Causational VS Effect-Centered Care
- Dr. Joshua Beaudry
- Nov 11
- 2 min read
Imagine this: a fish swimming in a lake. One day, you catch that fish and notice it has three eyes. What’s your first thought?
Do you blame genetics—or do you wonder what’s in the lake?
Of course, you think something in the environment caused it. You know the fish is a reflection of its surroundings.
The same is true for us. The sickness, fatigue, and chronic issues we face are often the effects of our environment—not isolated genetic “bad luck.”
The Environment Is More Than What You Eat
Your environment isn’t just what you eat, drink, or breathe. It’s also what you think and feel, how you process stress, and even what you’re exposed to—radiation, toxins, mold, infections, or emotional trauma.
When we focus only on the symptom, we’re focusing on the effect, not the cause.
The Problem With Effect-Centered Care
When you visit a provider who’s focused only on making your symptoms disappear—through drugs, injections, or surgeries—that’s effect-centered care.
If your knee hurts, effect-centered care treats your knee. If your stomach hurts, effect-centered care only looks at your stomach.
But what if your pain is coming from a brain-based imbalance, a vagus nerve issue, or inflammation caused by food sensitivities or environmental toxins?
Treating symptoms without identifying the cause is like pulling the battery out of a smoke alarm instead of putting out the fire.
The Real Triggers
Your symptoms always have a trigger. Common ones include:
Infections: bacterial, viral, or mold exposure
Trauma: emotional or physical injury (like a concussion)
Toxins: sewer gas, pesticides, heavy metals, processed foods
Stress: chronic mental or emotional strain
These triggers lead to inflammation, leaky gut, and oxidative stress—which can then “turn on” genetic predispositions.
It’s not the gene itself that causes disease; it’s the stress that activates it.
Real-World Examples
Brain fog isn’t a caffeine deficiency—it’s often an effect of leaky gut or inflammation.
Anxiety or depression might not be a Prozac deficiency—it could stem from a head injury or oxygen imbalance.
Chronic pain may not come from “bad joints”—it may reflect a deeper neurological pattern.
Understanding the mechanisms that drive dysfunction allows real healing to happen.
The Path to Cause-Centered Care
When we look beyond the surface, we see that most health challenges come from three primary systems out of balance:
Oxygen regulation issues
Blood sugar instability
HPA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal) axis or stress overload
When these persist, the body adapts—often in unhealthy ways—creating dysfunction over time.
True care means looking at the whole system, not just the symptom.
You can’t medicate your way out of a problem that your lifestyle and environment created. Healing requires addressing the root cause, changing the environment, and restoring communication between the brain and body.
If you’re ready to take the next step, contact us today to set up your initial examination or join us at an upcoming workshop.
Life Springs Family Chiropractic – Denver, CO
Call/Text: (303) 770-0605
