Here are 4 common attitudes that a lot of people have about health that can actually stop us from being truly healthy. I have listed them here and explained my reasons as to why these attitudes may not necessarily be correct.
ATTITUDE 1: Symptoms mean we are sick
Many people consider certain symptoms to be signs of sickness, but this is not always the case. Take for example a fever. You have an infection and you develop a fever. A lot of people will think they need to get rid of this fever quickly, so take something like paracetamol to help lower the body temperature. Now let’s look at the same situation but in a different light. Your body has realised that it has an infection and knows that this infection can only live at a certain temperature. The body temperature rises above these limits so the infection cannot survive. Once the emergency has passed the body will lower the temperature again. Often if allowed to proceed in this fashion an infection will clear more quickly.
Note: It is always important to monitor fevers carefully, particularly in children. Warning signs to look for are listlessness, rash, vomiting and neck stiffness associated with high fever. These may be indicators of a more significant problem like meningitis and you should seek prompt advice from a health professional.
ATTITUDE 2: Medication makes us better
In some situations medication is needed and works well; however it seems nowadays that it is used all too often. Most medications are simply taking away symptoms. Pain relief medication for example does just what it says; relieves pain. But you have to ask yourself, is it correcting the problem? Pain is not the result of a pain relief deficiency in your body; rather a warning sign that there is something wrong. Masking it may not always be the best solution.
ATTITUDE 3: Germs cause disease
Germs do cause disease, but just because you have come in contact with a particular germ does not mean you will automatically succumb to the disease. If you simply have to come in contact with a germ to get the disease then everyone would be sick all of the time. For example if your partner or family member gets the ‘flu’ then you are not guaranteed of getting it. There must be something else at play also. Other factors are involved in determining whether you succumb to a germ such as; how well your immune system is functioning, how well you are eating, exercising etc. All of these things are going to affect how susceptible you are in “catching” the germ. Therefore, having a good diet, being fit and having a good immune system are all important in being able to deal with these problems.
ATTITUDE 4: Absence of symptoms mean we are healthy
You have probably all heard stories about people who are fit and apparently healthy but then suddenly things
change. Just because you are not feeling ‘sore’ or ‘sick’ does not mean that you are necessarily healthy. Pain is often the last thing to show up. Having regular check-ups is important to catch problems before they become big ones. This is important not only for chiropractic check-ups but also general health and wellbeing assessments. We are always told by patients that they are feeling good until we find areas that are not working
effectively.
When you start to think about health issues from the different perspectives described above, hopefully, when you have a problem in the future you will ask yourself not ‘what they are’, but you will ask ‘why they are’. What are your thoughts on these? Does it change the way you think about health?
Many people consider certain symptoms to be signs of sickness, but this is not always the case. Take for example a fever. You have an infection and you develop a fever. A lot of people will think they need to get rid of this fever quickly, so take something like paracetamol to help lower the body temperature. Now let’s look at the same situation but in a different light. Your body has realised that it has an infection and knows that this infection can only live at a certain temperature. The body temperature rises above these limits so the infection cannot survive. Once the emergency has passed the body will lower the temperature again. Often if allowed to proceed in this fashion an infection will clear more quickly.
Note: It is always important to monitor fevers carefully, particularly in children. Warning signs to look for are listlessness, rash, vomiting and neck stiffness associated with high fever. These may be indicators of a more significant problem like meningitis and you should seek prompt advice from a health professional.
ATTITUDE 2: Medication makes us better
In some situations medication is needed and works well; however it seems nowadays that it is used all too often. Most medications are simply taking away symptoms. Pain relief medication for example does just what it says; relieves pain. But you have to ask yourself, is it correcting the problem? Pain is not the result of a pain relief deficiency in your body; rather a warning sign that there is something wrong. Masking it may not always be the best solution.
ATTITUDE 3: Germs cause disease
Germs do cause disease, but just because you have come in contact with a particular germ does not mean you will automatically succumb to the disease. If you simply have to come in contact with a germ to get the disease then everyone would be sick all of the time. For example if your partner or family member gets the ‘flu’ then you are not guaranteed of getting it. There must be something else at play also. Other factors are involved in determining whether you succumb to a germ such as; how well your immune system is functioning, how well you are eating, exercising etc. All of these things are going to affect how susceptible you are in “catching” the germ. Therefore, having a good diet, being fit and having a good immune system are all important in being able to deal with these problems.
ATTITUDE 4: Absence of symptoms mean we are healthy
You have probably all heard stories about people who are fit and apparently healthy but then suddenly things
change. Just because you are not feeling ‘sore’ or ‘sick’ does not mean that you are necessarily healthy. Pain is often the last thing to show up. Having regular check-ups is important to catch problems before they become big ones. This is important not only for chiropractic check-ups but also general health and wellbeing assessments. We are always told by patients that they are feeling good until we find areas that are not working
effectively.
When you start to think about health issues from the different perspectives described above, hopefully, when you have a problem in the future you will ask yourself not ‘what they are’, but you will ask ‘why they are’. What are your thoughts on these? Does it change the way you think about health?
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