pretty hard, then after the 3rd class.. boom.. my chest started to bubble and I'm shot. I was told that pneumonia can really do relatively long term damage to your immune system and that over excersize and over doing it can drop what's left of my immune system. So maybe it's a combination of all of it. I'm probably have to keep my practicing down to 2 times a week, spread the schedule out a bit and do some light excersize during the week. That plus eating right...

and I'll probably get some lysol for my men..
I would say, either clean your men, or just buy a new one.

-I kinda have the same problem, except it didnt hurt my Kendo, just changed my kiai. I went from asthmatic broncitus, to straight asthma, but Kendo actually helps my breathing. My Kiai became more of a death cry then anything. It's all for the better:glasses: :grin:

[Thunder]

an "organic" anti-bacterial liquid...is plain old vinegar.

Smells like hell, but it works well as a "cleaner".

Rubbing Alcohol is a very good recommendation, but it will dry out and crack the leather bits-- so be careful about where you apply it.

[nothing]

thanks for the advice guys! I'll try alcohol I guess, or order some hockey gear cleaner.. that stuff may be ok.. as for a new men.. grrrrrr I could do it, but not sure if I can afford it.. hhmmmmm let's try the rubbing alcohol...

[Halcyon]

thanks for the advice guys! I'll try alcohol I guess, or order some hockey gear cleaner.. that stuff may be ok.. as for a new men.. grrrrrr I could do it, but not sure if I can afford it.. hhmmmmm let's try the rubbing alcohol...
I spray the inside of the men and the men-dare -- any part that gets damp during keiko. No reason to spray it near any leather parts, really.

[slidercrank]

Hi Nothing:

There are 2 types of rubbing alcohol sold at pharmacies (CVS, for example): rubbing alcohol, usually 70% alcohol content; and isopropyl alcohol, usually 90% alcohol content.

For topical disinfection, you can't do better than isopropyl alcohol.

When you spray the inside of the men with either rubbing or isopropyl alcohol, I normally recommend covering up the inside of the mengane with a hand towel or tenugui, as alcohol can take off a little of the red paint. If you wet a white paper towel with alcohol and then wipe the mengane, you will see some red color on the paper towel. Therefore I avoid getting too much alcohol spray on the mengane.

However, the inside lower part of the mengane is also a place where a lot of germs hide, becase everytime you kiai, all your flying saliva lands there. Personally I wipe that area with a towel wet with just normal water.

In your particular case, if your source of infection is strictly from germs on the men (and not from other kendoka, etc), I think it's more likely that the source would be the inside lower part of the mengane, since it's right next to your mouth and nose the whole time your men is on. So if I were you, I would at least clean that area with alcohol at least once.

Hope you will feel well soon!

[Alison2805]

If youve just had a major infection like that, jumping into 3 trainings a week is pretty full-on!! Didnt your doctor tell you to take it easy? Cos thats pretty far from "easy".

Next time you see your doctor, get his advice on exactly how much training your respiratory system can handle, and how fast to build it back up. Jumping straight in like that is asking for trouble.

[nothing]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm thinking I'll be dropping my training to twice a week, and really trying to do something light like light jogging in between. I'm also going to try to disinfect the inside of my men, as i agree that the source of the bacteris must be in there.


Thanks again, I'll keep you all updated on my health!