"Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity."
Hippocrates, Precepts
Greek physician (460 BC - 377 BC)

Did you ever wonder why the flu or a cold can afflict almost everyone in the office and one person just never seems to come down sick? Why does someone get the sniffles while another person is miserable for weeks?

Like the growth of any living thing, a disease needs a hospitable environment in which to prosper. When a person’s immune system is up to the job, the infection is fought off without difficulty. If the strength of a person’s immune system is not up to the job, then the person gets “sick.” The lack of sickness in a person often has more to do with the power of the person’s health and less to do with what “bugs” they may encounter.

Our capacity to live and grow is sometimes known as vitality. Vitality is the energy and healthy capacity for activity that each one of us possesses. It is not just the absence of disease but a natural active force present in all living forms. It is difficult to define vitality because vitality is measured only indirectly by its effects. Sort of like measuring electricity – when we press the light switch on we know electricity is present by the way in which the lights go on or not. The same works with the vitality present in our bodies. If we have enough, everything works well.

Modern medical science has even developed a separate field of study, called psychoneuroimmunology, which examines the integration of the mind and the body in the defense against infection. Excessive strain on our minds (something we all know as stress) can affect our health in the same way as too much damage to parts of our body. Both situations can leave us open to poor health. What modern medical study is discovering is that there are many complicated factors that comprise the “health” of a person.

We live in an incredibly busy and fast paced world. Technology beckons us to be more productive in less time. In the midst of this hubbub, we can find that we are still living beings that require a certain amount of attention. If we do not pay enough attention to the strength of our health, our bodies can begin to break down. Unfortunately, it is often at this point of breakdown that many people will first notice there is something wrong. Our body’s expression of poor health is nature’s way of giving us the “heads-up” that something is out of balance in our lives. By bringing our attention to our body’s needs, we are given the opportunity to slow down, review the bad habits that brought about the crisis and take steps to correct the problem. We can chase after the symptoms with various remedies or we can heed the body’s call and support its efforts to resolve the cause of those symptoms.

To borrow another analogy - it is sort of like when your automobile engine is not running well. We take the vehicle to the mechanic to fix the engine and make it run better. The problem is in trying to find “running” in an automobile engine and make it run better. “Running” is the interaction of all of the parts of the engine in its environment. The quality of the fuel it is using and the care the engine has received over its lifetime often are what determines how well it is “running.”

So how can I use this information to improve upon my health? In the same way we have opportunities to get sick by wearing out our bodies and not nourishing them with what they need, we also have the abilities to get well. So many of the things that strengthen our immune systems are the things we heard while we were growing up. Remember the maxim of doing things in moderation? Daily practices such as eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of rest and exercise all contribute to building up our vital strength. By drinking plenty of water and keeping our bodies well hydrated we go towards ensuring that our health gets maintained instead of just being repaired. I know it sounds corny but taking care of ourselves is one of the best ways to take care of ourselves.

Dr. Hal Edghill is a Chiropractor at La Bella Vita Spa in Hemet. He can be reached at 951-837-6789.