Our bodies have an amazing ability: adaptation.
Adaptation means that you (without thinking about it much) are able to change to suit the conditions of the environment. Take the simplest of adaptation signs: shivering.
Assuming the temperature drops (as it did just this morning here), your body uses sensors that sense this temperature change. This information is then sent along the communication pathway within your body to alert your control system that temperature has dropped. The control system then makes a CHANGE to react to this temperature drop. In this case, you shiver. A shiver allows the muscles to contract and relax to the point where you actually warm up your body through your muscular system. This simple act can make your body increase in temperature enough to prolong your survival.
This is just one example of adaptation within you. We all adapt, some better than others, to “stuff” going on in our environment. Which brings up a very important question. The answer to this question can literally stifle a nation’s healthcare system if answered incorrectly:
How do we know if our symptoms are a proper adaptation response (healthy), or signs that our body is not adapting properly (sick)?
I’d love to know your thoughts! Submit them here.
Dr. Mix