Archive for October, 2011

Your Headspace and Your Health

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on October 22, 2011
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

smiley.bmpI think everyone will agree, when we are happy, we not only perform better but we generally feel better. As human beings we regularly postpone our happiness until certain future goals are attained. The problem with doing that is obvious. What if the goal is attained and it does not bring you happiness or even worse, the goal is never achieved?

Our attitude is absolutely critical when it comes to achieving optimal health. When we are happy it tends to suppress the release of stress hormones. Because of this fact alone it keeps our immunity fully charged up. When we are happy we tend to be more active, take deeper breaths and spend more time out in fresh air.

Some of you that are reading this may be rolling your eyes, thinking that if I had your life, I might not be so happy. I appreciate that thought, however, there are people that have lives that would make our worst days look like a comedy, yet they are happy. It has been said that we tend to be about as happy as we decide to be. Yes, it is an individual thing.

Is There a Secret to Happiness?

The happiest people have an uncanny ability to focus on what is good in their life, not on the bad. They focus on what they can do, not on what they can’t do. They focus on what is good and true. Remember, it’s a choice. Your choice!

Happiness truly does happen in the six inches between our ears, also known as our Headspace. So begin to elevate your thinking. It has been said that we do not create our own thoughts. I tend to agree. If you disagree with me. Stop reading this for a moment and try to stop thinking. So if we don’t create our own thoughts what can we do. Here comes the Secret. As thoughts come to us we can either accept them or we can dismiss them. That is very powerful. The key is to only accept and choose empowering thoughts. Let the other thoughts go right on by.

It’s true, our Headspace can make our daily experience one of joy or of despair. Choose Joy!

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Restless Leg Syndrome

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on October 13, 2011
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

Getting the most out of your workout.

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on October 12, 2011
in Cincinnati Chiropractors, Fitness and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

Proper Hydration Promotes Peak Performance

Did you know you can survive 30 days or more without eating, but not more than 3 days without drinking water.  Water is the most important substance you can put into your body beside air of course.

The average body contains 40-50 quarts of water, which means your body is 50-70% water.

So how much water should you be drinking?

A common misconception is to think it’s enough to drink only when you’re thirsty.  Surprisingly, thirst lags far behind the body’s need for water and therefore is not an accurate indicator of your body’s hydratiion needs.  So to stay healthy and hydrated, make a conscious decision to take in at least 2 1/2 to 3 quarts 0f water a day.

That may sound like a lot of water but consider this: You are “always” losing water. Your body loses up to 3 quarts (12 8oz glasses) of water a day when you are just sitting around.  Even more when you exercise, via increased breathing and perspiration. To maintain peak performance, it is important to drink water before, during and after a workout.

Hydration affects performance, regardless of the extent and type of activity. Peak performance for any type of activity, be it office work, relaxing or exercising, requires proper hydration.

Studies have shown that even a loss of 1 to 2% of the body’s water, which is easy to with an hours worth of vigorous exercise will significantly decrease your performance level.  Losing 4% of the body’s water results in a 22% decline in performance.  A lose of 6 to 7% of your body’s water and you may begin to feel symptoms of dehydration, such as weakness, dizziness, headache and even speech difficulties.

I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Dr. Gould

Whiplash Facts!

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on October 11, 2011
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Whiplash Injuries
. 0 Comments

Did you know that:

  • Although seat-belts do save lives they actually increase the whipping action of the neck.  This increased whipping reaction is directly related to the fact that the seat-belt keeps the body securely positioned in the seat.  The additional whipping action has been shown to increase injury to the neck and its supporting structures.
  • An older accident victim will generally suffer more serious injuries because of the decreased elasticity of the tissues, dramatic loss of flexibility and range of motion, significant loss of strength and a slowing of the natural healing rate.
  • A surprised victim of an accident does not have a chance to brace before impact which will translate into a more serious injury to the spine and nervous system.
  • Studies show that approximately 50% of accident victims sustained injuries to the low back and of these 15% develop serious nerve damage.
  • In a typical collision, having the head turned to one side, such as talking to another passenger, can dramatically increase the amount of neck injury.
  • Generally speaking, a woman’s lighter musculature means that she will have a higher incidence of injury.
  • A vehicle that does not compress or crumple upon impact and therefore sustains little damage, fails to absorb the energy from the collision, which is then transmitted to the occupants.  This is classically called a “bounce-off” type of accident with little damage to the car but significant damage to the occupants.

Clinical experience has shown Chiropractic Care to be the method of choice for treating most whiplash injuries. If you live in the Cincinnati area and  are suffering with injuries from an auto accident, give me a call and schedule an exam.

Yours in Heath,

Dr. Gould