A great car guy, funny comedian, and long time former host of the Tonight show, Jay Leno,

might say: “How stupid is that?!”

Once upon a time, in a bygone era, automobile builders put little light bulb indicators on the dash board (aka instrument panel) to alert drivers when to check something.

These fused lights were adjacent to standard analog dials (e.g. speedometer, tachometer, fuel level, Oil pressure gauge, Voltmeter, Coolant temperature, etc.).  These bulbs were designed to help men (because most driver/owner/racers back in the day were men) monitor their cars. Why? so they could take better care of these complex machines that would then take them wherever they wanted to go.

Some say it was because only real “car guys” would know the meaning of the lights, so they wouldn’t require a label. Therefore, if you didn’t know what the light meant, apparently, you weren’t a car guy. And, if you had to ask what it was for, you were obviously an “idiot”.

Still others said these warning lights offered instant ‘notification’ of an emergency condition requiring immediate attention. Lights are a binary state indicator (i.e. “on” or “off”) as opposed to an incremental state indicator like a dial/gauge. Consequently a light would only come on if something broke, or hadn’t been properly checked (e.g. the oil pressure). Presumably only an “idiot” would forget such a thing, or need to be told such a thing… again, men helping men be more effective men while insulting them at the same time. Little wonder why men learn NOT to ask for directions.

As the internal combustion engine developed over the early decades of the auto industry, just about every American household came to own at least one automobile. In the baby boom of post-WWII, many drivers were now women and had families. To meet demand, and these changing demographics, various ‘features’ were added to make cars easier to drive and own. There were simply more internal systems to monitor (hydraulic braking, automatic transmission, power steering, HVAC, etc). Therefore, instrument clusters required more warning indicators to help ALL drivers, regardless of gender or skill level, operate and maintain these advanced systems more effectively.

Back in the day, some indicators, like the [Door Ajar] light from my Dad’s 1974 Ford T-bird, were perhaps a little unnecessary but deemed helpful “luxury” features for drivers who did not care to know such details until absolutely necessary. Not only lights, but buzzers, tones, and other sounds could alert the driver. What could be more helpful than an idiot light accompanied by a computer simulated human voice repeating the dreaded words aloud for all to hear… “Door Ajar”, “Door Ajar”. I NEVER did understand how a door could even BE a jar, but that’s another blog post.

Also back in the day, other indicator lights could be quite deceptive. The {Check Engine} symbol might come on to remind you to have your mechanic check your pollution controls (EGV valve) on your next regularly scheduled maintenance appointment. Whereupon he/she would check it and reset it, with no worries. However, that SAME light might come on as you’re driving down the highway having just lost your oil pan, indicating the engine is about to, in fact, seize up, and destroy itself… not the most helpful light ever invented… or perhaps, an overuse of this light on the dash, assigning many meanings to one symbol.

Since the 1960’s and 70’s, federal safety requirements ‘encouraged’ the auto industry to incorporate Seat Belts, ABS braking, Airbag (SRS) systems, etc. Some might call this “government over-reach”, but these technologies have saved literally millions of lives. They have also created entire (quite profitable) sub-industries around them.

In today’s computerized world of LED lighting, cars have Navigation, Communication, Entertainment and Information systems that could easily overwhelm a person if these systems weren’t so automated. We might even be reaching another tipping point of ‘too much information’ packed into too little space (namely the brain of the driver). In fact, cars are SO sophisticated, they require ‘professional’ technicians to service any+all of the systems within the car. Gone are the days of adjusting one’s fuel/air mixture with the turn of a carburetor screw. What do some of these icons even MEAN?!

Our bodies TELL us when something is wrong. Pain, Inflammation, Fatigue, etc are all autonomic “idiot lights”. We humans are blessed with a most incredible, and sophisticated, bio-electrical, chemical, multicellular structure to live in and to call home. It is far more intricate, and amazing than all the internal combustion, jet, and electric engines devised by man – combined. Yet, it can be operated by a complete idiot.

Way to often, our conscious minds Over-ride those autonomic warning signals and we press on in destructive behavior despite serious possible physical consequences. Watch any marathon runner, or professional athlete. They are prime examples of how people learn to overcome warning signs that would otherwise stop them in their tracks before they could become the best. So, they excel at conditioning, and fine-tuning their bodies to perform at a certain level. They must learn to ignore, or carefully monitor, physical warning signals like pain and fatigue. But, for the rest of us, who aren’t professional athletes, we must remember that warning signals aren’t just expressed acutely after certain intense activity, trauma, or ambient conditions.

Other warning signals, such as angina (chest pain), may only appear after years of increased heart strain from blocked arteries caused by poor diet and lack of exercise. To put into “car guy” terms: if you don’t change your oil (and keep a clean filter), or you don’t run the vehicle often enough… the oil is going to gum up, fail to circulate properly during operation, and cause poor performance that, if left unattended, could lead to catastrophic failure of the entire engine. In human terms, a heart attack. Now, a guy might say (about his car), “no problem, I’ll drop in a new engine”, but our bodies simply don’t work that way. Medical science (as advanced as it has become for those who can afford it) still cannot claim the same success ratios in organ transplants as mechanics can with engine transplants. Science can help a lot, but our bodies are still OUR responsibilities.

We must utilize our conscious mind (including logic and common sense) to gauge the importance of any pain, fatigue or other symptoms we’re experiencing. If we don’t, how will we know if we’re giving those signals proper attention? For better or worse, our bodies only ‘indicate’ a problem, they leave the interpretation of that problem, and any corrective action, to the operator.

How many of us grew up on fast food, junk food, and external stimulants like caffeine or nicotine? Would any self-respecting car guy repeatedly put low-grade, sediment-ridden, octane-deprived fuel into a vehicle with clogged filters? Not if they care about that vehicle and want it to last. Why then, put nutrient-deficient, chemical-ridden, low-quality food-like substances into our bodies? If we men ask our families what they would like… I bet they’d vote for more attention to Health and a little less attention to Horsepower.

Well, I’ve been successfully navigating physically disabling chronic illness for 20 years (and still am). I’ve come to learn a few things about how my physical vehicle works (and why at times it doesn’t work) that may, in fact, help others operate their physical vehicles. But, again, it is up to each one of us to learn as much as we can about our own body maintenance, and do as much DIY preventative maintenance as possible, or deal with the consequences down the road.

The “Health Care” industry (which, as we know, is actually a “disease care” industry) is designed to help you with “those consequences down the road”. Like a AAA service… you only call them after you’ve broken down.

My journey, before diagnosis of the physically disabling illness of CFS (aka Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), was not unlike the proverbial “car guy” who took better care of his passions in life, than of his life itself. I’m not saying that has led to, or caused, chronic fatigue syndrome. No. There is no known cause, no single biomarker to test for, and no FDA approved medications for doctors to prescribe to “cure” the illness. One thing is for sure, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome does NOT happen because you’re overworked or overstressed. If that were true, then simply removing the cause of the stress would eliminate the problem. However, what science shows us is that the body of a PWC simply does not bounce back given plenty of time to rest and recover.

My life since diagnosis has been a challenging one of discovery. Like every other person diagnosed with an “invisible” chronic illness that changes their lives, I have exhausted the medical field’s diagnostic and treatment protocol options (i.e. I’ve seen all the mechanics, and technicians, I’ve had the car up on a hundred lifts, been measured, poked, prodded, flushed, test driven, you name it).

We persons with chronic fatigue syndrome (PWC’s) are some of the BEST resources for health and wellness because we know what it is like to lose both. We explore Alternative, Eastern, Holistic, and a hundred other options to recover health and wellness. In our desperation to get better, we listen to advice from anyone and everyone who’s ever had problems like ours. We try their suggestions, buy their products, some of which may help, most of which don’t, some of which may even make things worse. But, none of which ever meet our expectation of full recovery. In part because (a) no one knows what causes the syndrome, so how could anyone know what cures it? and (b) in part because our expectations may, in fact, be unrealistic.

After a few years, we stop pursuing the illusion of a “cure”, and begin adjusting our mental stride from a lightning quick drag-race (i.e. hurry up and cross the finish line) to a much longer cross country road trip (i.e. take it one mile at a time, and try to enjoy the scenery along the way).

We no longer seek the quick fix because, as it turns out, there isn’t one. That can be a difficult reality to navigate. Especially in a world that has conditioned us to want it all now, and not shown us how little control we actually have over those same wants.

We learn to adjust our activities and commitments to accommodate the unpredictable and inconsistent symptomology of our illness. We simply don’t make as many promises to others, or to ourselves, in order to avoid disappointment. We learn to pace ourselves and find other ways to achieve, and maintain, our best health possible within the new parameters of our lives.

We become acutely aware of what WE have control over in our own lives, and what we don’t. We study our connection to Nature by differentiating what is natural from what is synthetic, what is essential from what is unnecessary, and what helps us verses what hurts us. We discover nutrition, learn about toxins, chemical exposure, and a thousand other factors that may affect our health, and exacerbate our symptoms. We do this because we have to, not because we want to. Although, learning to choose what we want helps along the way… that’s another blog. YOU can, if you choose, benefit from our journey without having to re-invent the wheel.

In the end, the most successful chronic illness warriors are the ones who find the right balance for themselves. It is not for me to judge what that balance is for someone else. for me, I no longer seek to regain my old life, but rather build the best new life I can. I no longer seek to add more years to my life, rather more life into my years… however many I’m blessed with. How do I DO this? The same way ANY diagnostician, analyst, or problem solver would… ‘Trial and Error’. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. The logic follows: (a) If this doesn’t work, (b) try this, else (c) try this, else (d) try this, and so on. I wish there were a better way to arrive at a conclusion. Nevertheless, here is my ultimate, yet simplified, ‘Do It Yourself’ approach to Health and Wellness:

I continue to incorporate the expertise, advice, and guidance of good medical doctors, but try not to make them responsible for something out of their speciality. For example, why ask a medical doctor about nutrition, when the medical school they went to never really -trained- them in nutrition? (watch our “What Your Doctor Wasn’t Taught In Med School that You Should Know About Nutrition” webinar series). Any disabling chronic illness can literally imprison you away from life. In my efforts to re-empower myself, it has become critical for me to ascertain exactly what I, personally, have control over, and what I don’t. I’ve been gifted an incredible physical vehicle to drive through this life. It would be nothing less than disrespectful to it’s creator, than to continue to drive it like an idiot.

(1) what I put INTO my body (nutrition, hydration, etc)

(2) what I put ONTO my body (lotions, detergents, etc)

(3) what I allow in the environment AROUND my body (chemical cleaners, air quality, etc)

These are 3 things I have a lot of control over, and that can actually have a dramatic affect on how my body functions. I’m not perfect, and I don’t have answers for everyone. So the way I’ve found I can make a positive difference in this world is to simply share my story and work with those that resonate with that.

If you’d like to learn more about some of the choices we ‘invisible illness warriors’ are making in our lives and see what resonates in your life: