Be an Expert on You!

Too bad we don't have a manual for our bodies like we do for our cars! Especially when we hear conflicting messages like "don't eat fat" and "don't eat sugar". And you know these experts aren't talking to each other: nobody is saying "become a meat eater" because they know that really means "become gassy and ruin your skin". On the other hand, anybody that jumps into eating carrots and celery immediately notices that drastically increasing your fiber has consequences involving being close to a 'jon'.

It's kind of like your car. Now, I know enough to change my own oil and tires and recognize whether the alternator has a problem. I also know that I can learn more, and that I can find an expert when I need one.

Our bodies seem more complicated, especially when we are taught that it's too complex and you have to pay a lot of money to go to school to learn the mysteries of the body. We can just go to the doctor and let them 'fix' us, like we go to the mechanic and let them fix our car: mysteriously. Good mechanics that I've known explain how things were fixed, and you can tell they would teach you everything if you let them. Doctors are no different.

What to do about all of this? I believe the key is to follow what I was told by a doctor of mine: you are the expert of your own body. Be an expert about you. What you will discover is that experts depend on other experts to help t
hem understand. As a professional, I rely on the expert diagnoses of specialists in my field of medicine. When I can't make sense of the data, I refer my patients to a specialist to aid in the diagnosis. Experts ask questions of other experts!

One thing is certain: if you are an expert who tries to cram yourself into the latest new thing, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the mystery of your own body and at least less happy. You need to practice stepping back and asking yourself, "Does this help me long-term? Is this a temporary fix? What can I expect if I follow this medical advice?". Unfortunately, the goal of being healthy overall is sometimes lost in the fixes, the medicines, the diets.

Therefore! Be an expert on your own body! You can learn to manage your own health, relying on other experts like your physician, your dentist, your chiropractor, etc., to help you. Ask lots of questions, put the pieces together, and you will become the expert you were meant to be.