Unlocking Your Body's Wisdom: The Power of Listening to Your Symptoms
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With the constant barrage of distractions from modern life, many of us have lost touch with the basic signals our bodies send us. In this episode of the Foundational Health Podcast, Dr. Kevin Schultz discusses the importance of slowing down and truly listening to our bodies. Dr. Schultz explores the critical role of hydration, the dangers of symptom suppression, and the benefits of natural remedies over pharmaceuticals.
Learn practical ways to de-stress, unplug, and reconnect with your body's needs. Plus, discover how to interpret common symptoms and what they might be telling you about your health. Tune in to gain valuable insights and actionable tips to look better, feel better, and heal better.
Want to start building a foundation for sustainable health & wellness? Check out Dr. Kevin’s “Rebuild Your Health” 60-day protocol!
Are You Listening to Your Body? Understanding Symptoms as Signals
We live in a world full of distractions. Our phones constantly ping with calls, messages, and notifications. Work stress, family responsibilities, poor sleep, and the overwhelming presence of ultra-processed foods and medications pull us even further from the most basic signals our bodies send us. Many people struggle to recognize the difference between hunger and thirst, let alone deeper signs of imbalance.
But what if we slowed down and truly listened?
In this podcast and article, I’m diving into the importance of tuning in to your body’s signals. Beyond just recognizing discomfort, we’ll explore what your symptoms are actually trying to tell you and how your body uses them as a way to heal.
The Overlooked Signs of Dehydration
One of the simplest ways to improve your health is proper hydration. I won’t go too deep here—there’s a full episode dedicated to it (Pillar #3: Effective Hydration for Peak Body Performance)—but it's crucial to recognize just how many common health issues stem from dehydration.
When your body lacks water, it can manifest as:
Hunger (when you’re actually just thirsty)
Headaches and brain fog
Depression and anxiety
Poor sleep and fatigue
Constipation and digestive issues
Joint and muscle pain or tension
Instead of recognizing these signals, many people reach for quick fixes—extra snacks, painkillers, antidepressants, or sleep aids—when their body simply needs water. Suppressing symptoms instead of addressing the root cause can prevent you from catching early warning signs of deeper health issues.
Foundational health is about giving your body what it truly needs. If you’ve covered the basics but still struggle, it might be time to dig deeper—whether that means talking to a functional medicine doctor or running tests to uncover underlying issues.
Understanding Common Daily Symptoms
Symptoms are your body’s warning signs. Instead of masking them with medication, it’s important to understand what they’re signaling so you can address the root cause. Let’s get into some common daily symptoms and what they mean for your body.
Symptom #1 Pain
Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong—it’s not just a sign that you need to pop a pill and push through the day. Take low back pain, for example.
If your pain is due to a bulging disc, your body might be warning you not to bend a certain way or lift heavy objects.
Taking a painkiller may numb the discomfort, but it also silences this important signal—allowing you to move in ways that could worsen the injury.
Over time, ignoring these warnings can lead to bigger, more chronic problems that are harder to fix.
This applies to any type of pain—whether it’s in your knee, shoulder, or elsewhere. Instead of masking it with medication, addressing the root cause is key.
Natural Pain Relief: Supporting Your Body Without Silencing It
While I’ve never taken traditional pain meds, I rely on natural remedies that work with the body—helping to relieve discomfort while still allowing it to send important signals. These options don’t come with the nasty side effects of pharmaceuticals and actually support healing. Here are some of my personal favorites:
Evening primrose oil – Great for menstrual cramps.
Lavender & peppermint oil – Excellent for headaches and muscle pain.
Arnica oil – A family favorite for bruises, insect bites, and injuries.
Epsom salt baths – Magnesium-rich warm baths help with muscle and joint soreness.
Foam rollers (like Chirp Wheels) – Relieve muscle soreness and spinal tension.
Bone broth – Supports joint health, gut healing, and overall inflammation.
Sauna, red light therapy, & cold water therapy – Aid in recovery and reduce inflammation.
Grounding mats & sheets – Promote relaxation and natural pain relief.
Massage, acupuncture, & chiropractic care – Great external treatments for pain relief and body alignment.
Yes, these natural remedies might not completely eliminate pain like over-the-counter or prescription meds, but that’s a good thing. They allow you to listen to your body rather than silencing its warnings, helping you address the root cause and truly heal.
Symptom #2: Digestive Issues:
Bloating, diarrhea, and constipation aren’t just annoying digestive issues—they’re signals from your body that something is off. Common causes include:
Low levels of good gut bacteria – This can lead to imbalances and digestive discomfort.
Leaky gut – A condition where the gut lining becomes too permeable, leading to inflammation.
Dehydration – One of the simplest but most overlooked causes of digestive issues.
Instead of reaching for symptom suppressors like Pepto Bismol, listen to what your body actually needs:
More water
Nutritious, whole foods
A quality probiotic
By addressing the root cause, you’ll improve digestion naturally and support long-term gut health.
Symptom #3 Fatigue
Feeling constantly drained? Fatigue is more than just being tired—it’s your body signaling an imbalance. Possible causes include:
Lack of quality sleep – Poor sleep hygiene can leave you feeling exhausted.
Chronic stress – Overstimulation from work, screens, and daily pressures takes a toll.
Hormonal imbalances – Issues with cortisol, thyroid, or other hormones can contribute.
Neck misalignments – Staring down at your phone all day can cause upper neck tension, affecting energy levels.
Many people turn to quick fixes like coffee, energy drinks, or stimulants, but these only mask the problem. Instead, focus on:
Good sleep hygiene – Prioritize a consistent bedtime, limit screen time, and follow the 10-3-2-1-0 rule.
Stress reduction – Yoga, prayer, meditation, or deep breathing can help rebalance your system.
Chiropractic care – Adjusting misalignments in the upper neck can dramatically improve energy levels.
Hormone testing – If you suspect an imbalance, consider a DUTCH hormone test through a functional MD.
One of the biggest benefits I see in my chiropractic practice? Less fatigue and more energy after improving neck alignment. The upper neck plays a crucial role in the nervous system, impacting hormones and overall energy levels. Many patients don’t come in for fatigue—but after an adjustment, they’re amazed at how much better they feel.
Symptom #4: Headaches:
Headaches aren’t just an inconvenience—they’re a message from your body that something is off. Common causes include:
Eye strain – Too much screen time or improper lighting can trigger tension headaches.
Stress & tension – Mental stress and muscle tightness, especially in the neck, can lead to headaches.
Neck misalignments (Text Neck) – Poor posture from constantly looking down at phones or screens strains the upper neck.
Dehydration – Lack of water is a major but often overlooked trigger.
Underlying health issues – In some cases, headaches can signal more serious complications.
Your body isn’t telling you that you need aspirin—headaches are not an aspirin deficiency. Instead of covering up the symptom, focus on the root cause:
Reduce eye strain – Take breaks from screens, adjust lighting, and consider blue light filters.
Manage stress – Try relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or stretching.
Check your posture – Keep your screen at eye level and avoid prolonged forward head posture.
Stay hydrated – Make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day.
Consider chiropractic care – Neck misalignments can contribute to tension headaches and correcting them can provide relief.
The Critical Healing Role of Acute Inflammation
Acute inflammation, or short-term inflammation, is often misunderstood. While we’ve been conditioned to think of inflammation as harmful, it actually plays a crucial role in the body’s healing process. Here’s why you should rethink common approaches to inflammation.
Acute Inflammation: The Body’s Natural Response
Acute inflammation is the body’s immediate reaction to injury or infection. It’s a protective mechanism that helps start the healing process. When you experience redness, swelling, pain, or warmth in an injured area, it’s your body’s way of isolating the issue, fighting infection, and beginning tissue repair.
Key Characteristics:
Onset: Rapid and appears soon after injury or infection.
Duration: Usually lasts for a few days.
Signs: Redness, swelling, heat, pain, and potential loss of function.
Purpose: Helps to isolate the injury, bring immune cells to fight infection, and promote tissue repair.
Why Suppressing Inflammation Can Be Harmful
The common treatment for injuries—such as the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation)—aims to reduce inflammation, but this can hinder the body’s natural healing abilities. While it may seem like the right choice, reducing inflammation too quickly can stop your body from doing the work it needs to heal.
What’s at Stake:
Icing and NSAIDs: These are often used to reduce inflammation, but they can interfere with the body’s healing process by stopping inflammation, which is vital for tissue repair and fighting infection.
Real-life Example: I tore my hamstring last year but chose not to ice it or take painkillers. Instead, I used light movement, grounding, and nutritional support, allowing my body to naturally heal. In less than three weeks, I was back to my usual workout routine.
Rethinking Conventional Wisdom
The belief that inflammation is harmful has led to widespread use of medications to suppress it. However, the body is designed to handle short-term inflammation on its own. By following conventional practices like RICE, we may be hindering the healing process instead of supporting it.
Critical Thought: Instead of Following the Status Quo, consider whether reducing inflammation is truly helping your body heal, or if it’s interfering with the healing process.
Don't Suppress Your Body's Natural Healing Process
When you're sick, your body goes into protective mode, displaying symptoms like sneezing, coughing, and fever to help you heal. However, we’ve been conditioned to suppress these symptoms with over-the-counter medications, which may actually hinder your body’s natural healing abilities. Here’s a look at a few common cold symptoms and why suppressing them might not be the best choice.
Sneezing: Your Body’s Protective Reflex
Sneezing is a reflex that helps your body expel irritants like dust, pollen, and germs from the nasal passages, protecting your respiratory system.
What It Does: Clears the nose and keeps harmful pathogens out of your lungs.
Common Treatment: Antihistamines and nasal sprays to relieve symptoms.
Critical Thought: Why suppress sneezing when it’s your body’s way of preventing harm? Stopping it means you’re preventing your body from clearing out the very things that could make you sicker.
Coughing: Clearing the Airway
Coughing is another reflex that helps clear irritants like mucus, dust, smoke, and allergens from the airways.
What It Does: Clears your airways of harmful substances.
Common Treatment: Cough suppressants to relieve symptoms.
Critical Thought: Suppressing a cough stops the body from expelling irritants and healing properly. Letting it happen is a natural process that supports recovery.
Fever: The Body’s Defense Mechanism
Fever is an elevated body temperature that helps inhibit the growth of bacteria and viruses by making it harder for them to survive.
What It Does: Makes it harder for pathogens to survive, speeding up the healing process.
Common Treatment: Medications like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) to reduce fever.
Critical Thought: Reducing a fever might seem helpful in the short term, but you’re essentially lowering your body’s natural defense system.
The Key Takeaway
Your body has its own healing mechanisms, like sneezing, coughing, and fever, that are designed to protect and heal you. Instead of immediately reaching for medication to suppress these symptoms, consider letting your body do what it’s designed to do.
Cholesterol: Healing and Protective, Not the Enemy
Now let's move on to something a little bit bigger and more chronic like elevated cholesterol. Cholesterol plays a crucial role in the body, and understanding its natural production can change how we approach elevated cholesterol levels.
Cholesterol’s Essential Roles
Cell Membranes: Builds the membranes around your cells.
Hormone Production: Helps create essential hormones like estrogen and testosterone.
Vitamin D and Fat Digestion: Aids in vitamin D production and the digestion of fats.
Bodily Protection: Helps lower inflammation and repair tissues in the body’s time of need, making cholesterol an important protective substance for the body.
The Problem with Statins
Statins suppress cholesterol production, but this can interfere with the body’s natural healing processes. If inflammation is the root cause of elevated cholesterol, stopping cholesterol production might leave inflammation unchecked and cause more damage.
Instead of just lowering cholesterol, focus on addressing chronic inflammation. By improving lifestyle factors like nutrition, exercise, and stress management, you can reduce inflammation and let your body heal naturally.
Blaming cholesterol for heart disease is like blaming firemen for fires. Cholesterol is a response to inflammation, not the cause of it. The true culprit is chronic inflammation, often driven by poor lifestyle choices like stress, poor sleep, and bad diet.
How to Connect With Your Body and Support Natural Healing
To live in alignment with our natural design, we need to make conscious choices that support our body’s healing process. Here are practical tips to help you unplug, listen to your body, and support your natural recovery:
1. Build a Healthy Foundation
Learn: Learn the basics of building a sustainable foundation for overall health and wellness from our “Rebuild Your Health” podcast episode.
Act: Put into practice these concepts with our 60-day “Rebuild Your Health” protocol!
2. Listen to Your Body
Pay attention to how your body feels after eating. Ultra-processed foods are linked to mood disorders, fatigue, and brain fog. Eating more whole, natural foods can leave you feeling better.
Notice how your body responds to movement. Whether it's a walk in fresh air or a workout, regular physical activity improves energy and overall health. Make movement a non-negotiable priority.
3. De-Stress and Unplug
Turn off your phone: To avoid EMFs and distractions, put your phone on airplane mode whenever possible, especially when sleeping or focusing.
Limit notifications: Silence unnecessary notifications, such as social media alerts or email reminders. Focus on what's truly important and avoid constant distractions.
4. Move More
Movement is essential for your body’s energy and healing. Regular exercise promotes better sleep, which is crucial for recovery. Aim for daily walking and workouts 3-6 times per week to keep your body craving more movement.
5. Develop a Sleep Routine
Follow the 10-3-2-1-0 rule for better sleep:
10 hours: Stop caffeine.
3 hours: Stop eating.
2 hours: Avoid stress.
1 hour: No screen time.
0 times: Don’t hit snooze.
A good night’s sleep allows your body to heal and recharge, promoting overall health and well-being.
6. Spend Time in Nature
Walk barefoot: Walking barefoot and grounding with the earth can be incredibly healing.
Get sunlight: Let natural sunlight hit your skin for vitamin D production and avoid blocking beneficial circadian rhythms with sunglasses.
Conclusion and Key Takeaways
To wrap up, here are the key takeaways from today's podcast:
Success comes from simple habits: Don’t feel overwhelmed by all the information. Start with what resonates with you and build it into your daily routine. Success is about consistency over time.
The world is built around pharmaceuticals: Once you realize that the healthcare system often prioritizes medication over listening to your body, it opens up a new perspective on healing. Embrace this shift and continue to educate yourself on how your body can heal naturally.
You are a leader: Take charge of your health journey. The best is yet to come, and by sharing this knowledge, you can inspire others to make positive changes as well.
If you enjoyed this podcast, think of someone who could benefit from this message and share it with them! Together, let’s make a community of people aiming to make health our hobbies!
