On the flip side, there is the almost euphoric sigh of relief when you are freed from the pain - the world looks brighter, you're generally a nicer person to be around, and above all, there is hope again.

Our health plays such an immense role in our lives, it surprises me that it doesn't consistently feature at the top of our priorities. After all, what are we without our health? It's not until you are without it, that you realise just how much you rely on it, take it for granted even.

We all know that if we don't look after ourselves, we're no use to anyone else, but what does looking after ourselves actually mean?

Does it mean putting our health entirely in the hands of our GP, making the NHS responsible for keeping us well? Or does it mean taking responsibility for our own health, on a daily basis, valuing the one machine that carries us through life? Think of it this way, if we had a car we were proud of, that made us feel good, or that we relied on to get us from A to B, we would regard it's care and maintenance as pretty darn important.

Yet too often, it seems, we are totally disconnected to our own health, and the care and maintenance of our bodies and minds. Many of our health problems in the modern day are a result of neglect, poor maintenance, abuse even, and it's time we were held accountable for this.

We can commit to losing weight, choosing the "healthier" option in the supermarket, cutting down on alcohol, but what about the other factors like poor posture, which creates havoc with our entire nervous system, consuming carcinogenic food additives at every meal, or the biggest killer of them all, stress?

Whose responsibility is it? Who can do something about it?

The doctor may be able to give you a pill to aid your digestion, help you sleep or even reduce your anxiety, but is that really the answer? You're not addressing the root cause, and until you do, the body will continue to suffer, and disease will continue to manifest itself somewhere in your body (or mind).

I was guilty of this myself recently, and it was just the wake-up call I needed. I recently injured my back again, and I was about to slide into victim mentality when I realised what I had done to cause it. I had put it through more physical stress than it could handle. I had a couple of warning signs, but I ignored them, instead being led by ego and pride, not wanting to appear "weak". The ensuing weeks of agony, however, made me commit to a better "provision of care" for my spine, and finding a way to heal the damage I had done.

My journey back to good health brought with it a touch of enlightenment. Ill health is often a sign we have gone against the laws of nature (gravity, in my case), or we have upset the natural balance in our bodies with excess or deprivation. So, by that reasoning, healing is brought about by redressing the balance, finding the natural equilibrium in the body, or in our lives in general.

As Hippocrates put it "Healing is a matter of time, but it is also sometimes a matter of opportunity". He also regarded nature as being the "physician of disease", so I was relieved to find we were on the same page.

We need to listen to our bodies, particularly when they are warning us of an imminent problem. We should be thinking about what the body is doing, how we hold ourselves, how much our lives are in balance, and what may be disrupting the harmony. Only then can we start the healing process.

There are plenty of people out there to help you with the process, but it may take stepping away from what you already know or have tried, and not relying on your poor overworked GP to fix everything with a pill.

In the end it's upto you to find what works for you - it's your body after all.

For more information contact gillie@themojocoach.co.uk