By design, your body will alert you with a symptom when something is wrong. Unfortunately, we have been programmed from a very early age that symptoms are a bad thing, and they need to be eliminated as quickly as possible. Typically with a pain-killing drug.
Eliminating a symptom however, does nothing to eliminate the cause of the symptom. In other words, it merely masks the problem. An example of this would be the Check Engine light in your car. If it comes on while you are driving, what do you do?
The medical approach, in many instances, would be to cover the oil light with a piece of tape. Now that you can no longer see the light, is everything okay? Of course not, soon your engine will lock up. Most people would not dream putting a piece of tape over their car’s oil light. In reality, however, there is absolutely no difference in doing that, than taking an aspirin for a headache or an antacid for stomach pain. The saddest part of all of this is… the “cause” of the health problem is never addressed, only the symptom. Consequently, the problem goes unchecked and progressively gets worse.
As a Chiropractic physician, I take a more “holistic” approach. There are usually many factors that cause people to become ill or develop pain. All of these factors need to be assessed. I always tell my patients symptoms are a good thing. Symptoms tell us something is wrong and we need to make changes. To simply mask them with a drug is a mistake. Just like putting a piece of tape over the oil light in your car.
As a Chiropractor, I seek to correct the “cause” not just eliminate a “symptom.” Once “cause” of the individual’s problem is corrected the symptom disappears.
Yours in Health!
Dr. Edward Gould
Out of curiosity, I recently attended my “first” Yoga Class at Elemental OM. I have to admit I was a total neophyte. Certain things like my inflexibility did not surprise me; however, what did surprise me was how relaxed and centered I felt after the hour and fifteen minute class.
What is Yoga? (My simplified definition)
Yoga is a system of well-being. Its origin in India dates back five thousand years but its practice is very relevant to modern life. Yoga (which means “union”) is a process through which mind, body and spirit are restored to optimal balance. Personally, midway through the class it was as if my mind slid into neutral. My mind actually quieted. Amazing!
Yoga exercises strengthen and tone the body. They also increase flexibility, improve posture and encourage correct alignment. Proper breathing in the postures heats up the body, making the workouts more invigorating and enabling the release of deeply rooted tension.
Yoga practice is a distinct form of exercise because of its constant attention to complete breathing. Attention to the breath quiets the busyness of the mind, bringing a clarity and focus to the practice.
I would recommend Yoga to anyone that is feeling out-of-balance.
Our culture and fast paced life creates disconnects in our mind, body and spirit. These disconnects create tension in our body and our lives. Yoga helps to eliminate these disconnects, allowing our mind, body and spirit to reunite and relax.
Be Well!
Dr. Gould
You wake up with a stiff neck, thinking you have slept wrong. You confidently say to yourself… Maybe it will go away. As the day goes on, you notice that your shoulder and arm begin to develop a peculiar ache. Well, it has been two days and not only has the pain not subsided but it has increased to the point where you are unable to sleep. Your posture and wincing, alert everyone that you are in pain. People start coming up to you with home remedies and suggestions. Slowly you realize that this problem is bigger than any pain medication you currently have in your medicine cabinet.
Why am I hurting?
There are a variety things that can cause this. However, in each case, it is due to nerves being irritated or compressed. In many instances this type of a problem begins as a mechanical problem. What do I mean by a mechanical problem? Simply put, our spine is made up of many vertebra. These vertebra fit together and move together in a very specific way. Each vertebra is separated from the other by discs and connected to one another by ligaments. The ligaments not only hold everything together but allow a certain amount of motion in a variety of directions. On occasion, due to trauma, repetitive activities, sleeping incorrectly or simply weakness, the vertebra in your spine can shift outside of their normal position or location. When this happens, the spinal ligaments can become inflamed and press on the nerves that exit your spine. Where this happens will determine where you feel the pain. The pain can radiate up into your head, your upper back or down into your arm. Below is and example of pain patterns caused from problems in your neck. You have seven vertebra in your neck C1 is the top vertebra and C7 is the lowest vertebra.
Is this problem correctable?
In the majority of instances the answer yes! The first thing we need to do is to find out exactly where in your spine the problem is originating from. Once we find the problem area, we work on correcting the faulty position and mechanics. As you begin to heal, you will notice the pain will begin to retrace itself. Like playing a movie backwards until you are only left with neck pain which over time will also go away.
If you are suffering with neck and arm pain and live in the Cincinnati area give me a call. Life is too short to live with pain.
Yours in health,
Dr. Gould
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