I burned my hand recently and … after I applied ice and herbal burn cream … I thought about you.
This was a great example to help explain when it is OK … even recommended … to suppress a symptom.
My hand was a bit scorched and HURT. Running water over it was extremely uncomfortable … and that was unavoidable working in the kitchen.
The pain relievers work … I know. The pain was gone and there’s no sign of a burn.
In this case, once I understood that touching the slow cooker was ill-advised, there was not much more information for me to gather. This was what is referred to as an “acute” situation.
Acute: Unlikely to repeat (unless you’re really not paying attention).
If, however, I used the pain reliever (ice and herbal burn cream) to allow myself to repeatedly scorch my hand. I would probably end up immobilized and the pain reliever may have caused REAL long-term damage.
That’s what happens when …
- We use heartburn remedies so that we can eat food that doesn’t digest well.
- We use ibuprofen to relieve the aches and pains after exercising to excess.
- We use allergy relief medication to dry up the mucous our body is producing as it tries to purge the offender.
When you use these over the counter pain relievers regularly, you are leaving a lot of internal “scorched earth” that will eventually have to be repaired.
There is a better way. You need to identify your unique kryptonite … and then eliminate it (or manage it if necessary).
Every symptom is caused by a toxic stressor … kryptonite. If you don’t already have a copy of my book, “What’s Your Kryptonite?” that’s the best place to start.
