Warning Signs- Health Conditions
There is a real danger to this type of thinking that puts one in a reactive state meaning we deal with our health crisis only when we have a serious problem. What is serious? Cancer? Heart Disease? Diabetes? The fact is that most health conditions will give warning signs well before a problem occurs. Also, most chronic conditions I mentioned will develop over a series of decades not months. The average time for the evolution of breast cancer is well known, in most cases, it takes 8-10 years till it’s found in mammograms or by the woman themselves. It was former President Bill Clinton who had a full physical, every six months for 8 years by the top cardiologists in the country. So how did they miss the fact that he had 4 blocked arteries to his heart and needed a quadruple bypass a few years out of office? The reality in America today is that most people will wait till it’s a disease. Statistics show that in healthcare for every $100.00 spent; only 1 dollar is spent on prevention while $99.00 is spent on disease treatment. In my opinion, this is why the American Healthcare system is the most costly in the world (according to the World Health Organization) and very dangerous to those who wish to stay healthy.
Unfortunately when many people come to see me, they are in denial about their health and unclear that there is a problem. They are not aware that they are a ticking time bomb ready to go at any moment. Most people on medications don’t realize that the drugs they are taking are like a scuba diver about to run out of air. The meds are keeping them alive. I believe that in Integrative Natural Medicine we can avoid and prevent these advanced diseases by addressing the root cause of the problem. However, the first step is that the individual has to have the awareness that they have problem to begin with. So I have devised my self assessment survey and encourage all readers to answer these 15 very simple questions:
DO YOU:
- Have ANY symptoms at all e.g. no PMS, sore breasts, hot flashes, body or joint pain, no headaches, no need for any medications of any kind and this includes over the counter painkillers or anti-histamines.
- Have the ability to sleep 7-8 hours with unbroken sleep every night.
- Have a high level of energy for 12 hours continually.
- Have a positive emotional outlook and are socially outgoing.
- Normal urination; every 3-4 hours a day.
- Normal bowel movements; 1-2 times every day, well formed
- Normal appetite at least 3 times a day, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. E.g. not skipping breakfast and then overeat during lunch or dinner.
- Normal sexual drive, 1-2 times a week.
- Normal body temperature ranging from 98.5 – 98.8 F
- Un-medicated blood pressure 120/80(men) and 110/70(women) and no more than 40 points between the top and bottom number (pulse pressure)
- Regular menstrual cycles of 26-28 days and 3-5 days of medium bleeding.
- Perspiration after 15 min. of exercise.
- A normal/regular resting heart rate (pulse). Men: 60-68 beats per minute. Women: 64-74 beats per minute.
- Normal /regular breathing resting rate (one breath includes one inhale and one exhale). Men: 8-12 breaths (per minute. Women: 12-14 breaths per minute.
- Be able to relax and enjoy doing nothing.
If you answered NO to any of these questions, you may have a problem worth checking out. In our office, we check all systems including the nervous system, organ functions, blood and circulation through various means including classical Chinese medicine diagnosis as well as using modern blood tests and testing. If we find a problem, we will explain it and discuss your options to treat it naturally. If you have a goal of living a long healthy and vital life, don’t wait for a disease diagnosis before you get your body checked properly.