My health diagram

Many years ago I learned that I loved diagramming sentences. The idea that a sentence had an easily discernible and LOGICAL structure was amazing. Being able to take a sentence apart and figure out which pieces were most important, to build a skeleton with the pieces, made me giggle. Literally.

The ability to diagram sentences has no logical use in this world, but I can use the diagram structure in other ways. For example, if I have a serious cough. How did it begin? After exercising. (Assumption, lung irritation) Why did it begin? Unknown.

Symptoms are the second step of the diagram. The main line (the sentence core, the subject of the sentence) is the cough. That's what I'm trying to remedy.



Is it worse at night or during the day? Worse at night

Is it worse standing or lying down? Lying down

Is it worse outside or inside? Inside

Is it worse at home or at work? Neither

Does exercise aggravate it? Yes

Lots of etcetera; whatever questions the situation calls for. If I determine that there may be an emotional connection I use different questions and go deeper.

In this way I can construct an assumption of what is causing this cough. Along the way I can come up with possible remediations, things that will make the cough easier to deal with such as sleeping partially upright or taking antihistamines. [*** see below.]

Based on the information as I built my diagram, this does not seem to be disease related. If the diagram indicated it was worse at work or at home I could suggest that the cause was environmental (such as mold, or temperature). If it got worse when the air quality was lower I could suggest that it was related to that. If it's not environmental, I go on to the next level.

The structure of the diagram has four sub-clauses; Situation, symptoms, remediation, and diagnosis. There would normally be a fifth clause, treatment, but I don't want anyone accusing me of practicing medicine.

There are three levels to the diagnosis--Disease (external), physical/environmental (internal) or emotional (internal). Technically I could add a few more layers.

Once I determine whether it's physical or mental, internal or external, I have a much better chance of choosing treatments that will work.

Mental is a subject for another post, or maybe a series of them.




***Do not confuse a remediation with a cure. They are totally different things. Many pharmaceuticals are in the remediation category, controlling symptoms but doing nothing for the disease.