Causes and effects

Sometimes discomfort has a single, discernible cause.

A period of digestive upset might be caused by a virus or food allergen. Hip pain might be caused by a fall. A headache might be caused by a change in vision.

More often, though, discomfort and dysfunction are caused by a confluence of factors.

Chronic worry + acute stress + "I ate something I shouldn't" + poor sleep + decreased food diversity = digestive symptoms.

Sitting for work + acute stress + screens + chronic heavy periods + "that time I was sick for a month as a kid" = another headache.

Sedentariness + social isolation + "that old sports injury" + worry about the kids + resentment = hip acting up.

If the goal is relief, rather than endlessly ruminating about causes, time might be better spent developing a strategy to improve as many known determinants of health as possible.