Did you ever get injured as a kid?

 

Maybe you fell off your bike. Or got hurt on the playground.

 

You might remember that the recovery period was relatively quick and painless.  Or perhaps there was no recovery period at all. Maybe you simply picked yourself up, dusted yourself off and kept on playing.

 

So why can’t we pick ourselves up and keep on playing when we get injured as adults?

 

When we’re born, we have a natural ability to recover well and heal quickly.

 

In fact, a study (Sheffield 1970) reveals that children under the age of six have the ability to heal naturally. Just like salamanders that regenerate lost limbs and sliced spinal cords. Unfortunately, this natural healing ability changes as we get older.

 

As we advance in age, our inherent ability to regenerate diminishes. In the medical world, we call this regeneration ability “redundancy”.

 

The reason we lose redundancy is because more energy is spent on brain development than regeneration. Another contributing factor to our loss in redundancy is our mounting health issues.  These health issues wear down redundancy, and can have a significant affect on our overall health and bodily function.

 

For many people, there comes a point when their calendars are marked up with appointments with a variety of specialists for a variety of different ailments…

 

…There’s the physio appointment for a sport injury or muscular ache. Then, there’s the visit with an occupational therapist to help rebuild lost skills and confidence. And we can’t forget about the cardiologist who treats our high blood pressure and cholesterol…or the nephrologist who monitor our kidneys.

 

Here’s why this is a problem: Each specialist is limited to working within their scope of medicine. This means that patients might be asked to do things to fix one area that can unknowingly make another area considerably worse.

 

One specialist might recommend hip or knee surgery without considering that it could decrease overall movement and muscle memory. Another specialist might prescribe Tylenol 3, which then causes the patient to suffer from constipation. Then, you might go to the pharmacist to get the heart medications the cardiologist prescribed without knowing that it could make your kidneys worse.

 

The possibilities are endless.

 

I see these scenarios all the time in my practice: fixing one thing that makes another area considerably worse.

 

This is why it’s vital to uncover the full story. Because once we know the full story, we can prioritize the goals so that there can be fewer medical interventions. With a million moving parts in the system, we must know what to fix first. We must know ifs we’re dealing with the root of the issue or if we’re only managing the symptom.

 

That’s why my first priority is always to gain a full understanding of the whole story. Then, I can identify what to fix first.  Every case is different and there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution.

 

When I recommend a treatment plan, you can rest assured that it is completely tailored to your needs so I can best help you reach the next level of health.

 

Would you like to schedule your next appointment at the Toronto Acupuncture Clinic? Book online here!