They say that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out right away to escape the danger.

But, if you put a frog in a pot that is filled with water that is cool and pleasant, and then you gradually heat the water until it starts boiling, the frog will not become aware of the threat until it is too late. The frog’s survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes.

Now I am not about to try and find out if the above is true, but this is a story that could also be compared with humans and our health. It illustrates how humans have to be careful to watch slowly changing effects in our bodies, not just the sudden changes. Its a reminder for us to keep paying attention, not just to obvious and sudden health issues but to more slowly developing ones.

A light example of this might be someone who wakes up with ‘sudden’ back pain… More often than not the back pain doesn’t ‘just happen’ – there has likely been imbalances present in the body for some time prior, whether it be structurally related, applying pressure on the body or dietary related (many clients I’ve seen with back pain have found significant improvement when we’ve addressed certain digestive issues), or another area… the back pain is the sudden change we notice and perhaps react to but the route of the pain has likely stemmed from something else which has gradually taken effect over time.

Our bodies are incredible… they are designed to heal and thrive in the right environment and they are always giving us information if we choose to listen. I now embrace any unwell or strange feelings because I now see it as relevant information for my long term health and try to address accordingly… Even the onset of a cold could be telling us we are run down, stressed, not boosting our immune system etc…

What recent health niggles have you had? and what do you think your body is trying to tell you?