WHEN DIS-EASE CAUSES DISEASE
The term dis-ease is used by many to describe health situations that result in the body experiencing a lack of harmony and lack of ease. From a group of symptoms that form the diagnosis for the ‘common cold’, to the numbing pain in the lower back that concludes the condition known as sciatica, dis-ease comes in all shapes and sizes, and often, it doesn’t discriminate.
Typically though, dis-ease occurs when we’re not listening to what our body is trying to tell us. The warning signs are there, but when they’re not recognised or addressed, our symptoms become more serious, and or more chronic.
You see, we’ve trained ourselves not to listen to our bodies. We’re tired, so we drink coffee or energy drinks. We’re bored or feeling unpleasant, so we distract ourselves with technology. We’re stressed, so we drink alcoholic beverages. We feel pain, so we take medication. We get a cold or flu, and we ‘soldier on’. All of these things are ways that our bodies tell us that they’re not happy with how we are living our lives, but unfortunately, we don’t listen.
This is particularly common in western society where we have patterns of dis-ease, as we’re conditioned to do more, achieve more, not allow emotions to show, compete with everyone, compare ourselves to others, seek more convenience, live a more ‘processed’ life and produce more waste.
It’s therefore no surprise that dis-ease patterns in western medicine are usually associated with patterns of excess – too much of anything. Too much stress, too much food, too much partying, too much work, too much thinking, too busy and in some case, too much exercise. Interestingly, these are not things that affect health and wellness in countries that don’t have the level of affluence and convenience that we have here in Australia.
You see, I often hear clients say, “I’ll be happy when…”, or “it’ll be better when…”
But why not be better now? Our bodies live only in the present, but our heads are very good at living in the past or the future. Our bodies don’t like this, as they feel bad now and they want to feel better now. Living from a heart-centred space means listening to our bodies and proactively living in a way that benefits us – not waiting until things go wrong to fix them.
I often hear clients say, “I’m just like my mum…”, or “all the women/men/people on mum or dad’s side of the family have this…”
This resigned perspective implies that an individual’s health is beyond their control. If that were true, then it wouldn’t matter how you lived your life – it would be a done deal that you’re going to get headaches, migraines, short vision, diabetes, cancer – whatever it is – and there’s nothing you can do about that.
Sure, some behaviours are learnt – for example children can learn to be fearful because their mum always intervenes with “don’t do that, you’ll hurt yourself” and therefore the child learns not to try new things in case they get hurt. They can carry these patterns through to adulthood and become a very fearful adult who will not reach their potential because of fear.
In other cases, such as those health conditions that can be passed on, it depends on factors in your life. This is known as epigenetics. You can have the factor passed on, but it requires a trigger to activate the gene. For example, my husband’s family apparently have a long history of heart attacks on the male side. Does this mean my husband is going to have a heart attack? His risk factors are higher because of the family history. But it doesn’t mean that he’ll definitely will have one. He eats well, moves well, sleeps well and thinks well. One of his family members has had three heart attacks, and they continue to choose to eat poorly, drink and smoke, which are all well-known risk factors for a heart attack.
His body is clearly trying to tell him something. And this is the epigenetic factor – there is a risk already in place, with triggers to bring about this outcome.
Natural therapists, however, including kinesiologists such as myself, are very interested in preventive medicine and doing all the things that prevent patterns of dis-ease before they occur. We start by living well, moving well, eating well, sleeping well, and thinking well.
If you’re experiencing patterns of dis-ease that are leading to stress and inflammation conditions in the body, please get in contact. I’d love to help you listen to your body and respond to what it’s telling you. You can book right here
