The symptom is not the disease
You have a headache. You take a painkiller. The headache goes away. End of story. Shortest blog post ever! (Afraid not.)
Most of us will do anything to avoid pain. And if for some reason we can’t avoid it, we’ll do whatever it takes to get rid of it.
So yay for painkillers. They help us sleep. They allow us to function. They keep us sane. But here’s the kicker:
Painkillers are not cures. They don’t heal.
Masking the issue
Most over-the-counter painkillers work by interfering with the nerve signals that tell the brain there’s been tissue damage somewhere. Anti-inflammatory painkillers block an enzyme that produces inflammatory chemicals.
So your headache might no longer hurt but it hasn’t actually gone away. You’re just not feeling it anymore. That’s great from the perspective of no longer being in pain but it doesn’t address why you had the headache in the first place.
Maybe you’re dehydrated. Or your ‘allergy bucket’ is too full. Or it’s that time of the month. Or you’re stressed out of your mind and couldn’t sleep last night.
Painkillers can’t address any of these causes. They just treat the symptom. The symptom is the end-stop of a process. It’s a result.
A symptom is a message
Symptoms don’t just tell us that something’s wrong—they’re showing us what our body is doing about it. This is a core understanding in the Vitalist tradition. Symptoms indicate how the body’s trying to get back into balance.
Take fevers. They’re part of the body’s arsenal against invaders. Raised body temperature increases antibody production 20-fold, retards the growth and reproduction of bacteria and viruses, increases circulation to your surface defences, and speeds up elimination.
So a fever is a message that your body’s immune system has kicked in and is working hard to get rid of something that shouldn’t be there. It’s a good thing. It’s what’s meant to happen. But if we interfere with the process because we don’t like how it makes us feel and we take anti-inflammatories or aspirin to bring down our temperature, the body’s antibody production is suppressed and we may end up sick for longer.
Symptoms are not the problem
Symptoms aren’t pleasant. No-one enjoys indigestion, coughs, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, muscle cramps, random skin rashes, dizziness, pain, insomnia, mood swings, anxiety or any of the other myriad ways our body tells us something’s up. But they’re signs that our body is on the case.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with popping an occasional painkiller or anti-inflammatory, especially if you’re sure your condition is self-limiting, like a cold. We’re under constant pressure to ‘soldier on’, regardless of how we may be feeling. Many of us can’t afford to take time off work. But if you can’t get through your day without taking over-the-counter medication, maybe it’s time to think about the deeper message behind the symptoms.
When symptoms don’t go away
Depending on the severity and duration of your symptoms, a trip to the doctor and some blood work might be in order. Or you could arrange to see a qualified natural health practitioner. Ideally, you’d do both.
Vitalist herbalists like me treat the person, not the symptoms. We assess your constitution, look for what’s out of balance, and create customised formulas to help your body do its work.
That doesn’t mean you’re supposed to suffer in the meantime! Herbs can help you through the acute stage of an illness as well as the underlying condition that’s led to it. They do this by working with the body, not suppressing it. And without side effects like drowsiness or constipation.
Symptoms that won’t go away are trying to tell you something. Please don’t ignore or try to suppress them—remember, they’re not the bad guys. They’re the messengers.
