“ An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”
-Benjamin Franklin
It is not uncommon for people to have been through the mill of many exams and tests only to be told nothing is wrong. In 35 plus years of practice experience and expertise this is an all too common theme I have found in people seeking answers and care for their health challenges. While on one hand it is a blessing to be told that there is nothing wrong and that there is no outright pathology or diagnosis from a medical point of view, it certainly can be quite frustrating because you know in your heart of hearts that something is just not right.
Your body is talking to you and you should pay attention. The knowledge and truths behind optimal health and well being are powerful concepts that you can implement only if you are aware of them and apply them to your life.
Pain, fatigue, malaise, intestinal problems along with sometimes other vague symptoms are important signals that the body is having trouble and need to be taken seriously. Much like a warning light in the dash board of your car, symptoms are warning signals of potential trouble up ahead. Most people will take their car into a mechanic if the oil pressure light comes on because they know if that problem is not at least check out it could mean their car may breakdown. However, when people experience pain or other vague symptoms (the body’s “dashboard” lights) all too often it is ignored or delayed or just covered up with medication that does not fix the problem. That is like putting a piece of tape over the car dashboard light, the warning signal is blocked but is the problem really fixed?
Health is not merely the absence of disease any more than wealth is the absence of poverty. Simply “feeling fine” does not mean you are healthy, for we know that many serious health problems may progress for year without causing any symptoms. Hypertension and diabetes are perfect examples, they may progress for years without any real symptoms until “all of a sudden” they are discovered by routine blood tests or again vague symptoms.
On the other hand, it is also very common for people to suffer from chronic, low grade inflammatory or allergic conditions as many of my patient do and still have been told by previous doctors that nothing is wrong or your blood test look great. This is especially true when it comes to poorly understood conditions such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Fibromyalgia.
Unfortunately, much of the current healthcare system in the United States is based on disease care, crisis care or emergency care. Often people with chronic degenerative conditions such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia fall through the cracks as there often are no real answers or help is palliative or temporary at best.
Fortunately, there is an approach to health care that looks for the root cause of health challenges, offers real solutions and “outside of the box” thinking to resolve health problems and not just cover them up. That approach which I use with all my patients is functional medicine. The key to health is to become a proactive agent for your body and not wait until your symptoms become so severe you are forced into desperate measures.
Wellness care utilizing the principles of functional medicine is a much saner approach.
Call us for more information on the wellness care approach to health care.