Is Treating the “Underlying” Cause Any Different From Treating Symptoms?

Today, practitioners in many healing arts see “treating the underlying cause” of our symptoms as the wise, enlightened approach to healthcare. I have a different perspective: Treating the cause is no different from treating symptoms. They are both the same—treating. Even the deepest underlying causes that we can perceive with our educated mind may still exist at a relatively superficial level. I will agree that it can be useful to look beneath the surface for hidden issues that, when addressed and released, can help us heal. As we discover and clear these issues, though, it helps to keep in mind that we are beings of unfathomable depth and complexity. The totality of our existence is an intricate web of spiritual, emotional, mental and physical aspects—and maybe even some dimensions that we have not yet discovered—all giving rise to infinite possibilities. Our intellect is probably incapable of grasping every underlying cause of all other underlying causes of the countless layers of deeper underlying causes of many possible outlying causes, as they may relate to all of the conceivable overlying causes…

For example, people diagnosed with depression often have chemical imbalances that their physicians believe are an underlying cause of the depression. Yes, these chemical imbalances do exist; and yes, they do correlate with symptoms of depression. And, yes, treating the chemical imbalances with drugs can “correct” the perceived imbalance and relieve the symptoms. But merely relieving the symptoms does not bring about healing. In fact, it may very well deprive someone the opportunity for the deep, core healing that their depression is presenting them. Can we ever really know what caused the chemical imbalance in the first place? Was it a self limiting belief? Might it have been a past trauma from childhood…or from a past life…or a future life…or one or more parallel existences? Or is it, perhaps, a karmic life lesson playing out at a vibrational level? Or…?

Most of us have seen nesting dolls—those large, rounded, hollow toy figures that you open to reveal an identical, but somewhat smaller figure. Within the smaller figure you find another smaller one, then an even smaller one, and yet another, and so on. Think of a human being as a set of nesting dolls that goes from an infinitely large doll down to an infinitely small doll, and with dolls that go not only from large to small, but also from side to side, forward and backward in time, and back and forth through every dimension and possibility. Trying to reduce symptoms and disease to a finite set of successive layers of underlying causes is an oversimplification that limits the possibilities available to us on our healing journey.

Rather than limit ourselves to treating problems, be they symptoms or perceived “underlying” causes, I suggest that we spend more time and energy on fully expressing the beautiful and perfect life force that shines within each of us.

Book update:
Oby's Wisdom! A Caveman's Simple Gude to Health and Well-being is curently available as an e-book in various different formats:
To read all about Oby's Wisdom, download a free excerpt and purchase a pdf download, visit www.ObysWisdom.com.

Oby is available in various other digital formats at:
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble Nook e-reader.

Oby is coming soon to Amazon's Kindle e-reader and the Sony e-reader. Print version will be available sometime this spring.

Until next time,
Dr. Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor, lightworker, energy healer, writer, speaker
Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho