Using Decode Body Messages Alongside the Rest

"Listen to your body" is decent advice with a serious limit, and the limit is the important part.

What the body reports reliably. Pain that changes with position is mechanical. Tiredness that follows a bad week is a recovery problem. A stomach that reacts to a particular meal every time is telling you something specific. Sleep that broke when a job changed has an obvious cause. These are worth paying attention to, and two weeks of notes usually reveals the pattern.

What the body does not report at all. Blood pressure. Blood glucose. Iron stores. Thyroid function. Cholesterol. Early bowel changes. Cervical cell changes. Bone density. Every one of these can be significantly abnormal while you feel entirely well, which is the whole reason screening exists. No amount of body awareness substitutes for a blood test, a blood pressure cuff, a cervical screening test or a skin check.

And what the body reports misleadingly. Thirst is a poor guide in older people. Pain does not correlate with tissue damage in long-standing conditions. Feeling fine is not the same as being fine, and feeling terrible does not always mean something is structurally wrong.

So the practical version: track what is trackable, and get tested for what is not. We will tell you which is which, and what to ask your GP for. The clinic is in Lane Cove, five minutes from the village.