I have heard many people in the last few days say that they were sick or that their children were sick. When I inquired as to what was occurring, I heard descriptions of sore throats, coughing, fatigue, fever and lack of appetite. It is interesting to me how our society views these types of symptoms as sickness. Unquestionably, symptoms like the ones I listed above are often uncomfortable to go through for a child or adult. The question is, however, despite the fact that one does not feel well, are they sick? The answer is no! I invite you to consider the following.
All of the above symptoms are signs of a body that is properly adapting to its environment. Scientists clocked how fast microorganisms come out of our mouths when we cough – 120 miles per hour! This is an intelligent way to rId the body of a virus, bacteria or debris generated from adapting.
We all wash our clothes and dishes in hot water because we know it kills germs. A fever accomplishes the same thing in our bodies. The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend the administration of any drugs to reduce fever below 104.2 (unless present in an infant) because it results in increased time of the cold or flu and lowered immune function in the long term.
A lack of appetite is the result of the body funneling its energy to respond to the invading pathogens. Digestion uses a lot of energy and the body decreases its appetite to reduce food intake to save energy for other balancing functions. The fatigue is often the result of all the internal biochemical and physiological functions your body is doing that one cannot see. In additon, a decrease in food intake will result in a more tired body. After the system has calibrated, the symptoms leave.
Are these miraculously apporpriate and orchestrated symptoms the sign of sickness? No, they are signs of wellness. The truth is your body can be considered healthy whether you have symptoms or not! If you are not experienceing symptoms, your body is performing its regular functions to allow you to live. If you are experiencing smptoms, the body is focusing inward to respond to an altered internal invironment. A system that responds, adapts, and changes is HEALTHY!

