Archive for March, 2008

Pain at Work

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 30, 2008
in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Headaches and Repetitive Stress Injuries
. 0 Comments

ergo2.bmp

Since opening my practice in 1988, I have had the privilege of teaching many local companies both big and small, the importance of Work-Station-Fit. What do I mean by Work-Station-Fit? I teach people how to make adjustments to their work environment so that the work environment fits their body, instead of their body trying to fit their work environment. By making a few simple changes comfort and fatigue are greatly reduced. This is what Ergonomics is all about.

Regardless of what you do for a living, having a simple understanding of Ergonomics can prevent a lot of pain syndromes and health problems. Improper ergonomics can lead to a variety of problems. Here are the most common problems: headaches, neck pain, shoulder and arm pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, upper back and lower back pain, varicose veins in the lower legs.

I’d like to give you a brief simple lesson in body mechanics.

First of all, our body is very efficient when it comes to energy consumption when we maintain an ideal posture. This ideal posture has a name, it is called the Neutral Position. Our body is said to be in a neutral position when all the weight of our body is balanced on the boney structures of our body, allowing it to be transferred into the seat pan of a chair (if we are sitting) or into the floor (if we are standing).

However, when we deviate from this neutral position our energy consumption goes up due to our weight being transferred away from our bone to the muscle. Going from the sitting position to the standing position requires us to get out of the neutral position. Imagine trying to stand in a position that is halfway between sitting and standing. I can tell you you would not last long. Why? Your muscles are now primarially responsible for holding all of your body weight up, not your bones. The load gets transferred from the boney structures of your body to the muscles.

So now you understand why you should try to obtain this neutral postition. So what does the neutral position look like? Here are a few guidelines:

If you are standing…

Stand straight up. Legs and feet symmetrical. Your head is looking straight ahead. Your arms are at your sides or if you are working at a table your elbows can be bent at a 70 to 90 degree angle. If you are working with your hands and eyes the table top should be elevated.

If you are sitting…

As you sit down push your bottom all the way back into the back of the chair, that way when you straighten up a natural curve will form in your lower back. Your head should be looking straight ahead. Not looking up or looking down. Now position your monitor, so that if you brought it to your face the center of the screen would touch your chin. Remember the 90 degree rule, elbows and knees should be at 90 degrees. Your feet should be flat on the floor. The edge of the seat pan (the part directly underneath your knees) should not be putting pressure on the back of your legs. Pressure on this area prevents the blood from returning from the lower leg, this can cause varicose veins. If your chair allows you to make and adjustment, make the adjustment. If not, put something under your feet to eliminate the pressure on the back side of the knee. If you use a keyboard keep your hands and wrists straight. Any deviation from this can lead to carpal tunnel issues.

Below is a humorous example of both good and bad ergonomics. Pay attention and learn.

I hope this has been helpful.

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Blood Pressure Study

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 28, 2008
in Aging, Blood Pressure Study, Conditions & Treatments and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

In a Pilot Study Conducted at the University of Chicago

c1.bmpA one-time specialized chiropractic adjustment, delivered to patients suffering from high blood pressure and misaligned C1 vertebrae (this is the first vertebrae located directly under your skull), resulted in significant reductions in diastolic and systolic BP compared to controls.

According to a press release from the University of Chicago Medical Center, Office of Public Affairs, the decrease in BP was equivalent to that seen with concurrent administration of two blood pressure drugs. None of the patients took any antihypertensive medications during the study period.

Half of the 50 patients received a specific C1 adjustment, while the remaining half received a sham procedure, carefully designed to mimic the actual adjustment in order to ensure blinding. This was possible due to the delicate nature of the C1 adjustment. The primary outcome measure, assessed after eight weeks, was change in systolic and diastolic BP compared to baseline readings. Average age of the study participants was 52.7 years; 70 percent were male.

This has enormous potential for millons of people. This event actually made the ABC Evening News.

Chiropractic has always been and will always be about normalizing the body’s function.

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Restless Leg Syndrome

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 26, 2008
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors, Fibromyalgia and Restless Leg Syndrome
. 0 Comments

restless-legs-1.bmpThis Syndrome Can Drive You Absolutely Crazy.

I mean Nuts!  Most people that have this syndrome dread trying to fall asleep at night.  Like all syndromes, depending on who you talk to, you will get a different cause and a different solution.  I always look for the holistic solution, one that works-with-the-body.

My curiosity with restless leg syndrome started many years ago when my uncle Eddie came to town for a visit.  At the time, he was 76 years old and grumpy.  It turns out that he was grumpy because he wasn’t sleeping.  After a few questions he told me that he had been to several doctors over a period of 6 months for Restless Leg Syndrome.  He said that each doctor he went to put him on a different medication, none of which helped him.

In my opinion, Restless Leg Syndrome is a vasculature (blood flow) problem.  Not enough blood flow! Think about this, what do you do when your hand falls asleep?  You shake it.  What do you do if your arm goes to sleep?  You shake it.  What does shaking do?  Simple, it helps to restore blood flow.

Years earlier I had watched a program on PBS about exercise. The program was full of great stuff. All the latest findings.  One of the interesting findings was how age effects our muscle’s ability to grow and become stronger.  The exercise physiologists did an experiment. The purpose of the experiment was simply to see how an 84 year old’s muscle would respond to exercise, compared to a 17 year old’s muscle. Muscle volume of each individuals thigh muscle was measured using a CT scan before and after 6 weeks of training.  The results were astonishing.  The 84 year old and the 17 year old’s muscle volume increased the same amount.  Proof that exercise works at any age.

What does this have to do with Restless Leg Syndrome? Everything!

My thinking with my uncle Eddie was this, if muscle can respond at any age, so can the vasculature.  My uncles primary complaint was in his calf muscles.  I told him that I had a hunch of how to remedy his problem.  He was skeptical.  After all, he had gone to all the medical specialist in his area and nothing helped.  I told him that I wanted him to start doing calf raises several times a day.  He was to do them in a specific way. I did not give him a number of reps to do, I only told him to do them until his calf muscles started to burn then he was to stop. I told him to do this a minimum of 5 times a day for 6 weeks.  Several months later he came back to Ohio for a visit.  He walked up to me smiling, it worked! I said what worked? He said I did the exercises you told me to do, within 3 weeks my legs stopped bothering me at night and I have continued to do them every day.

Below is a short video demonstrating how to do calf raises. I always tell people to do them on the stairs while holding on to the bannister for stability. It is important that you allow your heels to drop all the way down and it is equally important to go all the way up into a complete contraction. You continue doing these until you feel a burn then stop.  The purpose of this is to increase blood flow and over time create collateral circulation.

Since then I have had many patients get wonderful results by doing the same thing.

Please let me know how this works for you.

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Your Body’s Resume

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 22, 2008
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors, Fitness and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

rolls-royce-perfection.bmpYour body is absolutely amazing. Regardless of how healthy you are at this moment, your potential to be healthier is just a few steps away. The complexity and ingenuity built into your body makes a Rolls Royce look like a child’s toy.

Did you know…

Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day. It does this without the slightest thought from you. It pumps over 6000 quarts of blood a day through a network of blood vessels that if you were to put them end to end, would go over 60,000 miles. That is enough to circle the earth twice at the equator. Again, all this happens without your knowledge.

Your eyes instantly make over 10 million color distinctions. You have muscles that if they were to work together and all pull in one direction, would equal 25 tons of pulling power.

What is even more fascinating about your body is it does all of this magic and it is made up of 98% water. It’s run by a three pound lump of matter called your brain. Your brain is literally a universe in itself. It runs and monitors your entire body 24/7, 365 days a year for your entire life. It is still estimated that only 10% of your brain is used.

Our body works with laws. When I was going to Chiropractic College we would have weekly Philosophy lectures. On occasion the president of the college would give the lecture. During each lecture he would pull out his car keys and drop them on the floor. He was making a point that everything around us and inside of us, works because of laws. The keys fall and hit the ground because of the Law of Gravity. These laws are always present. There are probably 1000 different laws happening inside of you at this moment allowing you to read this post. Pretty amazing stuff, huh?

Yes, your body is amazing. However, are you trying to reach your potential? Would you like to reach your potential? If so, what is stopping you? Pain? Age? Attitude? Obesity? Time limitations? Fear? Procrastination? All these “excuses” can be overcome. Learning how your body works is the first step in becoming a healthier, fitter you. Developing and implementing a Wellness Strategy is what it is all about. I can help you with this.

If you seriously believe you are far more potential than you are actual give me a call.

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Cycling & Burning Fat

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 12, 2008
in Cincinnati Chiropractors, Fitness and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

armstrong-_7.bmpOne of the wonderful things about living in the Cincinnati area, are all the available bike trails. Two of my favorites, the Loveland Bike Trail and the Lunken Bike Trail.  Cycling is an ideal exercise because it’s easy on the knees and lower back. Of course, I’m excluding mountain biking in this conversation. 

Cycling allows you to use the large muscles in your legs which create a significant demand on the heart and lungs.  Over time, if you understand proper training techniques, you can greatly expand your aerobic capacity, plus it is a wonderful way of Burning Fat!

Simply put, your body has two fuel choices, sugars and fats. 

I’d like to teach you the secret of burning fat.  To burn fat you have to get your heart rate into a range that is specific for YOU! Ones size does not fit all.  Everybody is different! 

So how do you figure this out?  There are several ways, this I have found to be the easiest.  220 – (your age) X 70%= Your Target Heart Rate.  Let’s say you are 30 years old.  Here is how the calculation would go 220 – 30 X 70%= 133.  So if you were 30 years old, your target rate would be 133 beats per minute.  This is basically 70% of your maximum heart rate for your age.  When your heart is beating in this zone your body’s chooses fat as a fuel.  When your heart rate exceeds this your body chooses sugar as a fuel. We do not want this!

Ideally, you would slowly bring (over a period of 5 to 10 minutes) your heart rate up to your target rate.  Once you achieve your target rate, the longer you stay there the better.  Start out slow maybe 12 minutes.  Over time work up to 15 minutes.  Soon you will be doing 45 minutes to an hour. 

I always advise my Wellness Clients to buy a Heart Rate Monitor. In my opinion Polar Heart Monitors are the best.  The heart monitor becomes an invaluable tool. I call it my coach.  It will let you know when you are above or below your target rate.  It also helps you to create a target zone.  Bottom line, it makes doing this EASY!

If you are looking to burn fat I’ve just given you the recipe.  If you have questions or would like more information please leave a comment below or e-mail me.

Helping you to be all that you can be!

Dr. Gould