HYB Series PART 1: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

Did you know that your body is very intelligent? Every symptom you have is your body’s way of sending a signal to you that something “just isn’t right.” As a whole, we quickly ignore these important signals we are receiving from our body. In our very over-medicated nation, we are programmed to automatically reach for a medication, whether it be prescription or over-the-counter, to suppress our symptoms so we can get on with our day and on our “merry-little-way.” Through bombardment of impressive marketing by pharma industry and the continuous introduction of “new and improved” agents for physical and mental conditions that we didn’t even know existed, an incredible arsenal of “cures” have become available to “treat” every bump, bruise, ache, pain, cough, sneeze, wheeze and even burp. Now, when we are feeling a little “blue”, our physicians and advertisement have convinced us we have a “Prozac deficiency” or a “Zoloft imbalance.” If we have a bout of acid indigestion after consuming over 3000 calories in pizza and nachos dripping with fatty cheese during the Super Bowl, we quickly equate this to “too much acid” that can be fixed with a dose of Tums, Zantac or Prilosec OTC… and some consumers even take all three! If we have a fever, we instantly assume this as a negative reaction that demands immediate attention with Tylenol or Motrin. We think that we can protect ourselves from the flu simply by getting a flu vaccine. How about we take a step back for a just a moment and fully analyze each of these situations? If we did so, we would realize that in each example mentioned, our body is attempting to send an S.O.S. for us to PAY ATTENTION! Instead, we should question WHY these symptoms are occurring and search for the underlying cause instead of simply placing a “Band Aid” on it.

Tap into your imagination and visualize the following. You just purchased a gorgeous Mercedes E-Class sedan (or insert your favorite dream car here) and drove it straight off the showroom floor. The final sale price exceeded $70,000. You slide behind the wheel and are instantly overcome with the “new car” smell of sweet buttery leather. The sales manager hands you the keys and you excitedly drive the car away and start heading down the road. With only five miles on your odometer, the “check engine” light comes on. You look at the flashing caution light on your dashboard and immediately realize you have a dilemma. What do you do? Would you pull over, grab your owner’s manual and see if there is a button that can reset your car’s monitoring system with the hope that this was just a “new car electronic glitch” and that the potential underlying malfunction will go away after the light is turned off? OR, do you immediately turn around and drive back to the dealership so that the mechanics can run a diagnostic test to find out WHY the car detected an issue that signaled the check engine light to come on? I know this seems like a pretty silly question, and of course, you being a very savvy consumer who believes in high quality products, you would immediately take the car back to get it checked out. NOW, if you would investigate the “root cause” of your car’s dysfunction, why would you not do it for your own body’s dysfunction?

Even with all of the advancements of modern medicine, you can’t replace all of your body parts once they are worn out… although orthopedic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons may beg to differ with me. The time is NOW to consider listening more closely to how your body is communicating with you, and to start taking more preventative measures by making healthier choices in the present, so that ultimately we will have a more vital and enjoyable future. NOW is the opportune time to take more responsibility for your body by utilizing a more holistic approach to your own personal healthcare by treating your body as a whole integrated system instead of just segmented parts. Maybe you will start taking a more proactive approach to preventative measures for your health. I truly hope you will at least gain a new perspective on some aspect of YOUR life you need to pay more attention to, so you can begin the process to heal yourself… from within.

Tags: #AskDrLori, Empower, Healing Within, Health, Health Journey, Holistic, INSPIRATION, Natural Medicine, Nutrition