…but that’s not the point
“A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state, or of a disease.”
This is how Wikipedia sums it up.
Two key points from this.
First, a symptom is a “departure from normal function” – your body is no longer functioning or responding in a normal (read “healthy”) way.
Second, this is “reflecting the presence” of an issue of some sort. So, a “symptom” is not illness or disease, it is only a side effect of an illness or disease that can be felt and/or observed.
Focus on root cause
This second point is an important distinction to always bear in mind when attempting to treat a health issue. Focusing on symptoms and the relief of symptoms fails to address the underlying cause. It’s like trying to deal with a leaky pipe with rags and a bucket, instead of just fixing the leak.
Many patients who come through our door are old hands at using such Band-Aid solutions to deal with their symptoms. They often have pain, muscle stiffness, lost mobility, which they attempt to treat with pain medications, massages, and muscle creams.
And they’ve come to us because of friends or families who have sung our praises about how they found relief of their symptoms.
We don’t treat symptoms; we restore your body’s ability to heal itself
As Chiropractors, we are not in the business of “treating” symptoms. We find and correct vertebral subluxations (misalignments in the spine) that may be preventing your body from healing itself/functioning properly.
That’s because the body is a wonderful machine capable of incredible feats of self-healing (see last week’s post). Your body can heal from disease, just like it can heal from a cut. But it can’t heal if its master controller isn’t operating at peak efficiency.
What is that master controller? Your central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord.
If there is tension on the spinal cord because the vertebrae of your spine are out of alignment, it will affect the proper function of the nervous system. As a result, symptoms or disease may occur.
If we can restore proper alignment to the spine and consequently relieve this tension on the spinal cord, not only will your body function better, but your body’s ability to heal itself will improve as well.
Chiropractic is just part of your health puzzle
We’ve written before about the need to limit your intake of processed and packaged foods full of harmful toxins like preservatives and inflammatory ingredients that undermine the healthy function of your body, like sugar, sodium, and bad fats (any fat man-made or altered by chemical processes).
We’ve also talked about the benefits of exercise, especially with programs that include weight or resistance training. This builds strong bones, reduces your risk of injury from everyday activities, improves your mood, helps to manage stress, and helps you sleep better. It’s easier to manage your weight, not just because exercise burns calories and keeps your blood sugar under control, but also because the more lean muscle you have, the more energy your body consumes overall.
But your body can only work with what it has. So, help it out and give it the respect that it is due, starting with a healthy spine.
Give us a call today!