At some point we all have aches, pains and illness affecting our health. This may be a regular headache that you get, heartburn after eating a large meal or a severe cold or flu that makes you bedridden for a week.
The question is why does it occur and how do we deal with it?
All too often our response is to immediately take some painkiller or over the counter medications without really thinking about it.
Have you ever stopped to ponder what the underlying problem may be and what your body might be trying to tell you? Perhaps more importantly, have you thought about how these medications work.
How does the painkiller “find” and “cure” your pain? The thing is that the painkillers that we all have in our medicine cupboards, and often take without thinking are merely masking the symptoms of the underlying problem.
Painkillers work in one of two ways. They either stop the part of your body that is hurting from sending pain signals to your brain by decreasing the production of pain inducing chemicals (like turning down the volume on your TV so you can no longer hear it) or by stopping your brain from receiving the pain messages (like closing your eyes so you can no longer see the images on your TV). Unfortunately, the problem is still there, you’re just making it easier to ignore.
While no on likes being in pain and medicine plays an important role in stopping infections and helping serious conditions, we should think carefully about what our body may be trying to tell us and also what we are putting into our body as a result.
When you get sick and experience symptoms such as diarrhoea and vomiting, you body is trying to get rid of something that is upsetting your system. Instead of taking medicine to stop your vomiting, it may be healthier for you to expel whatever your body is trying to get rid of.
If sitting in front of your computer for long hours gives you a headache, your body may be telling you it needs a break and healthier working habits rather than taking painkillers and continuing to sit in front of the computer.
When you have a fever, the high temperature in your body is there for a reason. Taking medications to mask the symptoms of the fever may mean you feel tired and rundown for a longer period of time rather than spending a few days in bed and letting the fever break naturally.
Rather than taking medicines you may also like to use the powerful health benefits of natural foods such as ginger and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Prevention is always better than cure. A healthy and balanced lifestyle can go a long way in keeping you well and preventing diseases. Think about the foods you eat, the amount of exercise you do and the different types of stress in your life such as physical, mental and emotional.
Complimentary and alternative health providers can also help you to be healthier naturally. Seeing a chiropractor and receiving chiropractic care has been shown to boost your immune function.
ain signals are sent to and from your brain via your nervous system. Chiropractic care makes your nervous system function better by removing the interference to it. It has also been shown to increase the number of white blood cells which fight sickness in our body.
Patients report that seeing a chiropractor helps them get sick less often and recover faster. When your body becomes tired and rundown, this is when illness is able to overcome your natural immune system that is working hard every day to stop you from getting sick.
This may be a great time to stop and think about what changes you can make in your daily living to encourage a healthier body which does not need medicine to keep going.
Addressing the underlying causes of your symptoms and helping your body to adapt to all the stressors in your life will improve not only your quality of life but your contribution to your work place and family life.
Allowing your body to naturally express itself has many benefits in the long term rather than masking the symptoms and feeling better for the short term. So before reaching for the painkillers next time, you may want to consider a natural approach or coming in to see me at the chiropractic college and seeing how chiropractic care can enhance your wellbeing.
* Trauma, Toxins, Stress are part of everyone’s lives, to remove the effects of these on your body; everyone should be seeing a chiropractor.
- Adeela Afiz is a final year chiropractic intern at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic in Auckland