There’s an experiment that I’ve heard about involving a frog. I’ve never done this myself, nor do I suggest you do it because you’ll kill the frog!
If you take a little frog and drop it into a beaker of boiling water, it will immediately jump out, of course. However, if you take the same frog and place it in a beaker of room temperature water, then gradually heat the water to boiling, the frog will not jump out. It will literally sit in the water and boil to death!
What’s the difference between the two scenarios? The first is sudden and the second is gradual.
The second situation seems completely ridiculous (even for a frog!), but don’t we do the same thing ourselves on a daily basis? When it comes to our health, except in the cases of sudden and dramatic injury or illness, most people pay virtually no attention to this all-pervasive aspect of our lives. Then, once the inevitable breakdown occurs, we reach out for medication (prescription or non-prescription) to manage our problem. Eventually, however, this short-sighted approach will eventually fail, and then we must undergo surgery, heart by-pass, chemotherapy, etc.
I see this all-too-common scenario everyday in practice. You can certainly see it in hospitals! The tragedy of all this is that much of the time it could have been prevented.
The big advantage that we have over the frog is that we possess the power of reason and can choose to take a proactive wellness approach to our health. This, of course, requires a high level of self-esteem, commitment, and perseverance. However, the rewards can be so great and wonderful that it’s worth this effort. You may have heard that the magnitude of the reward is proportional to the difficulty of the task. That’s what’s operating here.
Unfortunately, this personal responsibility is not one that is nurtured or fostered in our society, and we’ll be discussing this in more detail next month. See you then!
Dr. Paul is the owner of Weber Chiropractic Clinic and Wellness Centre in Port Hope. He can be reached at 905-885-9306 www.drpaulweber.com.
