Archive for the 'Cincinnati Chiropractors' Category

Is Your Pillow Causing Neck Pain

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on April 10, 2008
in Cincinnati Chiropractors, Neck Pain & Stiffness and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

The ideal sleeping position is lying on your back or on your side. No sleeping on your stomach! Having the right pillow however, will allow your spine to stay properly positioned, which will not only allow you to sleep deeply but will also prevent neck problems.

Below are a few tips when selecting a pillow:

  1. When choosing a pillow, be selective. When lying on your side, your head and neck should remain level with your mid and lower spine. When lying on your back, your head and neck should remain level with your upper back and spine. In other words, your pillow should not be so thick that it causes your head and neck to be propped up or angled sharply away from your body.
  2. Be wary of pillows that are made out of mushy foam materials. The weight of your head can displace this kind of foam, leaving little support. Choose firmer foam and materials that press back and support the head and neck.
  3. If you find yourself sleeping on your side with one hand propped under your pillow, that’s a clue that you’re not getting the support you need from that pillow.
  4. There is no such thing as a universal fit when it comes to pillows. We are all different! Find one that is consistent with the shape and size of your body.

If you currently have neck pain and find that you are doing all of the above correctly, I would advise you to give me a call to set up an appointment to be evaluated.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Restless Leg Syndrome

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on March 26, 2008
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Fibromyalgia
. 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. 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

Your Headspace and Your Health

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on March 16, 2008
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.

Below is a clip from a wonderful movie that focuses on this very topic.

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

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Cycling & Burning Fat

Published
by
Dr. 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