Synthetic Living

I had a consult with a client the other day.   He is only in his early fifties, yet presents as though he’s twenty years older, by his own admission.

Despite being a ‘healthy’ weight, he is far from actually being healthy.

He used to be a runner.  After he began feeling tweaks and twinges in his knees, he went to his MD seeking relief and was told that ‘running is bad for him’, given a cortisone shot and sent home on his merry way.    His knees felt great at first, but the effects of the shot wore off over the next months and now he’s walking around in pain, afraid to try other types of exercise, lest he hurt his knees further.  

(Of course, the ‘why’ behind the knee pain was never addressed; an all too common scenario for something that would likely have been so fixable with some physical therapy, gait analysis and perhaps a change of running shoe or surface.)

Since he stopped running, he noticed he began feeling significantly more anxious on a day to day basis, so he went back to his MD and was given a prescription for  Xanax.

He’s now taking Xanax, but since he’s feeling drowsy on a daily basis, he’s also increased his caffeine intake from what used to be an acceptable single espresso in the morning to a minimum of four cups per day.

What on earth is wrong with this picture?

This poor man, through no fault of his own, doing only what his doctor suggested he do, is now existing, rather than living.   This is not the way to thrive.

Diet was never addressed, physical activity was basically whipped to a screaming halt and now, in order not to feel fatigue and pain, he takes several pills, a few times per day.

His plight is far from an anomaly.   It’s more common to read this sort of story than it is one in which a person finds a support team of a talented massage therapist, Paleo practitioner and naturopath who can collectively work with a patient to support his or her body to heal itself.

If this scenario is something you can identify with, or perhaps it matches someone close to you, do your homework and don’t settle for pills and a band aid.  Keep seeking experts who can help you find out ‘why’ and then address the issue at the root.

Don’t settle.

Life is too short to not actually live every single day.