Listen to Your Body: Understanding What Your Body Is Telling You

As physicians, we are trained to recognize the messages the body sends us. However, even the most accomplished physician cannot compare to the expertise and wisdom patients possess about their own bodies. Despite this, most people struggle to understand what their bodies are telling them. Why? Because from childhood, we’re trained to ignore the communication our bodies send us. Let’s explore a few examples of this “body language.”

Pain: Your Body’s Warning System

Consider the phrase “walk it off.” How many times have you told yourself, been told, or told someone else to walk an injury off? “Oh, you hurt your ankle? Walk it off!” But why?

I cannot tell you how many times parents rush to our Urgent Care Clinic—sometimes within half an hour—because their child has fallen or injured an arm, elbow, or other body part and now refuses to use it. This is where I educate parents: in this regard, children are actually SMARTER than adults because they’re listening to their bodies.

It makes perfect sense that if something hurts, the body is saying “DO NOT USE ME!” Through pain signals, children’s bodies tell them that something is wrong and that the injured part needs rest and care. If children could articulate this, they would look at their parents with bewilderment and question the logic of using a painful body part! Conversely, when the pain stops, it signals that the body part can now be safely used again.

Pain can also indicate issues beyond simple injuries. Another common scenario we see is when people develop chest pain and ignore it, thinking “it will go away.” Sure, it might—but if your chest is hurting and you have risk factors for a heart attack, blood clots, or other serious conditions, why would you ignore pain coming from one of the most vital areas of your body? Similarly, abdominal pain signals that one of your organs is hurting and needs attention.

The point is: if pain is there, identify it, acknowledge it, and understand it.

Fever: Your Body’s Defense Mechanism

Another major concern for people, especially parents, is fever. Fever can indicate many issues, but most commonly it signals the presence of an infection. Normally, we don’t have a fever, so if one develops, there’s a reason for it. Just like with cough (see November’s article), to eliminate the fever, we need to address its underlying cause.

The body uses fever to fight off infections and alert us that something is wrong. It’s a warning sign that typically won’t disappear unless the underlying issue is resolved. Giving Tylenol or Motrin to control the fever only reduces it temporarily but doesn’t address the root cause. When the body finishes fighting an infection, the fever will naturally subside. Fever can also indicate other conditions such as cancer, rheumatological diseases, drug reactions, and more.

The point is: if fever is present, identify it, acknowledge it, and understand it.

Abnormal Sensations and Functions: When Something Changes

This category encompasses a wide range of symptoms, including:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Numbness and tingling
• Weakness and tremors
• Shakiness and slurred speech
• Blurry vision and loss of bodily functions (eyesight, hearing, balance, taste, and others)
• Shortness of breath
• Swelling

While it’s beyond the scope of this article to cover all possible causes of these symptoms, some of the most important conditions to be aware of include stroke, abnormal electrolyte levels, abnormal blood sugar, medication side effects, overheating, heart attack, and blood clots, among many others.

The point is: if these symptoms appear, identify them, acknowledge them, and understand them.

The Bottom Line

Your body constantly tries to communicate with you. Whether you take care of it or neglect it, your body reciprocates and returns the favor. The more in tune you are with your body’s signals, the healthier you’ll live, the less trouble you’ll encounter, and the better your chances of enhancing your quality of life.

Listen to your body—it knows what it’s talking about.