One way to know if you have a functional illness is through self-
assessment. When we start listening to ourselves we will begin to get
many clues. Once we have collected these clues, sorting them out
becomes another art form. The most important distinction to make is
the difference between primary and secondary problems. This is asso-
ciated with what I call the domino effect.
The body tends to accumulate problems, often beginning with
one small, seemingly minor imbalance. This problem causes another
subtle imbalance, which triggers another, then several more. In the
end, you get a symptom. It’s like lining up a series of dominoes. All
you need to do is knock down the first one and many others will fall
too. What caused the last one to fall? Obviously it wasn’t the one
before it, or the one before that, but the first one. The body works the
same way. The initial problem is often unnoticed. It’s not until some
of the later “dominoes” fall that more obvious clues and symptoms
appear. In the end, you get a headache, fatigue or depression — or
even disease. When you try to treat the last domino — treat just the
end-result symptom — the cause of the problem isn’t addressed. The
first domino is the cause, or primary problem, and is often asympto-
matic, meaning that you don’t notice it. The next dominoes are the
main complaint, or secondary problem, which produces the symptom
but is merely the result of the first domino. The final domino is dis-
ease itself. Being able to differentiate between primary and secondary
problems is important for all of us, including health-care profession-
als. The classic example is treating a diseased organ. A heart-bypass
operation or removing a cancerous growth satisfies the end result. But
what about the cause of the problem? If it’s not found, how long will
it take before another major problem arises, if it hasn’t already?
As you become more intuitive about your health, you will begin
to understand the signs and symptoms your body is providing in its
desire to get your attention and your help. Once you develop your
instincts, you’ll be able to take responsibility to care for your own
health. For those who can’t or won’t assess for functional illness and
take appropriate actions to correct problems, there’s always disease.
Disease
We can define disease quite simply as a gross imbalance of normal
body function. Disease is the end result of dysfunction, usually
20 • IN FITNESS AND IN HEALTH