I believe that our society today misunderstands what sickness is. Yes, we have made many advances in knowledge about how pathological processes take place, even to a molecular level, but overall we have become confused about sickness. We have confused the body’s natural response to disease (the symptom) with sickness. Before we get to the question of “why do we get sick” I need to define what sickness is in my mind.
Sickness is not the symptom! While this has become the common way of thinking, I contend that it is an incorrect way of thinking and only leads to more sickness and disease. What do I mean? Well when you are running a fever, have a runny nose and cough you would probably claim that you are ‘sick.’ Very likely you would even take some medication to reduce your fever and suppress your cough to get ‘better.’ You may think you are treating your sickness. But you are not. You are treating your symptoms, and in fact are probably prolonging the amount of time that you will have symptoms.
So what is the sickness or the cause of the symptoms? Well you may think the ‘cold virus’ is what is causing the symptoms or sickness. And on one level that is correct, but does everyone exposed to a ‘cold virus’ get a cold? Of course not, so dig a little deeper, what is it that makes the difference?
The difference is the body’s ability to adapt to the stress placed on it. In our example, the body’s defenses were weakened to a point where the ‘cold virus’ was able to invade and cause symptoms. But the interesting thing is that those symptoms are actually the body’s way of increasing its defenses to neutralize the virus. A fever increases the body’s activity especially of the immune system and white blood cells. A cough helps to clear mucus with waste products from the lungs and airways. So if your body does start to have symptoms this is a healthy response, not sickness.
This idea is nothing new. In fact, Hippocrates ‘the Father of Medicine’ wrote:
Diseases are crises of purification, of toxic elimination. Symptoms are the natural defenses of the body. We call them diseases, but in fact they are the cure of diseases. All diseases are but one and their cause is also one, although they manifest themselves by means of different symptoms, according to the place in which they appear.
So if the symptoms are not sickness but a healthy response of the body, then what is sickness? Sickness is when the body—to some degree—is unable to adapt to the stresses around it and begins to dysfunction. Perhaps “sickness” is not the best word for this, and “loss of health” might be a more fitting term. By this definition, I would say there is much more sickness in the world today than there ever has been with the rise of so many lifestyle diseases: heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. This loss of health may be accompanied by outward symptoms but the symptoms themselves are not the sickness but evidence of the underlying dysfunction.
Why Do We Get Sick?
I have already, in part, given the answer to that question: lifestyle. Our lifestyle and what we do and put into our bodies determines how well they will function. Sickness comes when we do not take care of our bodies and then they can no longer adapt to the stresses placed on them and begin to break down. As a chiropractor, more specifically, I see the cause of sickness is spinal subluxation. Spinal subluxation is when the bones of the spine are not aligned or moving properly and this causes strain or irritation to the nerves, in turn causing interference with the messages they send. This puts the body in a state of dis-ease, which is basically a state of some sort of dysfunction. The thing is that you may or may not have symptoms to go along this state of dis-ease but the body is not functioning at its best even if you aren’t aware of it.
But what causes spinal subluxations? The founder of chiropractic, D.D. Palmer beautifully summed up the causes of subluxation in three simple words: Thoughts, Trauma, and Toxins.
Thoughts
Our thoughts and emotions can have a huge impact on our health. If we constantly think negative thoughts, are surrounded by negative emotions, or are constantly stressed about things, it takes a toll on our health. One way this takes place is by causing spinal subluxations.
Traumas
Traumas are probably what most people think about as a reason to go to a chiropractor. If you are in a car accident, hurt yourself lifting something, or even have repetitive stress injuries that cause pain you may consider going to a chiropractor. But the real benefits are not just pain relief but correcting the spinal subluxations, allowing the body to function better.
Toxins
This is a big one in the world we live in today. Our bodies are exposed to so many chemicals constantly. This exposure can be in the food we eat, products we use, or even pollution in the environment. Allergies and sensitivities may be from an underlying toxicity issue. And again these toxins can cause subluxation which in turn inhibits your body’s ability to optimally process all of the chemicals we are exposed to. To correct the problem you must get rid of the toxins as well as correct the subluxation.
Conclusion
Ultimately the answer to “why do we get sick” comes down to the body not functioning correctly. I believe that the only way to correct the problem is to find the underlying dysfunction and address that, NOT chasing the symptoms. This is what chiropractic does: addresses the underlying cause of the dysfunction – the subluxation – and then lets the body heal itself.
If you or someone you know could benefit from chiropractic care, give us a call. We are always happy to help!
