the identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms.

OK, so based on looking at the symptoms we should be able to ID the nature of the problem. Meaning, if I have a swollen knee, the nature of the problem is probably inflammation. In that case my diagnosis is inflammation in the knee. A typical treatment would be to eat anti-inflammatory pills, and stay away from sports, right. We all recognize this type of scenario.

Now, if you just got bitten in your knee by a huge spider, rat or the neighbors crazy kid, this kind of treatment makes perfect sense. Maybe you crashed from your bike? However, I dare to say that this is not the typical case scenario.

In that case (so in pretty much all the cases) you need to start asking WHY? OK, so you have inflammation in your knee, but why? Is it because you just started a new exercise program, and you haven't done that many squats in decades? If so, are you doing enough mobility exercises every day to help your body getting used to the new load? Is your form really good? Ask your coach, find out what you need to work on. Do you have good hip range of motion (ROM)? If not, that could compromise the position of your knee, forcing your knees to collapse inwards. Are you sitting all day at work?

How is your hydration and nutrition? Was your appendix taken out? Are you sometimes constipated? This can have an impact on the blood circulation, lymph system and organ system. If there is an imbalance there, it can create adhesion and feed chronic inflammation over time. Chronic inflammation will weaken your body, but you typically don't notice it until you are asking more of your body and find a weak spot. In this case your knee.

When getting a diagnosis, ask yourself - Why? Not in a self-pity way, but in a science way. OK, so what are all the possibilities for creating inflammation in my knee? In which of those areas can I improve? How can I help my body on as many levels as possible?

If your Thyroid is a mess, ask Why? Read books, listen to podcasts, find out what nutrients your thyroid needs to feel good. What can you do to make sure that those nutrients are absorbed? What things might be good to exclude?

If you keep rolling your ankles and it takes them a long time to heal, it might be worth looking into the effects of too much cortisol in your body, and how that weakens the ligaments. What could you do to lower the levels of cortisol?

If your answer to the WHY is "it's genetics" or "bad luck" or "I guess it's the age" I believe that you have given up on all the amazing things that your body is capable of. Remember, the default mode of the body is to heal itself. Often it's us who gets in the way, or take the easy way out thinking medication will fix it for us. A diagnosis often describes the symptoms, but seldom tells us the root cause of those symptoms.

Of course it's not easy to try and figure out all the different whys and mechanisms behind a certain diagnosis. If that was the case we would have solved cancer by now, right?! But understanding the many different mechanisms behind a certain diagnosis, might broaden your horizons and make you see something you haven't before. And maybe improving in that area, will improve other areas as well.

"Eating food is the biggest variable in our lives. The biggest. So why not eat the best? Why not eat nutrients instead of calories and you watch your body rebuild and transform."
-Dr. Robert Zembroski on Impact Theory

Here is the really interesting podcast/video on this topic with Dr. Robert Zembroski.

Keep asking WHY and have a great weekend!
😉

Related articles
http://tigersports.eu/urbanhealthconcepts/2018/04/13/shoulder-pain-two-different-reasons/
http://tigersports.eu/urbanhealthconcepts/2018/03/09/constipation-open-trashcan-hallway/