As a physician, one of the most frequently asked questions that I get are “Am I healthy?”, “Can I get tested to make sure that I am healthy?”or “How do I know that I am healthy?”
I have found a lot of people think that they are healthy because their blood work is normal or because their physician has not labeled them as having a chronic disease like high blood pressure or Diabetes. However, on further questioning I found that they are living with a lot of different symptoms, which are nonspecific such as gas and bloating, constipation, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, off and on headaches, joint pains, and stiffness.
One of the most important reasons we have failed to stop the rise in heart disease, Diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases is that we consider health as an absence of disease. If someone is not labeled with a diagnosis, that person is considered healthy. This is a misconception.
Our bodies talk to us constantly through symptoms. Every symptom indicates discomfort and restlessness within our body’s particular organ or tissue. Our body attempts to draw our attention towards it. In Ayurveda, symptoms are the fifth stage (Vyatki) of a disease. It means that the body has been compensating or dealing with a stressor for a long time, but it’s ability to continue to bear that stressor is getting overwhelmed. The stressor could be environmental toxins, food sensitivity, anxiety, stress, depression, hormonal imbalance, etc.
I have also seen people who have never paid attention to these symptoms and considered themselves normal until they have a major health breakdown like a heart-attack or severe fatigue disrupting their ability to care for themselves. Unfortunately, a lot of damage is done by then.
No test is as accurate and as effective as how we feel physically, mentally, and spiritually. Most of us are so busy and often unaware of the subtle signs that our bodies use to communicate with us. A patient of mine realized the tension in his neck a couple of weeks after he started yoga. That was the first time he actually used all the different sets of muscles around his joints. Another patient of mine realized a negative but constant chatter in her brain when she started meditating. The best way to listen is to engage regularly in an activity such as yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, or mindfulness that puts us in a state of self-awareness. It enhances our ability to listen to our body.
If there are symptoms, whether physical, mental or spiritual, then it is critically important to heed to them right away. Consult a health provider who does not merely prescribe medications to suppress symptoms but attempts to understand the cause of the problem.