It is very important that we keep our body healthy if we are going to have long and happy lives. Part of taking care of our health is understanding the different parts and systems of the body. That way, we will know how to best take care of them.
Our physical body is our “home” in this life so we need to take care of it.
Doing this is more difficult if you don’t have an understanding about how the body works.
Now, I don’t expect everyone to have an in-depth understanding of the body and anatomy, that’s why we have doctors. All I’m trying to say is that learning about your body and the basics of anatomy can be super helpful in navigating through life.
Look at it this way, would you drive a car without knowing some basics about a car? Imagine you didn’t know how to turn on your windshield wipers and it started raining. We need this basic understanding of how the car operates. You need to know how your car is supposed to sound so that if it sounds weird, you bring it to a mechanic.
Just like a car, when you know yourself in detail, you’re more likely to know when something isn’t right and when to seek help. You’re also more likely to keep your body healthy. When I say “in detail”, this doesn’t mean you know the detailed anatomy but you know your own body. Think about how high level athletes know what their body needs and what is not good for them. They probably have a basic understanding of anatomy but I would guess that most of them don’t have a PhD in the subject. Even still, they usually have phenomenal body awareness.
Do you Listen to your body
Another way I like to look at the physical body is like a communication system. The body lets you know when something needs attention.
An example of this is our stomach growling when we’re hungry. The stomach is saying “Please feed me.”
Pain is also a common form of communication. Something hurts and that body part is saying “Pay attention to me, something is wrong.” This signaling gets a little more complex in chronic pain which you could read about more by clicking here.
For example, pain signals are super clear like when your low back hurts and something is going on in your lower back. But sometimes the pain signals are not as clear, like when you think something is wrong with your foot because it’s tingling but then you find out that it’s from a nerve being pinched in your lower back.
This is why it is important to see a medical professional when you’re having a problem. That being said, the better you understand your body the easier it is to communicate to a medical professional about an issue you’re experiencing. The better you can communicate, the better and more accurate help you will receive. Also, understanding the body helps you in working on a treatment plan with your doctor.
