Habits of the Three Percent

They have a different philosophy than the other 97%.  It’s their belief that it is much easier to stay well than to get well. (What a Concept!)  They constantly look for ways to drive their health upward to the next level.  They understand that medicine has its place, yet they rarely use it.  They have a deep understanding that one’s immunity is “everything” and they work at keeping it strong.  They don’t worry about the Media’s Latest Health Worry. They understand that true health comes from the inside and so does disease.

“The Microbe is nothing. The terrain is everything.”

Louis Pasteur, said the above on his deathbed, finally recanted his germ theory by admitting that the microbe (germs) is nothing. The terrain (your body’s immunity) is everything.  The 3% understand this fact.

The Strategy of the Three Percent

They eat quality foods. Drink pure water.  Exercise regularly.  Get adequate rest.  Exercise stress management. Have their spine’s routinely checked for subluxations. Take quality whole food supplements.  Spend time out in nature.  Read positive literature.

Sounds simple doesn’t it?  However, the numbers suggest that it is not that easy.  It all comes down to a choice.  Your Choice!

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

Now a new study may finally shine some light on the matter. Researchers found that exercising before eating has several beneficial effects, including preventing weight gain and maintaining insulin sensitivity.

Researchers in Belgium took 27 healthy young men and fed them all a horrible diet high in sugar and fat and calories. The particular diet was chosen because it was just about guaranteed to create both weight gain and a reduction in insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity is something good — it’s when the cells respond well to insulin, meaning that insulin does an excellent job of removing excess sugar from the bloodstream and getting it into the cells where it can be “burned” for energy. When someone is said to be insulin resistant, on the other hand, the system doesn’t work well, and the person winds up with high blood sugar and high insulin — a path to either metabolic syndrome or diabetes. Most diabetics are insulin resistant, and most people who are insulin resistant are overweight, since insulin “shuts down” the fat-burning process.

In the Belgian study, the researchers divided the men into three groups. One group did nothing but eat the terrible diet. The second and third group exercised and did the exact same workout, but the second group exercised after breakfast and the third group exercised before breakfast.

The results were both surprising and dramatic. The control group gained a lot of weight and also saw their insulin sensitivity plunge (meaning they became much more insulin resistant — not a good outcome). The group who exercised after eating also gained weight but not nearly as much as the control group. And the group’s insulin sensitivity went down, just as with the control group.

But the group who exercised before eating was a whole different story. This group, despite eating a horrible, weight gain-inducing diet, did not gain weight. Not only that, but the group’s insulin sensitivity remained high and the bad diet did not make the group insulin resistant. “This study for the first time shows that fasted (empty stomach) training is more potent than fed training to facilitate adaptations in muscle and to improve … glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity,” said the study’s authors.

Conventional wisdom holds that it’s always best to eat something before working out. Proponents point out that you need energy for working out — energy that comes from carbohydrates. “Fat burns in a flame of carbohydrate,” they say.

It’s interesting that back in the days of “Stay Hungry” and “Pumping Iron,” when the big meccas of bodybuilding like World Gym and Gold’s Gym in Venice were home to such legendary bodybuilders as Arnold Schwarzenneger and Franco Columbo, everybody trained on an empty stomach. Bodybuilders of that era believed that you were more likely to mobilize your fat stores for fuel if you didn’t have to burn off a whole bunch of carbs that you just scarfed down for breakfast. We now know that they were mostly right.

So should you forgo eating before working out? Not necessarily. “If you’re interested in performing better — like if you’re training for an event — you might want to eat first,” said exercise physiologist and That’s Fit expert Liz Neporent. “But for weight loss, evidence does seem to be trending towards not eating before working out.”

Neporent pointed out that as a practical matter, there are going to be a fair amount of people who don’t do well when they don’t eat before working out. “They get dizzy, sick and even faint sometimes,” she said. “But I’ve also had people eat right before working out that have felt exactly the same way!”

Bottom line: It’s an individual thing, and no one prescription is going to work for everyone.

But for those who want to try it (and who don’t get lightheaded or dizzy), working out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach might be just the thing to stop weight gain in its tracks. It did in the Belgian study, and those folks were purposely eating a really bad diet. It should work even better if you also couple it with a diet designed to help you reach your goals.

via When Is the Best Time to Exercise? – That’s Fit.

Becoming educated and  then implementing what you have learned  is  paramount when it comes diet.  There is a lot of great information available but you have to become a seeker.  Then you have to become an implementer.

Many people say they simply do not have the time to learn.  Honestly, it does not take that much time.  The true difficulty of attaining physical vibrancy is consistently implementing  the information that you have learned.  My hope is after reading this, you will be eager to begin a journey that will lead you to a more vibrant life.

Let’s talk about Food

It is so easy to eat poorly, even when we try to eat well.  In many cases, we are eating poorly due to the low nutrient content of  foods that are produced in mass quantities.  Poor eating habits will ultimately lead to malabsorbtion syndromes in the gut which will cause vitamin deficiencies in your body.

Most people have no idea that the vitamin and mineral content of fruits and vegetables begins to diminish immediately after being picked. This fact is compounded by foods that are not produced organically. Vitamin and Mineral deficiencies manifest in many ways,  some subtle and some not so subtle.  These deficiencies open up the door to sickness, allergies, pain and disease.

I think one of the quickest ways to educate you on how your food choices effect your body, is to rent the Movie “FoodMatters” I think you will find it to be an eye opener.  Below is short introduction to the movie.

I hope this post has been helpful.

Yours in Health,

Dr Gould

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”

Do you really know what makes an apple so special? Why is it that we never hear an orange or a banana a day keeps the doctor away?

Apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven overtime. You will be able to get the benefits of these properties individually with other fruits, but an apple combines everything and makes it simpler. It has been shown over and over that if it’s not simple, easy and fast, people won’t take care of their health.

1-Apple contains Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps greatly your immune system. A lot of people who lack Vitamin C in their diet have poor healing, bruise easily and have bleeding gums.

2-Prevent Heart Diseases. The reason it can prevent both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease is because apples are rich in flavonoid. Flavonoids are also known for their antioxidant effects.

3-Low in calories. A regular size apple has between 70-100 calories. Eating an apple when craving for candy or chocolate can make the desire disappear since apple in itself contains sugar, but gives you only ? of the calories.

4-Prevent Cancers. Notice the plural. We all know that cancer comes in several forms and in different places. Apples target multiple cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer in women.

5-Apples contain phenols, which have a double effect on cholesterol. It reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. They prevent LDL cholesterol from turning into oxidized LDL, a very dangerous form of bad cholesterol which can be deadly.

6-Prevent tooth decay. Tooth decay is an infection that seriously damages the structure of your teeth, which is caused primarily because of bacteria. The juice of the apples has properties that can kill up to 80% of bacteria. So there you have it, an apple a day also keeps the dentist away!

7-Protects your brain from brain disease. This is something many people don’t know, and when you consider that your brain makes the person you are, it gives a whole new perspective. Apple has substances called phytonutrients, and these phytonutrients prevents neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinsonism.

8-Healthier Lungs. A research at the University of Nottingham Research shows that people who eat 5 apples or more per week has lower respiratory problems, including asthma.

9-They taste great! And not only that, they also come in many flavors and colors. Not in a mood for a green apple? Why not get a red one, or a macintosh! Their taste can vary greatly, but still give you all the apple benefits. Variety is an important element to maintaining your health.

On average, Americans consume around 20 pounds of apples a year, which comes to around 1 apple a week. Unfortunately, while an apple a week is better than nothing, it is nowhere close to being able to extract all the advantages apples have to offer. Eating apples is part of balanced and healthy diet than will increase your longevity, so why limit yourself to only 1 per week?

I had an interesting Biochemistry class while attending Chiropractic College.  The professor that taught the class had a depth of knowledge that was nothing less than amazing.

While doing graduate work in France, he and a colleague decided to do an experiment which centered on cholesterol.  The experiment lasted one week.  For one week my professor only consumed eggs and water. My professor’s colleague consumed only fruit juices.  Their cholesterol was checked before and after the experiment.  By eating only eggs and drinking water for an entire week, my professor’s cholesterol went down. His colleague’s cholesterol that drank only fruit juices for an entire week went up.  They did this experiment in the mid 70′s.  Bottom-line: Eggs are good for you… eat them.

More about the wholesomeness of eggs.

Let me be perfectly clear: Eggs are one of the most perfect foods on the planet.

And — wait for it — that includes the yolk.

Yup, the yolk — that poor, misunderstood, but essential component of the egg that too often gets thrown out in a misguided attempt to avoid cholesterol and fat. So lets clear a few things up about eggs, cholesterol, fat and health.

Number One: The cholesterol in eggs has virtually no effect on the cholesterol in your blood.

Number Two: The fat in the egg yolk is mostly monounsaturated fat, the same kind found in olive oil. Yes, you heard that right. Of the 5.3 grams of total fat in one large egg, only 1.6 grams are saturated.

Number Three: Many of the nutrients that make eggs so incredibly healthy are found in the yolk. Examples: Lutein and zeaxanthin, two members of the carotenoid family that are beneficial for eye health. The yolk also contains choline, which is important for brain health — and vitamin D.

The idea that eating eggs is bad for your heart is a myth. No study has linked egg eating to greater risk of heart disease. In fact, quite the opposite. According to an article from Harvard Health (a publication of Harvard Medical School), “The only large study to look at the impact of egg consumption on heart disease … found no connection between the two.”

Research has also shown that eggs eaten at the start of the day can reduce your daily calorie intake, prevent snacking between meals and keep you satisfied.

However, not all eggs are created equal. Stay away from scrambled eggs at open buffets. While the cholesterol in eggs poses no real harm to you, when that cholesterol is “scrambled” and then exposed to air and oxygen for a long time (like on an open buffet), it becomes damaged. That’s not something you really want in your body. Better to poach, soft or hard boil. If you do scramble eggs, eat them quickly and don’t let them sit around all day long.

via The Poor Misunderstood Egg – That’s Fit.

I hope you have enjoyed this post.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

A  Tomato has four chambers and is red. The  heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes  are loaded with Lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food. Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also a profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.  Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuro-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don’t have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak.  These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocadoes,  Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female – they look just like these organs. Today’s research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers.  Here’s an interesting fact, it takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit.

There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them). Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.  Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility. Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts. Onions look like the body’s cells. Today’s research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

I hope you found this post both interesting and informative.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

One of the major causes of inflammation are the foods we eat. If you currently have a diet high in sugar, high in hydrogenated vegetable oils such as those found in margarine, chips and baked goods, you are literally feeding the inflammation in your body. These foods actually create an inflammatory chemistry in your body.

Another major cause is being overweight. Did you know that fatty tissues in the body secrete hormones that regulate your immune system and inflammation. In an overweight individual, these hormones can get out of control. This can cause the fat itself to be self regulating causing hormones to be released that keep the appetite under control. However, in cases where the body is also inflamed there is often a problem causing a resistance to these hormones. When this occurs the the individuals appetite is not kept in check causing a vicious cycle of weight gain and chronic inflammation.

What are the signs of chronic inflammation

The classic signs are swelling, redness and pain. However, research has now found that there is another type of inflammation a much more sinister type called Silent Inflammation. Silent inflammation causes: Heart attacks, Cancer, Alzheimer’s and Diabetes to name just a few. Essentially “all” diseases and their progression are due to chronic inflammation.

One of the quickest ways to change how you feel on a regular basis, is to change how you eat. This sounds simple, but it’s not easy for a lot of people. Thoughtlessly eating whatever, is a recipe for disaster.

If you are in your mid thirties you probably have started noticing changes in your body. These changes in many instances, are due to chronic inflammation. I always tell my patients, pain is a good thing. Pain alerts us that something is wrong and we need to make changes. How we age is greatly determined on how well we listen to our body and how quickly we make changes.

Anti-Inflammatory Foods

These foods if eaten regularly, can reduce inflammation in the body and bring the problem under control. Below I will list some of these foods. Begin incorporating some of these foods into every meal also try to eliminate or reduce the foods listed in the first paragraph above that create inflammation in your body.

• Vegetables- Bell Peppers, Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage Cauliflower, Chard, Collards, Fennel Bulb, Garlic, Green Beans, Onions, Kale, Leaks, Olives, Spinach, Sweet Potatoes and Turnip Greens.
• Herbs & Spices- Basil, Cayenne Peppers, Chili Peppers, Cinnamon, Cloves, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme and Turmeric.
• Oils- Avocado Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Drinks- Green Tea
• Fruits- Acerola Cherries, Apples, Avocados, Black Currant, Blue Berries, Fresh Pineapple, Kiwi Fruit, Kumquats, Lemons, Limes, Mulberries, Oranges, Papaya, Raspberries, Strawberries and Tomatoes.
• Nuts & Seeds- Almonds, Flaxseed, Hazelnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Walnuts.
• Fish- Cod, Halibut, Herring, Oysters, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, Sardines, Snapper Fish, Striped Bass, Tune and White Fish.

Begin incorporating the above information today.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

Below are a few of the benefits of Omega 3 fats.

1. Boost the immune system.
2. Carry and store fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, & K.
3. Healthy hair, skin and nails.
4. Reduce food cravings.
5. Can lower cholesterol and triglycerides.
6. Are required to build hormones that assist in the treatment and prevention of PMS and other hormonal problems.
7. Are an excellent source of energy.

Correctly combining your foods will eliminate your indigestion.

Yes, I said eliminate your indigestion. It will also help your cholesterol levels and your metabolism. Remember, without complete digestion, the nutrients in even the most wholesome foods cannot be fully assimilated by the body. Conversely, incomplete digestion and inefficient metabolism are the prime causes of of fat and cholesterol accumulation in the body.

In simple terms, here is the science behind proper Food Combining. I think you will find that it makes a lot of sense. It’s a fact, in order to initiate efficient digestion of a protein, the stomach must secrete pepsin. It is also a fact that pepsin can only function in a highly acid environment, which must be maintained for several hours for complete digestion of proteins.

It is a equally known fact that when we chew a piece of bread or eat a potato or any other carbohydrate or starch, ptyalin and other alkaline juices are immediately secreted into the food via the saliva in the mouth. When swallowed, the alkalized starches require an alkaline environment in order to complete digestion.

So far here is what we have learned? We now know proteins require and an acidic environment to digest and starches and sugars require alkaline environment to digest. We have been taught to mix all our foods together. When we do that both acid and alkaline are released. This causes them to promptly neutralize one another leaving a weak, watery solution in the stomach that digests neither protein or starch properly. Instead proteins putrefy (rot) and starches and sugars ferment. Putrefaction and fermentation are the primary cause of all sorts of digestive problems, including gas, heartburn, cramps, bloating, constipation, foul stools, bleeding hemorrhoids, colitis and so forth.

Now that you understand the benefits of proper Food Combining, here is how it is done. There is really only one rule. Never eat a protein with a starch. Example: You can have a protein with a salad or vegetable or you can have a starch with a salad or vegetable. It’s that simple!

Let me know how this helps you.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

As many of  Dr. Gould’s patients have said…insurance or not, this has been, by far, the best investment of my medical dollars.  My M.D.’s are great, but they do not have the grasp of spinal issues, nor the time or means to deal with them.

Marilyn McClain