Stay away from the bee’s nest!
Let me tell you my earliest memory of getting stung by bees.
I don't remember my age. I know I was young enough to not know better, and I was old enough to run! My brother and I were playing in the garden which was down the hill from our house. The house I grew up in sat on a hill in 3 acres of hardwoods. We had two small grassy yards in the front and back of the hillsides, and the garden was in a clearing at the bottom of the hill.
We were a good distance from the house, so when we played in the garden for long periods of time and had to go to the bathroom, we would often run over to a nearby tree for a quick "pee break".
On this day, we both had been "holding it" because we were having so much fun playing. When we finally decided to run over for a pee break, we picked a hole in the ground that seemed fitting as an outdoor toilet.
There we were, two little boys with pants halfway down doing things that boys do. I first noticed little blurry yellow flies doing pinwheels in the air. Then all of a sudden a sharp burning pain pierced my neck and then another on my arm. "Ow! Ow!! OW!!!" My brother and I were both getting stung. All in one moment, I looked at my older brother for help, but he was already running away from me and up the hill. I heard him yell, "Wasps!!". We both ran as hard as we could back to the house with tears streaming from our eyes and these little bees hanging on and stinging when they could.
We found out later that the hole we were using as a bathroom was actually the home to a yellow jacket nest!
Why do I share this with you?
It’s a funny story to think back on, and I vividly remember the reflection I had from this story. That reflection was this, “I should have backed away as soon as I saw the bees”. The first of the bees was the first warning sign to a much bigger problem near me - a whole NEST!
This memory came into my head the other day and I thought to myself, “This is how people treat their health!”.
We see the first few problems or pains surfacing, and it can be unclear of what to do next. Should I swat at the bees? Should I not do anything? Obviously, I want to avoid a bee’s nest if there is one! When we first begin to notice something doesn’t seem right, we are not quick to act. Here are some scenarios to help illustrate the point I’m making, so you can avoid dangerous “bees’ nests in health”.
Swatting at bees: The temporary solution
Swatting can seem like the right thing to do, but it is only giving us a temporary solution. I see this in practice when people say, “I’ve tried meds, massage, ESTIM, chiropractic, heat, PT… but none of it lasts!”. In some cases, patients tell me the treatment they tried made it worse! Swatting at a bee will only make it angry!
When we don’t do anything: Taking the risk
First of all, doing nothing isn’t a bad idea. It allows you to assess whether there is a greater danger. We may find that there’s no way a nest is close, and the bee may not even be concerned with us. This is like having a pain or symptom randomly, and then it goes away on it’s own without us doing anything. This also tells us that symptoms or bees are not always the best indicator of dangers to our health.
When we recognize the danger: Assess the environment and slowly back away
Recognizing the danger involves checking your surroundings, assessing the danger and taking the necessary small steps to back away. You could even get a bee expert to come out and assess whether there are hives and nests! You could do that with your body too! Getting checked with the appropriate provider is as easy as taking a scan and running a test. If you do need to do something, it will help you avoid a much bigger problem in the future. Take an EKG for example. An EKG is a very good test for heart function, and sometimes testing can help us avoid a greater danger even if we don’t “feel” symptoms.
The “bee’s nest” in your spine that I want you to avoid.
The most common bees’ nests for you to avoid is osteoarthritis and nerve issues involving the spine. These two avoidable “bees’ nests” are among the most common I see as people age. When someone comes into my office, I can determine whether or not they have signs that this could develop or has started to develop.
Those signs are in the form of problems with how the bones of your spine are positioned and functioning, which affects nerve function. When left unchecked, it can get out of hand and seriously affect the function of your whole spine. The first place to start looking to determine if there is an issue in your spine is with a test of the nervous system, which is why we use paraspinal thermography in our practice to check the function and balance of the nervous system. If there is an issue, x-rays can tell us exactly what is happening. Evaluating and correcting these problems can help avoid bigger problems in the future.
I know there are many “dangers” to avoid when it comes to health. These dangers can affect the way we live our lives, spend time with our family, and reach goals later in life. In order to help educate on these “bees’ nests” and others, I have created a “Bee Kind to Your Spine” initiative to help give people easy tips for avoiding greater dangers in your spine and your health! If you see one of our “Bee Kind Tips”, like and share with the people you know to help others avoid dangers as well!
