Listen to your body.  Prevention is better than cure.

The body’s aim is to maintain balance across its systems that together comprise your body.

These systems are interconnected and interdependent.

The body constantly monitors these systems to determine if they are in balance.  If it finds them out of balance, it makes adjustments to bring them back into balance

What to know more?  Read on.

Aim is balance

Let’s use an analogy.  Think for the moment of your body being like a house.

Yes, I know a little unusual, however just go with me on this for the moment.

  1. A house has many rooms, the body has multiple systems.
  2. Each room has its own specific function, each body system has its own function.
  3. One room does not make a house, one system does not make a body.
  4. Rooms have most value when interconnected with the rest of the rooms of the house.  The same principle applies to systems in the body.
  5. For a house to be most functional, you want all rooms operating well.  The same applies to the body, for optimal health you want all systems operating optimally.
  6. If a room in the house is not functional, you get issues.  Assume a house with no bathroom, the chaos it would cause.  The same applies to the body, if a system(s) in the body is not working the result is less than optimal or in worst case poor quality health.

Role of signals?

When the body detects a system(s) out of balance, it sends a signal(s).

The role of the signal is to indicate to us that some level of imbalance exists.  It is the body’s way of telling us to:

  1. Stop doing something
  2. Do something different
  3. To make a change
  4. To take action

We can respond to the signal and help the body move back into balance.

We can decide not to respond.  The body will still try to re-establish balance and likely escalate its signals, to send a stronger message.

Whether it achieves balance and whether it is able to maintain the balance over time depends on a number of factors.

What signals?

So what kind of signals am I talking about.

The signals are many and varied, they can include:

  1. Bloating
  2. Inability to sleep
  3. Urinating frequently
  4. Reflux
  5. Constipation
  6. Nausea
  7. Fatigue
  8. Headache
  9. Allergies
  10. Inability to concentrate
  11. Menstrual irregularities
  12. Weight gain or loss
  13. Pain
  14. High blood pressure
  15. Joint pain.
  16. Poor memory

Some signals are specific and help indicate the health issue the imbalance implies.  Other signals are non-specific and not aligned to a specific health condition / imbalance.

However all indicate some degree or type of imbalance.  The aim is to re-establish balance.

Ignoring signals?

Signals should not be ignored.  Imbalance should not be ignored, particularly that which is consistent over time.

Experiencing bloating after a particularly heavy meal once is likely not an issue.  However frequent ongoing and unresolved bloating should not be ignored.

It can indicate digestive imbalance, if ignored the imbalance can worsen and/or over time impact other body systems.

If you had a water leak in your pipe, would you let it progress from a few drops, to a trickle to a flow?

Not responding?

So why do we not respond?

There are many possible answers to this question.  They may include:

  1. We are busy at work, at home or in life, our focus is elsewhere but not on our health.
  2. We have become used to the signals e.g. we assume daily bloating is normal.
  3. We do not perceive the signals to be of importance in the relative scheme of things.
  4. We do not understand the connection between food and lifestyle choices and health.
  5. We find thinking about the potential implications confronting or confusing.
  6. We intend to make changes, however we just do not seem to find the time.
  7. We do not understand sufficiently what the signal(s) mean.
  8. We are not sure who to talk to or where to go for help.

I could go on.

Are you aware?

Do you have awareness of the signals you experience.

  1. Are you receiving a signal from your body?
  2. Do you know what the signals mean?
  3. How do know what the signals mean?
  4. What are you doing about responding to the signals?
  5. If you are not doing something, why not?

 Prevention is better than cure

I believe preventative is better than cure.

I believe in investing in a foundation of good health.

The first step in prevention is awareness.  Understanding how you feel and what signals in your body systems mean.  Understanding how your body is responding to your food and lifestyle choices.

Understand your signals

If you are experiencing symptoms and/or if you have had health results of concern and you want to understand nutritionally what you can do, I encourage you to get in contact.

Learn how to invest in nutrition and lifestyle choices that will support you to achieve and maintain quality health.

Wishing you good health.

ciao Jan