On Self Study & Health

"Whenever the immune system successfully deals with an infection, it emerges from the experience stronger and better able to confront similar threats in the future. Our immune system develops in combat. If at the first sign of infection, you always jump in with antibiotics, you do not give the immune system a chance to grow stronger." —Andrew Weil, MD

Embrace the ailment! Some words that are associated with being sick are miserable, weak, suffering, aches, pains, discomfort, et cetera. You will seldom hear anyone say, "Oh, rapture! How wonderfully delightful this congestion, nausea, headache, chills, and diarrhea are. Encore! Encore!" Right? Culturally, ailment has been given a bad rap.

Personally, it is a positively advantageous inconvenience. "Huh?", you say. It is advantageous due to what the above quote suggests. It is an inconvenience when it conflicts with work or play. Sometimes we impatiently reach for pills, syrups, shots, and solutions without taking into consideration that our body is working out a solution of its own. The mucus, coughing, vomiting, sneezing, pooping, et cetera are all a part of a process that has been demonized, forgotten, or written off. Whatever is believed about our species' beginnings, be it "Genesis", 6-7 million, 2.5 million, or 200,000 years ago, the 'process' of which I speak has been around far longer than modern medicine. The 'immune system' knows what it is doing. It has been working out the kinks of immunity since the dawn of mankind and quite possibly beyond.

Culturally, we are reminded, "The sooner you rid yourself of these "terrible" things the better off you will be. Quickly now, take your medicine, there is work to be done and no time to lose." On the other hand, we are challenged to explore what, if anything, could have been done differently to avoid the undesirable state we now find ourselves in. We are invited to examine the ramifications of our lifestyle and to perhaps rationalize their causes—inadequate exercise, nutritional deficiency, and/or poor stress management. Each of us is truly unique. This is more than hyperbole. The quality of being one of a kind is nature's most obvious invitation to self observation. You might describe your "symptoms" to someone, but all they can do is try to relate and help you make sense of yourself from their point-of-view.

If there is anything worth studying it is yourself: how YOU act, feel, and think is certainly more important than anything else there is to learn in life. It is yourself that lives, and so your quality of life is a direct reflection of your relationship with self. There is a lack of familiarity with ones own bodies that pervades our contemporary culture. We consult with someone, that is arguably less familiar with our bodies than ourselves, about the goings-on of our bodies. Read that sentence again. Does that not strike anyone as odd? "Hello! This is how 'I' feel. Would 'you' mind telling 'me' what that means?" The attitude is this: 'you tell me what is happening with me'.

We are so preoccupied with what we 'call' life (i.e. school, work, family, friends, entertainment) that we are distracted from our own lives and, in good faith, place the responsibility for ourselves on others. It is my opinion that that is a very important part of life—understanding yourself. It is also my opinion that it is a practice in self-deception to believe that you are living, without an understanding of how your body or mind operates, short of what someone else has observed of it and communicated to you about it.

I do not mean to belittle health care practitioners, but only hope to point out that the answers you seek about your own well-being literally reside within yourself. So, who better to ask than self? Your doctor will even agree to this, as all they can do is observe, prod, listen, and employ trial & error just the same as you. They ask the questions it didn't occur to you to ask yourself. Being more specialized in their general understanding of the human body doesn't necessarily mean that they know 'your' body better than you do. Granted they may have quite a bit of experience and information to reference, which may certainly be beneficial in pinpointing your ills a little sooner than later, but shouldn't you be the one to say, "This is how 'I' feel, and this is why 'I' feel this way." Imagine if you knew your body well enough to trace your symptoms to a source. Imagine if you exhibited such an awareness. Imagine if you were that attentive to your body; if you knew what 'you' should eat, what 'you' should do, and what 'you' should avoid...without having to ask someone who presumably knows just as little of themself as they do you. Get to know yourself. When you master that perhaps life becomes more fulfilling. Perhaps you find health, happiness, and confidence. Who knows, perhaps not.

Be as you choose, Loved Ones...

Albert