HERE is an article about simple symptoms that can signify bigger health problems. It's great to know what to look for and what to bring up to you doctor: it helps you to become more aware of your body and empowers you as a patient!
In addition, I encourage EVERYONE to take a tally of all the medications you use. If you have a headache, do you immediately reach for medicine to make it go away? If you have diarrhea, do you grab the Imodium?
One of the many issues we have in health care in America is the perception most people have of what "healthy" is, primarily that it is tied to negating natural responses of the body (no pain! no fever! etc.). The problem with "better living through chemistry" is that we often drown out our own body's communication mechanisms (pain, nausea, etc), sometimes leading to missed symptoms and therefore lack of appropriate treatment.
For example: you wake up with a severe headache. In our current culture, this is seen as something you want to eliminate immediately! Suffering, after all, is so last century. The headache is, however a SYMPTOM, NOT A CONDITION. It is your body alerting you through pain that something is awry. It could be many different things, from electrolyte imbalances to meningitis, but if you remove the pain instead of exploring what improves it, you may overlook a serious condition.
This is what happens in many cases of ovarian cancer. The symptoms (bloating, gas, irregular bowel patterns, irregular periods, feeling tired, stomach swelling) are relatively mundane, so people either don't report them to their doctor or the doctor can overlook them, therefore postponing diagnosis and decreasing chances of a positive prognosis. Many people are likely to just reach for a Midol, incorrectly assuming that the symptoms are PMS or period related, instead of bearing through the symptoms and watching to see if there is a pattern (when do I get them? how long have I had them? what makes them worse? what makes them better?).
Also good to know: fever is another symptom that your body is doing its job! When you body activates your immune system to fight off an infection or virus, your body temperature increases in order to increase your metabolic rate, helping your body to kill off the illness. The moment you take an Advil, Tylenol, or any other fever reducer, you decrease your body's natural ability to kill the infection. The ONLY time you should be taking a fever reducer is if your fever is out of control (102 degrees or above), or if you are a child. Otherwise, grin and bear it, drink TONS of water (increased metabolism means increased need for water and fuel) and with the help of your fever you'll get over your illness faster.
Having a relationship with your body and understanding the meaning of its communication is a useful and invaluable tool in preventive and wellness based health. So PAY ATTENTION and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!
