Six Important Phenomena Observed In Medicine

Most people are born healthy. Over a period of time some get sick. Why?
To rephrase Mark Twain, “Inside every sick person is a healthier person-what the hell happened.” Actually what he said was, “Inside every older person is a younger person-what the hell happened.”
From wellness to sickness there are six important phenomena observed in medicine. An understanding them is essential for comprehending your illness.

1. INDIVIDUAL SUSCEPTIBILITY: We all have individual proneness to illness and are not equally vulnerable to any or all of the environmental factors. This is determined by our genetic predisposition.
2. BIOCHEMICAL INDIVIDUALITY: Not only do we look different from each other externally, we are quite different internally as well – bio-chemically speaking. This is why people living in the same home environment when they become sick may show different symptoms. Some may have headaches, while others may suffer from asthma or sinus problems. Yet others may develop chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome etc.
3. SPREADING PHENOMENON: Once a disease starts in one part of the body, it does not remain confined to that organ system. Instead, over a period of time, more and more organ systems get involved and new symptoms emerge. For example, starting with runny nose or a headache you may develop other symptoms over the years such as coughing, wheezing, fatigue, muscle aches and pain, joint pains, etc.
4. ADAPTATION: Exposure to a substance is essential for sensitization. When we become sensitized to a substance we do not get sick right away because of the body’s ability to adapt. When adaptation runs out, we start experiencing symptoms.
5. SWITCHING PHENOMENON: This is the most intriguing phenomenon. As you age, your old problems leave and new problems crop up in a different part of the body. You may start with say sinus problems which may leave and replaced by asthma. Asthma may be followed by arthritis or colitis. This forces patient to hop from one specialist to another without realizing common connections.
6. TOTAL BODY LOAD: Everything we eat, breathe, and touch and every change in the environment such as humidity, temperature, mold or pollen count, chemical exposures and psychological stress add a load onto our body. Whether we recognize it or not, the total load is constantly changing. If the total load becomes above the tolerance level, you get symptoms and when the load is below the tolerance level your symptoms diminish. This produces fluctuations in your symptoms.