I Have No Symptoms So I Must Be Healthy Right?

Well the surprising answer to this is most likely not. Some people who do not have any symptoms, may very well be healthy, but the majority of us may not be as healthy as we think we are. The reason for this was discovered and outlined by a pioneering MD from Montreal, Quebec. His name was Hans Selye (1907 - 1982). His name is pronounced (Cell-Yeh). He realized that many symptoms associated with chronic ill health were a direct result of an ongoing Stress Reaction. He thus recognized that ‘symptoms’ ran much deeper than assumed by the comparatively simplistic Medical Model. He basically identified that ‘stress accumulates’ in the body. Once a Stress symptom is experienced, if the Stressor, or cause of the Stress is not identified and removed, the body will go through a series of predictable phases of relationship with the Stressor. Selye identified three primary phases of how the body deals with Stress, as Alarm Phase, Adaptation Phase and Exhaustion Phase. Alarm Phase: Although it doesn't sound like it, this is the ideal phase. A person in Alarm is generally reacting appropriately to their environment, and is likely sensitive to the body's identifying Stressors as they are encountered and making the best decisions regarding them, such as avoidance. Most children will show up in Alarm, as they simply have not had enough time to accumulate a significant amount of Stressors. Often the Alarm response will produce a tangible symptom, like a sneeze, itch or headache. The perceptive person may associate this new sensation with a recent novel experience, such as eating ice cream, for example, and may decide to avoid that food, or experiment with different flavors in the future. The non-perceptive person may not make the association between the 'trigger' and the symptom, and may continue the behavior, assuming the symptom is simply part of 'who I am". Over time and continued exposure to the Stressor, the body will assume the Stressor is now part of the ongoing reality, and will adjust accordingly by moving into the Adaptation phase with that particular Stressor. A person in the Alarm phase will be stressed by specific chemicals, foods or psychological situations, but will find they return to Homeostasis fairly easily once they address the Stressor. You could say they are consciously interacting with their environment. Adaptation Phase: As noted above, when a Stressor becomes an ongoing issue, the body, in a sense, assumes it will continue to be a part of the 'new reality', and so attempts to adjust. This adjustment, however, often involves chronic elevated Stress Hormone (cortisol) secretion. This can further lead to chronic inflammation, deregulated digestion, dysfunctional breathing patterns and other subclinical Stress symptoms. The overt symptom however, related to the Stressor initially, is gone. This can lead to a false sense of security. It is common for people conditioned by simplistic Western Medicine to assume ' Because I have no symptoms, I must by healthy'. People are generally encouraged to see the doctor only upon the onset of an uncomfortable symptom. But, as we now understand, lack of symptoms does not mean absence of disease. Therefore, a major implication of the Adaptation phase is that the Stressor is still at work, only at deeper, submerged levels, negatively affecting perhaps the cells, tissues or specific organs, unbeknownst to the 'stressee'. Unfortunately, most adults in modern society are in some form of Adaptation, given a lifetime of exposure to Stressors that most of our ancestors did not have to deal with. During Exhaustion, the hormonal Stress response of the body is severely challenged, particularly the Adrenal/Kidney complex. The ability to resist further Stressors is inhibited, and the Immune system begins to suffer. It is during this phase that inherited or constitutional weaknesses are most likely to manifest. This is a time for rest, rejuvenattion, and primarily, discovery and removal of the chronic stress patterns. This is the state most likely accompanying a Diagnosable disease, indicating that Disease is the end result of a long relationship with our Stressors. Sometimes it is possible to identify the specific Stressor being expressed in the Exhaustion phase by the nature of the symptom. With Exhaustion, we will often see a re-emergence of the original symptom that was repressed during Adaptation. This would be consistent with the principles of Homotoxicology, which states that symptoms suppressed by drugs do not 'go away'; they are driven deeper. In this form of Natural Medicine, it is assumed the suppressed symptom will re-emerge as part of the healing process. We should not be surprised then that a symptom should emerge as part of not only the body's signaling system, but a natural expression of the healing response. A good example of how Selye's model typically 'plays out' could be illustrated by the common experience of smoking. On first inhaling tobacco, the body produces an appropriate Alarm...hacking, choking, and nausea. However, if we persist in the behavior and choose to ignore the body's signals, in a short while we 'Adapt' and no longer need to go through any discomfort. At this point we enter the 'la-la land' of 'no symptoms - no disease'. Perhaps we are oblivious or in denial of the fact that our body cells are being stressed by deadly carbon monoxide, our PH is becoming acidic, and our lungs are severely stressed by toxins, both natural and synthetic. Sooner or later, the chronic cough becomes more serious, and we finally go for a checkup, the pronouncement is 'emphysema' or 'lung cancer'. 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