Sometimes we all get a bit confused about the difference between where a symptom shows up and what caused it. I know I do myself. So in explaining this difference to a bodywork client the other day, I came up with a little story, which I'll title "Cat and Catastrophe."
Cat and Catastrophe
Imagine you're driving down the main street of your town. Unexpectedly, a cat runs out in front of your car. You, being an alert driver and also a cat-lover, react quickly to avoid catastrophe. You stop on a dime. Fluffy goes on to see another day and stake a claim on her remaining 8 lives.
Yet...
Somewhere behind you, you hear a loud "thwak."
You stopped quickly and Fluffy was spared. Yet someone behind you wasn't able to react as efficiently. Somewhere down the chain, there was a failure to compensate. Catastrophe occurred! Just not at the site of the initial problem.
The same thing happens in your body. And elsewhere in your life. You recoginze a challenge and meet it. Yet that action begins a chain reaction that eventually leads to trouble.
Let's say your lower back gets stiff after a long day of yard work. "No problem," your body says. "We'll work around it and reach for the top shelf with some other muscles instead." Next thing you know, you have a pounding headache from overextending your neck.
Let's say you go to the doctor and learn your cholesterol level is higher than the medical folks like. You begin taking a pill to lower your reading. As an additional effect of the medicine, you develop shoulder pain and intestinal trouble.
Let's say you overdraw your checking account, resulting in some unplanned hefty penalties. As a side effect of dealing with that mess, you realize that the money you'd set aside for your kid's school pictures just went to paying late fees. Your kid really wants the pictures, so you borrow from your property tax fund. The county really wants your tax payment, so you shortchange your vacation savings. Since you'd promised your kid a trip to Disney, you're now short for your next car insurance payment. Blah, blah, blah.
Somewhere, you're going to come up short!
It's often not that you can't make the initial compensation for a troubling problem... But rather that somewhere down the chain a weak link shows up. And when your body (or your life) hits the weak link, Blammo. Catastrophe!
And here's the rub.
More often than not, you're likely to blame the weak link for the problem, try to patch it up, and expect life to be good. But it's not.
Because the original problem still exists (cats running wild, stiff back, high cholesterol - for those who consider it a problem -, or unstable finances), your system will continue to try and compensate, eventually finding the next weakest link. And so on.
The most efficient solution, naturally, is to uncover the "Cause Behind the Cause" of your most troubling or frequent symptoms and deal with them directly. Once you do, the weak link that's gotten your attention is much more easily resolved.
And ... that means a happier you! Cool, huh?
Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!
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