Symptoms Are Important: Don’t Cover Them Up!
Natural Healing is really a simple process; if there is not enough nutrients—replace them; if there are too many toxins—eliminate them; if functions like digestion, elimination, immune protection, etc. are not functioning properly—support them; and if inflammation is wreaking havoc—identify and quench it.
How simple can it be? Then why aren’t we all doing it? Because these issues often make themselves known by producing symptoms like gas & bloating, foggy thinking, constipation, weight gain or loss, headaches, joint pain, allergies, frequent illnesses and many more. Our medical mentality has been to relieve the symptom. Cover them up. If we make you feel better quick you can go on with living your life.
This may work for a while but not for long. I just got off the phone with a pilot. I explained it this way: suppose you are cruising at 30,000 feet and an alarm goes off on the control panel. Do you take out the fuse that controls the alarm or take out the light bulb that lights up the alarm? Of course not! The annoying noise and flashing light is there to get your attention to address something that is not functioning properly. There are specific alarms for different areas of the plane. Each area of the plane has its own specific function and each of these functions together keep the plane in flight. A malfunction in any one area may affect other functions so it must be addressed quickly to keep the plane safe until proper repair is made.
Our bodies are more complex than a plane, yet when the symptom alarm goes off we immediately look to take out the light bulb or silence the alarm. We are totally unconcerned that the improper function that caused the alarm may eventually hinder other functions.
A good example of this is a fever. Some people panic at the slightest rise in body temperature and immediately seek ibuprofen and such to lower their temperature. In reality, a fever is the body’s way of killing off pathogens, kind of like pasteurization, where high heat kills the germs. If we keep the fever from getting high enough to kill the germs we are actually giving them a chance to proliferate and we end up with a full blown infection. Now I am not saying that all fevers should go unaddressed. No, I am saying that a slight temperature means that the body is working properly and is trying to protect you without the need of antibiotics. This is a good symptom.
What about stomach issues? Many people take over the counter antacids to deal with indigestion. They sometimes get some relief but find they can’t function well without them. Are their bodies suffering from an antacid deficiency? I doubt it. But it is easier to cover the symptom than to identify and correct the cause.
In many cases, people who take antacids actually suffer from not enough stomach acid. This leads to the proliferation of bacteria, fungus and other pathogens like H. Pylori, which cause ulcers. The GI tract is lined with a mucosal membrane that helps keep pathogens out. It also protects the stomach from being irritated by the strong stomach acid. This acid is needed to insure proper digestion. If we are deficient in zinc or chloride or other nutrients, the stomach acid production diminishes and actually produces symptoms much like too much acid. In addition, the improperly digested food ferments and produces irritation to the GI tract. If a person is on an anti-inflammatory Cox inhibitor, they may end up with thinned mucosa, which may lead to an ulcer. If they take antacids for the gastric symptoms without determining the cause, they may actually be making the stomach worse.
Even natural health methods may fall short. Many people believe that if they take a natural remedy for a symptom that it is better than taking a drug. In some ways it is since natural methods rarely have side effects if taken correctly. But how does this help find the cause? The underlying problem still remains. Health practitioners need to be familiar with how the body functions and must be able to trace the symptoms to the cause of the issue. Fix the pathway, fix the function and the symptom will go away.
I recently had someone come to me for help because after working with several practitioners, his stomach issues still remain. Each practitioner did gastrointestinal testing. Some natural remedies were given to stop the symptoms, yet they remain. The cause of the alarm was not found. After assessing the person I was able to trace back to the ultimate imbalance, in this case lack of stomach acid. After this was addressed the symptoms went away.
Think about this before you reach for the next over the counter remedy.
Donna