LISTEN Your body is talking to you!
TODAY’S QUICK visits to the doctor often fail to fully address all of our concerns and questions. This makes it more important than ever to be in tune with your body and learn to understand its language. It can provide some important insights.
Here are a few examples: PALE HANDS AND MEMBRANES: This could indicate that you are anaemic and have insufficient red blood cells, especially if you feel excessively tired and low in energy. There are many possible underlying causes, like a poor diet, a deficiency in iron or vitamin B12, heavy menses from hormonal disturbance, severe kidney disease, a chronic infection, or even cancer. INFLAMED GUMS: Swollen gums that easily bleed may result from a deficiency in vitamin C or poor oral hygiene. Gum disease increases the risk of serious heart disease and cancer, still the biggest killers in the world. Improved oral hygiene and supplementing with vitamin C and Coenzyme Q10 often work wonders. CRACKED MOUTH CORNERS: A lack of B vitamins, particularly B2, B6, and folic acid, can lead to injury to the sensitive skin on the outer corners of the mouth, causing unsightly, sore cracks there. These vitamins are also vital for the body’s metabolism and energy production and the control of inflammation. SPARSE OUTER BROWS: This suggests that your thyroid gland may be underactive. Other associated symptoms include dry skin and brittle nails, thinning hair, a heightened sensitivity to cold, poor memory and difficulty in breaking a sweat. Brittle hair can also be a sign of malnourishment – specifically, deficiencies in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin A. Frail nails might indicate a low intake of calcium, vitamin D, or zinc. SMALL, YELLOWISH BUMPS: These are often fat deposits caused by high cholesterol levels in the blood and may occur in unusual areas, like the eyelids. This sign may be a call to have your blood checked and for you to make some changes to your lifestyle. YELLOW EYES AND URINE: This may well indicate jaundice – high levels of a substance called bilirubin in the blood. It may be caused by liver disease or certain blood disorders. If you notice this, consult your doctor. A harmless yellowing of the skin may also occur from a high consumption of carrots. Doctors call this carotanemia, and the discoloration is reversible.
SKIN RASHES: A sensitivity to gluten, a protein substance found in wheat and some other grains, can manifest itself as an itchy red rash or blisters on your buttocks. Fortunately, once you cut out gluten-rich foods like pasta, wheat bread and crackers and other gluten sources from your diet, you will get rid of the butt blisters.
Bumps on the skin on the back of the arms may indicate a deficiency in the omega-3 fatty acids. Correcting this imbalance may protect you from many other common health problems.
MUSCLE CRAMPS: Frequent cramping of muscles, especially at night or after exercise, is often a sigh of a deficiency in certain minerals, especially magnesium. Try to increase your intake of magnesium-rich foods, like green, leafy vegetables and nuts, soaking your feet in a foot bath with Epson salts added, or taking a magnesium supplement. Dehydration can add to the cramping problem, so optimise your water intake also.
SYMPTOMS ARE SIGNPOSTS
It is very important for us to recognise the difference between a symptom and a disease. The symptoms and signs that you notice are messengers from your body trying to point out to you that there is a problem. The common tendency to simply take a pill to temporarily remove the symptom without seeking to identify and treat the underlying cause can be risky and, ultimately, damaging to your long-term health.