Your symptoms are just symptoms of a bigger problem

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Dr. Erika Krumbeck

Hello! My name is Dr. Erika Krumbeck (or “Dr. K” to my littlest patients). I am a naturopathic doctor and licensed primary care physician in the state of Montana.I specialize in pediatrics, infertility and postpartum women.Most importantly - I am a Mom! I am passionate about providing accurate, helpful medical information for you and your family.I love sharing the latest research in medicine, debunking health myths, and providing an unbiased voice for controversial topics.This blog is also full of natural ways to safely heal yourself and your children.

Latest posts by Dr. Erika Krumbeck (see all)

• 4 ways your child may not tolerate cow’s dairy: allergy, milk protein sensitivity, cerebral folate deficiency, and lactose intolerance - January 3, 2024
• 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and the “feel good” neurotransmitter serotonin - October 4, 2023
• Quercetin supplementation for children: research, safety and efficacy - May 13, 2023

Last weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a natural weight-loss class at Meadowsweet Herbs here in Missoula.  I had a blast!  Maybe it’s because I love doing what I do, and I LOVE talking about natural medicine.

But I think I surprised some folks.

One of the first things I told the class was that I believe that their weight loss has nothing to do with losing weight.  Instead, their weight loss (or rather, their inability to lose weight) is just a symptom of a larger problem.  The same can hold true for a variety of conditions – from headaches to hypothyroidism to heart disease.

Symptoms are simply the body telling us that something is wrong.  Pain and discomfort are excellent and adaptive ways the body uses to get us to change what we are doing in order to get the pain to stop.  Unfortunately, in today’s modern medical society we have ample quantities of pain reducers and symptom relievers at our disposal.  These medicines are incredibly effective at stopping the symptom (at least for a while), but they do nothing for the underlying cause.

So instead of treating your disease, most medicines (most, not all) suppress symptoms and leave the underlying state unchanged.  Anyone see a problem with this strategy?

The cause of the problem has not been addressed.  I liken this to the parable of the man building his house on sand – what happened when the wind and the waves approached?

For the same reason we need to start with the foundation of our own health.  We need to build wellness one brick at a time. Only then will the symptoms resolve – because the body will be balanced once again.

Only then will the weight come off (literally and figuratively).

I’m trying a video here…let me know if you like it!