Don't wait for the biopsy, listen to the small cues: The Precautionary Principle
Jul 21, 2026
The Precautionary Principle tells us to be a bit wary of waiting till you fully understand or have "proof" of something.
It suggests that by the time we have irrefutable proof, the options for remedy have been foreclosed. That is a kick in the pants.
This principle cautions us not to delay our decision making for too long while we gather evidence to support an action. Studying, waiting, evaluating, and needing to know for sure and outcome before an outcome happens. We wait so long that when we see the inevitable outcome we can no longer change course.
Some of us react, actually needing to put a little space between the stimulus and response. We need to actually allow ourselves to make a decision based on something other than our default pattern.
Some of us freeze, trapped in no-response, because the data gathering is never complete, we never have everything to know for sure what we need or want next.
We see where the precautionary principle could help the systems of our world:
- in modern medicine when a doc says to you "lets watch it" "come back if it gets worse".
- in education when our government says it will "further study" the crowding and complexity classroom issues.
- in how we allow new tech like AI to come in and engulf our lives while we "gather the evidence" around if it is uses and effects on us.
We see it in the spike we of sick days, short term disability, stress leave... indications that a person has hit a point where they can no long delay a decision. Shit or get off the pot, or so they say. So without certainty, with out a clear alternate course, their body simply not allowing them to continue the path they are on.
The harm is here, for all of us. We can feel it in our bodies. The world - that isn't certain what do to - says lets 'wait and see', till maybe have a grasp on what to do. This may be the insanity.
Ayurveda has 6 causes of disease. Western Medicine can offer a diagnosis at Stage 4. It isn't true that nothing helpful can be offer until a diagnosis is clear, but that tends to be way the system operates.
The preventative, personalized, proactive principles of Ayurveda teach us that we can make decisions based on the smallest piece of data, even if we don't understand where that data might lead, we can assess and adjust for even little cues of imbalance.
And we are always going out of balance.
Always.
I had a Year of YOU member recently text me that she was staring at billboard in the airport that says "You've arrived". That she finally gets this new paradigm, that she feels so good in it, that she sees her health and wellness in a new context now.
And... although I am usually the "blow sunshine up your ass" kinda girl - this time I texted her a "precaution":
Anyway... I wanted to offer you something simple - to watch the small stuff, when adjustments can be made easily, when life happens, delivers a blow, the path isn't clear but your body has a little message for you. The little piece of life you do have control over.
I want to share Ayurveda's 6 Stages of Disease, and how the first 3 stages, are nothing but regular old imbalances. It is only at Stage 4 and beyond that our medical system can offer a diagnosis. So maybe, lets learn the small disturbances that our body knows we can balance with simple choices.
Ayurveda's 6 Stages of Disease:
- Accumulation - symptoms build in your digestive system
- Aggravation - digestive symptoms increase
- Spread - symptoms spill into your circulatory system (blood and lymph)
Localization, Manifestation, and Diversification are stages 4, 5, 6. Once dis-ease has chosen a spot to settle and grow, we can biopsy it, see it on a scan, detect it in a test. Until then, we have smaller, quieter messages that we can mitigate ourselves, with much more ease than trying to heal something in a later stage.
Each Dosha (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) shows imbalance in its own way. Asking for a small corrective action, a precautionary action. And instead of waiting for more data, a louder symptom, a diagnosis to make a change, Ayurveda offers us solutions.
Stage 1: Accumulation - Dosha builds up in its home site in the gut. Symptoms are subtle and easy to miss.
Vata (accumulates in colon)
- Mild bloating, gas
- Slight constipation
- Restlessness, subtle anxiety
- Dry skin beginning to show
Pitta (accumulates in small intestine)
- Slight increase in body heat
- Mild irritability
- Subtle sharpening of hunger/thirst
- Slight yellow tinge to eyes or skin
Kapha (accumulates in stomach)
- Heaviness after eating
- Mild lethargy
- Slight increase in mucus
- Subtle sense of dullness or low motivation
Stage 2: Aggravation Dosha increases beyond its home site threshold and becomes provoked/irritated — still localized to the koshtha but more symptomatic.
Vata
- Increased gas, cramping
- Alternating constipation
- Sleep disturbance
- Noticeable anxiety, worry, scattered thinking
Pitta
- Heartburn, acid reflux
- Increased irritability, frustration, anger
- Excess thirst
- Loose, hot stools beginning
Kapha
- Congestion, excess mucus production
- Nausea
- Increased heaviness, drowsiness after meals
- Emotional stagnation, attachment/resistance to change
Stage 3: Spread - Dosha overflows from the digestive system into general circulation (blood/lymph) - this is the last stage before it seeks a weak site to lodge. Symptoms become more systemic.
Vata
- Generalized body aches
- Systemic dryness (skin, joints, eyes)
- Palpitations
- Diffuse anxiety, insomnia spreading beyond occasional nights
Pitta
- Skin rashes or inflammation appearing in new areas
- Excess body heat, low-grade systemic inflammation
- Blood-related symptoms beginning (e.g., easy bruising)
- Irritability becoming more pervasive/reactive
Kapha
- Congestion moving beyond the stomach (sinuses, chest)
- Weight gain beginning
- Edema/fluid retention
- Lethargy affecting daily function, not just post-meal
What do you notice? What "precautions" is your body giving you?
I guess my "precautionary principle" is kicking in right now. So many things in our world creating uncertainty. We don't want to jump, but we also don't want to freeze.
That's the tightrope, isn't it? Somwhere between the "You've Arrived" billboard, and the wait for biopsy results. It is the space between the stimulus and response. It is in the messy intutive knowing, the "lets watch it" stage where we arent yet sure where it is leading us.
You don't need a diagnosis to make a change. You don't need certainty to make a decision. You just need to notice - is my digestion asking me for something? Is my sleep? My skin? My mood?
Stage 1 doesn't come with a scan that can proove anything. It comes with a whisper. And the whole gift of Ayurveda is that it trained us to hear whispers instead of waiting for the shout.
What's your body whispering right now?
Don't wait for more data. Don't wait for the louder symptom. Just take the small, quiet, corrective action.
The precaution. The principle. The practice.
xoxo
Jill
*I just realized I didn't give you solutions to pacify Vata, Pitta, or Kapha. I feel like this is a bigger conversation than this piece of writing can support. It is a new way of thinking, a paradigm shift, it is a relationship with yourself that shifts everything. And when you get it, you will feel as if "you've arrived".
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