If it’s normal, it must be healthy, right?

“Sure, I have some acid reflux, but doesn’t everybody?”

“I wake up several times every night, but that’s normal, right?”

“I’m tired every afternoon, but that’s normal for me.  It’s no big deal.”

“I have bad cramps every month, but my mom and sister do too, so it’s just my genes.”

I hear variations of these statements every single day in the clinic and I used to say some of these things myself because many symptoms just seem… normal.

Be careful not to confuse normal with healthy.

They are far from being the same thing.  Think of “normal” as being the same as “common” – meaning that lots of people have these symptoms.  But being healthy really means good sleep, good digestion, and good energy.  While a sleepless night, a little reflux, or some afternoon fatigue doesn’t usually require a trip to the hospital, they are not part of being healthy.

I think of these symptoms as an early warning system.  We often wait until something is bad enough to make a change.  But if you start listening to and taking care of these signals earlier when they are still minor, they are so much easier and quicker to resolve.  Just think of how good you could feel day in and day out.

Think about your past three days… what symptoms did you feel that may be normal but not healthy?  What is one thing you could do today to make that symptom better?