Symptoms Vs Cause: How Philosophy Can Transform Your Health
Philosophy. YAWN. What a boring word, right?
When we think “Philosophy”, most of us drum up images of old guys in togas, sitting around contemplating questions like “what makes a chair...a chair?”
And yet, did you know that you have a health philosophy? Right now, you have one. And right now, it’s affecting your health in a big, big way.
A “Philosophy” is just a system of thought. It’s literally the way we think about something.
And we all have a way we think about health.
And for most folks, they believe that the absence of negative symptoms as the hallmark of good health.
I.e., “If I feel good, I’m healthy!”
But that is a very dangerous Philosophy.
The reason it’s dangerous, is it puts the focus on the SYMPTOM, and not the CAUSE of the symptom.
I.e., my PAIN is the symptom. Therefore, PAIN is the problem. And the absence of PAIN equals good health.
WRONG.
Something happened before the PAIN happened.
According to the CDC:
Half of the men who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. (source). Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease.
Were those men “healthy” until they died suddenly of heart failure?
No. Of course not. The problem was building, and building, until finally, the heart attack happened.
The same is true for many back problems. The same is true for many problems, in general!
It starts with a little pain. Then, a little more. Then, more. Until finally, one day, things “give”, and something minor (like walking down the stairs, or bending over to tie your shoes) is the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”. And then, BOOM. Herniated disc, and MASSIVE pain.
The symptoms are your friend. And small symptoms are trying to communicate that there’s a problem. Just like a fire alarm - as annoying as it is, the job of a fire alarm is to alert people that there is a fire.
Now, if we “treat” the fire alarm, and take out the batteries, have we solved the problem?
If we think the problem is the noise from the fire alarm, then yes, we do think we solved the problem.
However this is just not true! The fire alarm was never the problem. Whatever is CAUSING the fire alarm to sound off is the real problem. And until that thing is identified and addressed, the problem is likely going to get bigger and more destructive.
Symptoms vs Causes
Symptoms are your friends. Causes are the problem.
We spend the time to get down to the root cause of a problem. Then, we address it.
And when you “put out the fire”, guess what happens to the fire alarm? You guessed it - it goes back to being quiet!
When you address the root cause of a health problem, what do you think happens to the symptoms? Yep - it corrects.
That’s the Philosophy we use to get our patients results. It serves them, and it serves us. We hope it serves you as well.
When we think “Philosophy”, most of us drum up images of old guys in togas, sitting around contemplating questions like “what makes a chair...a chair?”
And yet, did you know that you have a health philosophy? Right now, you have one. And right now, it’s affecting your health in a big, big way.
A “Philosophy” is just a system of thought. It’s literally the way we think about something.
And we all have a way we think about health.
And for most folks, they believe that the absence of negative symptoms as the hallmark of good health.
I.e., “If I feel good, I’m healthy!”
But that is a very dangerous Philosophy.
The reason it’s dangerous, is it puts the focus on the SYMPTOM, and not the CAUSE of the symptom.
I.e., my PAIN is the symptom. Therefore, PAIN is the problem. And the absence of PAIN equals good health.
WRONG.
Something happened before the PAIN happened.
According to the CDC:
Half of the men who die suddenly of coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms. (source). Even if you have no symptoms, you may still be at risk for heart disease.
Were those men “healthy” until they died suddenly of heart failure?
No. Of course not. The problem was building, and building, until finally, the heart attack happened.
The same is true for many back problems. The same is true for many problems, in general!
It starts with a little pain. Then, a little more. Then, more. Until finally, one day, things “give”, and something minor (like walking down the stairs, or bending over to tie your shoes) is the proverbial “straw that broke the camel’s back”. And then, BOOM. Herniated disc, and MASSIVE pain.
The symptoms are your friend. And small symptoms are trying to communicate that there’s a problem. Just like a fire alarm - as annoying as it is, the job of a fire alarm is to alert people that there is a fire.
Now, if we “treat” the fire alarm, and take out the batteries, have we solved the problem?
If we think the problem is the noise from the fire alarm, then yes, we do think we solved the problem.
However this is just not true! The fire alarm was never the problem. Whatever is CAUSING the fire alarm to sound off is the real problem. And until that thing is identified and addressed, the problem is likely going to get bigger and more destructive.
Symptoms vs Causes
Symptoms are your friends. Causes are the problem.
We spend the time to get down to the root cause of a problem. Then, we address it.
And when you “put out the fire”, guess what happens to the fire alarm? You guessed it - it goes back to being quiet!
When you address the root cause of a health problem, what do you think happens to the symptoms? Yep - it corrects.
That’s the Philosophy we use to get our patients results. It serves them, and it serves us. We hope it serves you as well.
TAKEAWAY: Address the CAUSE, not the SYMPTOMS.
Our offer to you: If you'd like to come in, see one of our doctors to discuss your health, or how Chiropractic Care or Functional Medicine might support your body, then you can do so by claiming our $19 new patient special. Simply select the location you want to visit, give us a call, and we'll look forward to meeting you!
Our offer to you: If you'd like to come in, see one of our doctors to discuss your health, or how Chiropractic Care or Functional Medicine might support your body, then you can do so by claiming our $19 new patient special. Simply select the location you want to visit, give us a call, and we'll look forward to meeting you!