Are We Asking the Wrong Question?

First published in the Twizel Update, August 2026.

Reading time: 6 min

A conversation recently gave me something to think about.

A trusted source pointed me to a study suggesting that a particular supplement appeared to work quite differently depending on a person's blood type. While some people experienced a noticeable benefit, others gained very little. I found myself smiling because it reminded me of something I've quietly suspected for years. Whether future research confirms that more broadly isn't really the point. What stayed with me was the reminder that perhaps there isn't one answer that works equally well for everyone.

It made me wonder why we are so drawn to universal answers.

Walk into a pharmacy or health food shop, and you'll find shelves lined with products promising better sleep, more energy, stronger immunity or improved digestion. Open social media, and you'll quickly discover someone confidently telling you the best way to eat, the ideal morning routine or the supplement everyone should be taking.

There's something reassuring about being given a simple answer. We all like the idea that one change, one tablet or one new habit might solve the problem.

I know I've fallen into that trap myself. My cupboards have quietly accumulated a collection of supplements over the years, some of which are now way past their expiry date. A few haven't even been opened. Looking at them now, I realise each one represented hope - the hope that perhaps this one would be the missing piece. Sometimes it did. Often it didn't. More often than not, the real answer lay in asking a better question rather than buying another bottle.

That doesn't mean supplements don't have an important place - they absolutely can. It simply reminded me that they're often at their best when they support an understanding of what's really going on, rather than trying to replace it.

The longer I spend learning about health, the more I appreciate just how wonderfully individual we are. One person may thrive on an early morning run, while another feels their best exercising later in the day. The same food, the same supplement or the same lifestyle advice can produce very different results.

Over the years I've realised that I'm becoming less interested in asking, "What works?" and much more interested in asking, "What works for me?"

Perhaps that's because symptoms are only part of the story.

Take persistent fatigue as an example. It's easy to ask, "What supplement should I take?" Yet tiredness can have many underlying causes: poor sleep, ongoing stress, low iron, hormonal changes, blood sugar fluctuations, an underactive thyroid, not eating enough nourishing food - or simply trying to squeeze too much into every day. The symptom may look the same, but the cause may not be.

Gut health offers another example. We often focus on what we should add to our diet, yet sometimes the more important question is whether our digestive system is actually able to absorb and use the nutrients we're already providing. Looking after the foundations may not be as exciting as discovering the latest supplement, but it can sometimes be where the biggest improvements begin.

Before we can ask better questions, though, we first have to notice that something has changed. We have to notice that we're more tired than usual, sleeping differently or simply not feeling like ourselves. In a busy world, that can be surprisingly easy to miss.

I've started to realise that many of us have become very good at solving problems before we've fully understood them. We don't particularly enjoy uncertainty, so we naturally reach for an answer. Yet sometimes spending a little longer with the question reveals something we would otherwise have missed.

How often do we look for productivity tips before asking why we're overwhelmed? How often do we search for motivation when perhaps what we really need is rest? How often do we look for something to fix the symptom before becoming curious about what may have caused it?

I've come to believe that the quality of the answers we find often depends on the quality of the questions we ask.

That's not to say we shouldn't seek expert advice. We absolutely should when we need it. Doctors, dietitians, physiotherapists, health coaches and many other professionals all have an important role to play. Perhaps one of their greatest values isn't simply providing answers - it's helping us better understand ourselves and the questions we need to ask.

So, here's a small experiment you might like to try this week.

The next time you notice something isn't quite right, resist the urge to immediately search online or look for the quickest solution. Instead, pause and become curious.

Ask yourself:

"When did this start?"

"What has changed recently?"

"What patterns am I beginning to notice?"

"What might my body - or even my life - be trying to tell me?"

You may not find the answer straight away, and sometimes you'll still need tests or professional advice. But by becoming more curious, you're far more likely to ask the question that leads you there.

Maybe the goal isn't to become an expert on every new health trend.

Maybe it's to become a little more expert on ourselves.

After all, no one else gets to live in our body every single day.

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Thank you for reading

I hope this article has given you something to think about.

If you'd like to continue exploring, you'll find more reflections in the Articles collection. And if you're curious about the way I work as an Integrative Health Coach, you're warmly invited to explore the rest of my website.