You, The Owner's Manual

Everyone has a set of injuries. I have scars from when I was a kid, and recent scars from a series of accidents.

The way I am looking at my rehab, is that I've got this body - that , like any machine - has a set of operating conditions that help it to operate properly.

Some people take a multivitamin, and they adopt a single solution to whatever health issues occur. My view is that the body consists of several complex systems all working together, and you have to be careful about things like multivitamins - because they aren't necessarily what you need. The best example I can give for how this goes wrong - is cancer.

No surgeon ever removed a tumor that wasn't hot, bloody and raw. These things throw blood vessels out into your body to take away the resources they need to grow. A one-size-fits-all approach to dealing with health issues might involve spurring the arterial growth that a hidden tumor might need.

Another example might be taking a vitamin that would help a viral chemical imbalance to become more pronounced - or a metal that might speed the onset of alzheimer's. Your blood chemistry might not be compatible with that kind of therapy - and your body simple doesn't react as others might.

I believe that the human body is different for everyone - and that you need to make a personal inventory of your own unique health issues. Do you have a spot that won't go away - maybe a red scar that stays red? Make a note of it. Do you have a place on your skin that is discolored, and when you draw your fingernail across it - the discolored part is waxy and white and the rest of the skin is smooth? Note that as well. Anything. Make an entire list.

Then once you're done, develop a personal plan to address those issues. Use nutrition as a key to therapy - and exercise as a close follow on. Again, this is unique to everyone. I , for example, have a torn rotator cuff. Normally when I get something strained or stretched out I like to use it to make it better. But in the case of a rotator cuff, you really have to lay off using it and let it heal. Do whatever it takes to get into peak shape.

Then once you're in shape, stay there with exercise. You have a unique body, and it goes along with your unique persona. Life is for the living. The idea of health and a sense of confidence in where you're going with your own health is probably as important as whatever you took to get there. But it will escape you if you don't use it. Exercise really helps.

Especially sex.