A symptom is the body’s cry for help. It is trying to tell us there is a problem, either a deficiency or a malfunction of one or more of the body’s systems. If the symptom is due to a deficiency, it can be quickly reversed, but if long-term deficiencies have caused a systemic breakdown, eradicating the symptom is not addressing the cause. When symptoms are relieved by a practitioner’s treatment, the malfunction often manifests in another area of the body because the underlying problem has not been remedied. This “new” manifestation of what caused the original malfunction will then require further symptom-chasing using natural or medical tools, which can continue for years, leading to more severe conditions with each symptom chase.

         For example, eczema, acne or other skin lesions can simply be a vitamin B deficiency. If given vitamin B as a complex several times a day makes no headway against the problem, then more investigation is needed. Other common skin vitamins can be tried, like vitamin A and zinc. Deficiencies should first be tried and given time to work. Unless the deficiency is rectified, any other treatment will be fruitless.

         If addressing nutritional deficiencies manifests signs of improvement, but not wellness, other options should be sought. Another common cause of skin problems is an overwhelmed liver that has become backed up because of a malfunctioning bowel. The bowel should be moving and emptying several times a day so the liver can function as it is intended by dumping toxins to exit through that way instead of through the skin.

         If the liver does not right itself after the bowel is working, it can then be addressed using the correct nutrients traditionally used to help the liver assume its natural function. The skin dysfunction was the person’s body “talking”. Look at a symptom as the body’s cry for help, usually in a place other than where the symptom manifests.

         If the liver is overwhelmed, the body can enlist the aid of the body’s other cleansing organs, the bowel, kidney, lymph, lungs or skin. If the bowel and skin are not sent the liver’s load, kidney problems, a chronic cough or a lymphatic condition could result. However, after rectifying deficiencies, it usually it is the bowel that must be addressed and fixed first.

         When addressing symptoms, search for deficiencies first and foremost. Unless a deficiency is rectified, the body systems will remain out of balance and other symptoms will manifest one after another until a more dire condition manifests itself.

         How simple an answer to disease is feeding the body the nutrients it needs to balance itself. It is common knowledge that the modern diet rarely, if ever, meets the body’s nutritional needs. Supplementation is more important today than ever before. There are five or six basic supplements every person requires to maintain balance everyday because in today’s food theses nutrients are no longer found in adequate quantities. Some people need more, but unless these few supplements are taken daily and habitually, no one stays or gets well.

Dian Freeman, in private practice in Morristown, NJ, teaches a six-month nutritional certification course and has certified more than 700 graduates in holistic health over the last 14 years. Is completing a doctorate in medical humanities at Drew University. For more information, call 973 267-4816 or visit WellnessSimplified.com.