Treating Symptoms, VS the Cause of ALL Disease

Symptoms are the problem.

I bet you took a double take at that simple and erroneous message.

Patients “get it” that symptoms aren’t the problem. They want to know “why” they have symptoms.

Why then, is medicine so (apparently) focused on managing symptoms? Most of the medications they prescribe are symptom oriented. I think there is some confusion as to what is the symptom and what is the disease.

Is high blood pressure a symptom or disease? Is menstrual cramping a symptom or a disease? Is polycystic ovaries a symptom or disease? Is cancer a symptom or disease?

I guess it all depends on your definition of what constitutes a disease. You could make a case that they all are diseases, or at least conditions…and you could make the case that they are all symptoms.

I will make the case that all disease, any named condition, and every symptom ever experienced is caused by the process known best as stress.

Let’s look at that…could the body fail if there was no stress? Only stress overload will compromise a healthy body and brain toward dysfunction and disease. There HAS to be a stress component.

So, do we primarily begin to treat the variety of levels of stress? I happen to know that that doesn’t work. Maybe sometimes, but not even most of the time.

Do we have to dissect out the cause of stress? Is it emotional turmoil…blood sugar variations (would you call that a stress? I would!)…our toxic environment…infections…pain (that is very stressful)…pollen (would you call that stress? I wouldn’t, unless your immune system is unbalanced.)…job, marriage, and parenting pressure…abuse…poor diet…??? What else?

I have simplified this question, by creating 4 categories of stress.

1. Physical Pain or Discomfort (Trauma or repetitive strain)

2. Diet, especially sugar, refined flour, and trans fats

3. Inflammation

4. Emotional Trauma and Strain

Now it seems a bit more manageable. But is this the final answer? Is everything caused by the four sources of stress? In a general sense…I would say yes.

Now, if you have a disease, condition, or symptom…which of the four categories might you be suffering from. This is way easier to sift through than the 1600+ pages of the Medical Bible of named diseases, the Merck Manual.

And, can you treat each of these? Of course you can. So can you locate and “cure” your condition, which is caused by one of these four insults? Or two…or three…or four of the four. Think about it…if the cause of the stress that caused your disease, condition, or symptom is resolved…what happens to the disease, condition, or symptom?

I would say it is cured…but, legally I can’t say cure because medicine owns the word cure…so I guess I will just relish in your improved health!

I will tackle these four causes of stress in more detail in future articles.