Below A Certain Threshold of Health, Your Body Won’t Function Predictably

It’s challenging to heal when one day something helps and another day that same thing hurts. It’s so frustrating when a prescribed exercise is well tolerated one day but aggravates you the next, when your body loves kale on Monday but hates it on Tuesday or when a hot compress sometimes relieves your pain but other times aggravates it. Doubt creeps into the tiniest choices and confusion runs rampant. Under these conditions, how can you know what to do?

When people are confused, they go to doctors to help them sort out what protocol to follow. Sometimes doctors can help but often with chronic diseases, it’s challenging to make a solid daily plan until the body reaches a base level of functioning. Below that threshold, which varies by person, the body reacts erratically.

Take the case of chronic digestive inflammation. When the intestines are irritated and inflamed past a certain threshold, anything can aggravate and cause gas. It’s not the food itself, although certainly some foods are more aggravating than others, but the actual act of eating. Even on a restricted diet, people still have to eat. Just like people with plantar fasciitis or tendonitis in the foot, have to walk.

So if you find yourself in a health condition that put you below the level of predictable functioning, here’s my list of suggestions.

Create a plan that includes soothing/calming the key symptoms and strengthening the overall body/mind.

Stick to the plan but be sensitive and aware of how you are doing each day and make micro adjustments accordingly.

· Don’t jump ship on your plan if you can’t see it helping you right away. Remember, long-term issues require patience and consistency to heal.

Discuss your doubts with your health practitioner rather than running to a new practitioner in the hopes of a quicker fix.

Seek feedback from a friend or therapist to reflect to you how you are doing. It’s easy to be blind to our own progress. Keeping a journal can help too.