In my health awareness talks, I sometimes include the point that with most things in life, we follow the pattern of knowledge-choice-consequence (think about moving house, planning a holiday, getting insurance – even relationships!), but when it comes to health, we seem to work back to front. We start with the consequence…a health issue… and then consider choices to deal with it, but we either get overwhelmed if trying to self-help or end up at the doctor, and that’s as far as our choices go. That’s because we don’t have enough knowledge about what is happening in our body.
You might read on-line that applying X cream to your skin condition will help, and it will be backed by glowing testimonials with before and after photos, so it’s got to be great surely? But it doesn’t work for you - because you’re not them. And what of the diagnosis of high cholesterol, thyroid issues or the ever-increasing type 2 diabetes? Friends at work swear by this, relatives are taking that, and the doctor insists on the other. So, you try everything and maybe something will work, but it might take you a while to find a solution that works for you.
Well, instead of listening to the world and his wife, including Dr Google, why not listen to your own body? It would have been giving you clues for a while leading up to you noticing the symptom(s). Anything that you’re noticing – however trivial it may seem – could be a sign of nutritional deficiencies which, if left unaddressed, will manifest into something more serious which could have been prevented.
Take lack of magnesium for instance. You might start with a twitchy eye. Getting any magnesium for that? Nope, rather enjoying the sensation to be honest! OK, cramps next then. Up in the night…to get some magnesium? Nope, to tun round the bed gripping your cramped up leg. Hmmm, alright then, how about constipation. Your third sign of lack of magnesium. Finally, off to the chemist you go. Get any magnesium? No, laxatives. Headaches next…actually migraines. Surely now you have your fourth clear sign of lack of magnesium you’ll take action. You did? Great! Oh, but wait, you’re taking strong painkillers – not magnesium.
You might be thinking what’s so bad about winking at folk, slapping my leg and taking laxatives and painkillers every day. Well, quite a lot to be honest. Apart from the long-term side effects of medications, you’re only treating symptoms instead of addressing the cause – lack of magnesium. And, because you’re ignoring what your body has very cleverly demonstrated its lacking, you may now go on to experience depression. We need magnesium for dopamine production (dopamine is one of our feel-good brain chemicals) and your reserves are low. Or, you might have a heart attack. All our muscles need magnesium and there’s no more precious muscle than your heart, but you didn’t have enough knowledge to know that your collective symptoms over the years were clues you were lacking in it.
So, pay attention to what your body is saying. What’s changing? Increased ear wax? Coating on your tongue? Ridges on your fingernails? Niggly headache that’s becoming more regular? Digestion playing up? Anything you are treating or dealing with shouldn’t be looked at in isolation. Join up the dots. If you can’t do that, then I can help 😊
On my website I have some free fact sheets on common health issues, with natural solutions.
If you’d like a health awareness presentation to your work, group or club, get in touch. Investing in health is something we should all be doing. Prevention is better than cure... as they say!
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