So if you suffer from digestive problems try the below and you will be amazed.

1. Eat slower. Chew your food better.
2. Don’t drink fluids while you eat. Wait 30 minutes after you eat to drink.
3. If your case is severe read my post on proper Food Combining.
4. Every night commercials try to convince you that your indigestion is due to too much acid. This simply is not true. As we get older we simple do not make enough acid. (achlorhydra)

Let me know how this works for you.
Yours in Health!
Dr. Gould

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

• 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

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

]]> http://gouldchiropractic.com/chiropractic-treatments/painful-neck-arm/feed/ 0 http://gouldchiropractic.com/chiropractic-treatments/postpartum-headaches/ http://gouldchiropractic.com/chiropractic-treatments/postpartum-headaches/#comments Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:36:43 +0000 Dr. Edward Gould http://gouldchiropractic.com/chiropractic-treatments/postpartum-headaches/ On a daily basis, I see and treat a variety of health problems. One of my more interesting cases began with a phone call from an Internist, located in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati.

The conversation went something like this, Doc, I have a 43 year old female that just gave birth several days ago. She was in labor for almost 3 days. While in labor, she developed a severe migraine headache, which she has had ever since. Here is my dilemma, she is determined to breast feed and because of that fact, I cannot give her any narcotics for her pain.

An MRI study of her head was completed, a vasculature study of her head was completed and x-rays of her neck. It’s a mystery, we cannot figure out what is causing the headaches. Would you take a look at her for me? I agreed and told him to send her immediately to my office.

When she arrived at my office, she was crying due to the unrelenting pain. She looked absolutely exhausted. I had her sit down on my examination table, then I asked her several questions. She described her headache and said that it was so painful she could hardly sleep, think or function.

I examined her paying particular attention to her upper neck area. I had suspected that her top vertebrae in her neck (C1 or Atlas) had gotten displaced while she was in labor. I was correct it had. After explaining what I had found and pointing it out to her, she was eager for me to try to help her.

After carefully positioning her on my adjusting table, I adjusted her atlas or the top vertebra in her neck. I then told her to go home and try to sleep and to return to my office the next morning.

I was working on another patient the next morning when she walked in. She walked past the room I was in and smiled at me. No tears just a smile. I knew she was better! I finished up with the patient that I was with and then went in the other room to see how she was doing. She was amazed that she was 95% better. I rechecked her Atlas it was barely out, I re-adjusted it and told her to call me in two days to let me know how she was doing. She did, her headache was completely gone.

Do you suffer with headaches?

If you do and you have never had your spine, specifically your upper spine, chiropractically evaluated you should. You may find that it’s the solution. Strong medications and narcotics never get at the true cause. They only treat the symptom and leave you dealing with side-effects. If you live in the Greater Cincinnati area and you are suffering with headaches call me.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Torticollis (Wry Neck)

A person with torticolles typically enters my office with his head tilted to one side and is able to turn his head in one direction but not the other. The pain initially is mild but becomes intense as time passes. This can actually happen at any age. Some people are born with it. Torticollis usually has an insidious onset. Sleeping funny or having your head turned to one side for a prolonged period of time. In fact, initially most people think they just have a crick in their neck.

The problem in the majority of cases begins at the spinal joints or facets. When the spine is put into rotation for a prolonged period of time, this causes the affected spinal joints to separate. This separation causes the capsule to stretch. As the spinal joint surfaces get pulled apart, the surrounding capsule can be pulled into the joint due to a negative pressure. Once this occurs, the joints are now able to “pinch” the capsule. This pinching in turn causes the muscled that cross that joint to go into spasm which causes more pinching. This in turn causes more spasm. This is why the pain tends to spread over time and is always on one side. Warning: Get this treated ASAP.

I hope this post has been helpful.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

A fluid swing requires maximum-joint-function throughout the body.  Any reduction of  joint function, will not only increase the chances of injury but will also change the characteristics of the golfer’s swing, which will contribute to a loss of swing velocity and improper impact position.

Many golfers overlook the obvious, they eagerly spend thousands of dollars on clubs and lessons, yet they ignore the most important component in their game, their body and its ability to move properly.

As we age “all” of our golf swings change.  Anyone that follows golf knows that Tiger Woods has been relentlessly working on a new swing.  Yes, even Tiger is susceptible to the aging process.  His mechanics are amazing but they are changing.

Common complaints and injuries in order of prevalence from playing golf:

1. Sacroiliac pain
2. Lower back pain
3. Mid back pain
4. Neck pain
5. Shoulder pain
6. Elbow pain
7. Knee pain

If you are suffering from any of the above or you just want to maximize your body’s function, call me before your next tee time at 513-791-8110.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

Cherries are important for their ability to control inflammation.  A growing body of scientific research indicates that inflammation contributes to diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, and obesity. Sweet or tart, cherries are a powerhouse of anti-inflammatory nutrients. A study from University of California at Davis found that regular consumption of cherries for 28 days produced a decrease in biochemical signs of inflammation in blood, including a 25 percent reduction in C-reactive protein CRP, the most widely studied marker of inflammation.  Elevation of CRP in blood is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Cherries Better Than Aspirin for Pain?

According to research done at Michigan State University the anthocyanins that make cherries red could also help relieve pain more effectively than aspirin. The study found that anthocyanins were potent antioxidants that could prevent oxidative damage and also inhibited enzymes called cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 Cox 1 and 2, which is similar in the way anti- inflammatory drugs seek to reduce pain.  The study appeared in the Journal of Natural Products published by the American Chemical Society. Lead researcher Muralee G. Nair, Ph.D., Professor at Michigan State University College of Agriculture & Natural Resources, noted about this cherry effect “It is as good as ibuprofen and some of the nonsteriodal anti-inflammatory drugs.”  Nair said that his lab results indicate that consuming 20 tart cherries could provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Finding a natural way to reduce pain is important, given the serious side effects from common pain relievers called NSAIDs, examples of which include Advil, Motrin, Aleve and aspirin.

Cherry Juice for Workout Recovery

A presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine Conference found that drinking tart cherry juice helped reduce pain after exercise for long distance runners. This research,  from the Oregon Health & Science University,  indicated that cherries could act like medications that runners use to reduce inflammation after workouts.Publishing their findings in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the researchers explain: “Considering the natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity of tart cherries,  it is plausible that cherry consumption before and during strenuous exercise may have a protective effect to reduce muscle damage and pain. “For most runners,  post-race treatment consists of RICE rest, ice, compression and elevation and traditional NSAIDS non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,” said Kerry Kuehl, M.D., a sports medicine physician and principal study investigator, who added: “But NSAIDS can have adverse effects — negative effects you may be able to avoid by using a natural, whole food alternative, like cherry juice, to reduce muscle inflammation before exercise.” Please see References below for the link to the full text of this interesting study.

Cherries and Gout

Another study from the University of California at Davis found that a single dose of cherries reduced the blood level of uric acid in healthy women. Excess uric acid causes gout, a very painful type of arthritis. The use of cherries to prevent gout is well established in Western folk medicine. You can enjoy the benefit of cherries all year round with unsweetened cherry juice, unsweetened cherry juice concentrate, or frozen organic pitted cherries, which make a delicious snack or dessert. And don’t forget about incorporating anti-inflammatory foods like cherries into daily life.

via Leo Galland, M.D.: Cherries for Health: Better Than Aspirin?.

How can this be? You feel okay immediately after the accident but with 48 to 72 hours you feel absolutely miserable. I’m always asked this question, “Doc, I felt fine right after the accident, why do I hurt so badly now?” A quick anatomy lesson will help here. It is all about blood supply. Tissues that have a good blood supply swell quickly after an injury. Tissues that have a poor blood supply swell slowly after an injury. There are several things that are significant about this. Not only does a poor blood supply delay the onset of pain, it also significantly increases healing time and in some cases healing outcomes.

Properly treating this type of injury is critical. Left alone, improper healing can occur leaving the individual with chronic pain for the rest of their life. We all know people like this. I have been treating whiplash injuries since 1988. If you live in the greater Cincinnati area and have been in an auto accident, call me and set up an appointment to be examined. The sooner treatment begins the better the outcome.

Below are some of the characteristics or facts about our discs.

• If it weren’t for our discs, we would all be roughly four inches shorter. Have you noticed your parents or grandparents getting shorter? This is why that happens they are simply losing disc height. By the way, Chiropractic care can help prevent disc height loss.

• Our discs act as shock absorbers, keeping the vertebra separated and also allowing our spine a wide range of movements. When we are young are discs are very resilient. As we age, they lose much of that resiliency which predisposes us to having disc problems.

What are the primary causes of disc problems?

From the time we are born, up to our later teens, each of our discs has an excellent blood supply. Like the rest of our body, there are arteries that take oxygenated nutrient rich blood to the disc and there are veins that take deoxygenated blood and waste away from the disc. For some “unknown” reason, the arteries and veins disappear (they become atretic) causing the disc to become avascular by our late teens. As you can imagine, this is not a happy time for the disc. A good analogy would be… The groceries stop being delivered and the sewer backs up.

Because of this, the disc is left with tunnels (where the vein and artery once resided) in the ligamentous outer rings of the disc called the annulus. These tunnels act as conduits for the “putty-like” center of the disc called the nucleus pulposus. This putty-like substance finds these conduits and can actually ooze through them during periods of high stress (lifting improperly, auto accidents, sports injuries, sneezing and coughing) which can lead to bulges, herniations and sequestered discs.

Because the direct blood supply in no longer available, the disc now relies on segmental motion to pump nutrients in and waste products out. To do this, the disc employs a process called imbibition. Imbibition can be explained by watching someone play an accordion. When an accordion is pulled apart, air rapidly is pulled into the bellows of the accordion. As the accordion is squeezed, air is forced through and out of the instrument to make the sound. That same motion occurs in a disc. When we bend backward the disc is elongated causing nutrient rich fluid to be pulled into the disc from the top and bottom of the vertebra that it is attached to. Conversely, when we bend forward the disc is compressed causing waste products to be forced out of the disc into the ends of the vertebra. This process happens hundreds of times each day. As long as there is normal motion at each disc level this pumping action is adequate to keep the disc healthy.

Misalignments or subluxations are the true enemy of the disc. When your spine becomes subluxated the disc’s normal pumping motion is reduced or in severe cases, completely eliminated due to loss of motion. If the subluxation is not corrected, degenerative processes begin leading to osteoarthritis. Once this happens, the areas above and below the affected area have to compensate for the osteoarthritic area. Over time these areas will begin to become problematic also.

I have successfully treated many individuals in the Greater Cincinnati area that had disc problems. Like most neuromuscular problems, it is best to seek out treatment early. The longer you wait the more difficult your case becomes.