There are literally hundreds of health myths floating about today.My favourite health myth would be the…
“Looking Good” delusion some of us hold.
This means mistaking how we look as a measure of how healthy we are…. It’s an easy mistake to make in todays ‘media driven’ world.
Here women may assume that if they look like a ‘coat hanger’ or are superdooper thin then they’re both healthy and sexy. While some men mistake their beefed up ‘Schwarzenegger’ arms and chest as a sign that they are not only strong but ‘uber’ fit. We can’t mistake calorie counting and a heavy reliance on shakes and powders as healthy eating and it is also important to realise that we need to balance weights and strength work with moderate sweaty exercise throughout our week. A poor quality diet and repetitive forms of exercise may offer visual appeal but they certainly compromise our long-term health.
Others may drop their exercise routine when they are stressed thinking to themselves that they simply don’t have time to exercise or don’t have time to cook an evening meal – convincing themselves that, “I don’t look too bad or too overweight – so I must be doing okay health wise.”
Appearances can be deceiving and none of us can afford to measure our health on “how we look”.
Taking second place in the health myth line up would be the… “Superhero fallacy.”
Have you ever heard someone declare how ‘invincible’they are and you’re left wondering what sort of “upper” these individuals might be taking to be able to sustain their crazy lifestyle. They seem to thrive on stress, work excessively long hours and drink way too much coffee and alcohol. They might even report, “Well I don’t have any health problems, I even went for a run on the weekend. I’m bullet-proof.”
Unfortunately that odd ‘run’ may result in a heart attack as the body cowers from neglect.
We can’t assume that a lack of pain or a lack of symptoms means our body is functioning well.
Just as we can’t judge our health on how “we look”, it makes no sense to assume that how “we feel,”indicates how healthy our ‘ticker’may be or that our digestive system is working well. Nor can we think that because our grandparents lived well into their ninety’s that our longevity is set and secure. In today’s modern world….nothing could be further from the truth.
We all need little reminders to invest in our health. I like to remind some of my male friends that while they may be rocking the distinguished, ‘salt and pepper look’ that I have my suspicions that they are a time bomb waiting to happen.
If we learn to tune-in and listen to our body- it does indeed give us signs of distress well before any aches and pains set-in and well before a “condition is diagnosed”. I can appreciate that no one likes to suffer with a headache or acute back pain but very few of us take the time to ascertain the root cause of our fatigue, irritability, headaches, poor sleep or back pain. Culturally it is engrained that we take the easiest, quickest option and inevitably most people pop a pill to resolve and cover up our symptoms.
Ironically the SMARTEST strategy to combat symptoms is to develop an inquiring mind, to develop the habit of asking good questions, as the quality of our health… is ALWAYS determined by the quality of questions we ask ourselves.
If you have a headache –consider why?
If you have the flu –consider why?
Ask yourself,
“Why am I experiencing these symptoms?”
“What is my body trying to tell me?”
If the answer is not obvious to you, then consult a chiropractor or a registered holistic healthcare provider – it really does NOT make any sense what-so-ever to ignore or cover up symptoms.
Perhaps the first most pertinent question for anyone to ask is,
“How healthy am I?”
Or
“How would my health rate?”
If you’re interested in examining your health then click here …and get an overview of your health with our short questionnaire. These questions are designed to help you ascertain how you’re going in general health wise. The greater the number of “YES”s indicates that you would do well to gather advice on lifestyle factors such as stress relief, addictions, diet, exercise and ‘tuning into your body’.
Practitioners if you’d like to use this health questionnaire for visitors to your website then click here for details on our bonus pack.
It is important to remember that how we live determines how healthy we are.
Wellness-oriented practitioners can help you learn how to re-strengthen your health from a physical, emotional and chemical perspective. Outlining how ‘real health’ involves investing in each of the following:
- quality wholesome nutrition,
- a well functioning nervous system (as this controls all functions in the body)
- the removal and minimisation of toxins
- variety in exercise
- quality sleep
- reduction of stress and positive, happy thoughts
For more information on raising healthy children please.
Holistic chiropractors are experts in the care of the spine and nervous system and want to help you and family confidently navigate your health so be sure to find a recommended chiropractor near you.
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Yours in health…
Jennifer Barham-Floreani
Bach. Chiropractic, Bach. App Clinical Science
Registered internationally, no longer practicing as a chiropractor in Australia.
