Let me rephrase that,  Great Questions are Great Things. You see most of us go through our lives asking ourselves the same questions everyday. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, as long as we are asking ourselves quality questions or empowering questions. Unfortunately in the majority of cases, this is not the case.

I’d like to make a very bold statement.

Here it is… The quality of your life comes down to the quality of questions you ask yourself on a daily basis. So as you go through your day, start monitoring your questions. As you go through all your daily activities,  ask yourself the question… Is this Important? If it isn’t, I’d say you should delete it from your activities list.

When life confronts us with a tragedy, its funny how quickly our priorities change and how clearly we see what is truly important in our lives.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Edward Gould

Exercise has myriad benefits for the body and brain, but many of the triggers for these improvements have so far been somewhat of a mystery.

“There has been a feeling in the field that exercise ‘talks to’ various tissues in the body,” Bruce Spiegelman, a cell biologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and co-author of the new study, said in a prepared statement. “But the question has been, how?”

Speigelman and his colleagues found that exercise—in both mice and humans—starts a cascade of signaling changes, including the production of a never-before-described hormone. They dubbed the new hormone irisin, as a nod to the Greek messenger goddess Iris for its ability to send information to surrounding body tissue.

And the messages irisin carries are not trivial—they seem to effect positive changes in the body. An increase in irisin helps turn white fat into the more beneficial and metabolically active brown fat, which burns more calories. It also seems to make the body more sensitive to glucose, an important capability for keeping diabetes at bay.

In the study, the researchers discovered that exercise increases the body’s production of a metabolism-regulating protein, which in turn stimulates expression of a protein that can produce the new hormone, found to reside in the outer membranes of muscle cells.

The effects of exercise on the hormone’s production seem to be long-lived. Even after 12 hours of rest, mice that had been on a three-week jogging regimen had 65 percent more irisin in their blood than unexercised mice. And people who had gotten 10 weeks of endurance exercise training had double the amount of irisin in their blood than those who had not.

But could this hormone, the scientists wondered, mimic some of the effects of exercise—without subjects having to hit the treadmill? To find out, they injected a batch of obese, pre-diabetic mice that had been fed a high-fat diet with just about as much of an irisin boost as they would get from a workout. After 10 days of injections, the irisin-boosted mice had shed a little weight and become more sensitive to glucose—all without exercise. And a later dissection showed that the hormone spike didn’t seem to have any negative biological effects.

“It is likely that irisin is responsible for at least some of the beneficial effects of exercise on the browning of adipose tissues and increase in energy expenditure,” Speigelman and his colleagues noted in their paper. This find might help explain some of the “afterburn” of extra calories after vigorous activity.

Even if the hormone proves safe for humans to take as a supplement, it won’t replace all the benefits of going to the gym. But it might help people fight obesity and remain more sensitive to glucose, thus fighting off diabetes.

“It’s exciting to find a natural substance connected to exercise that has such clear therapeutic potential,” Pontus Bostrom, a postdoctoral researcher at Dana Farber and co-author on the new paper, said in a prepared statement. The researchers are now also investigating possible effects of the exercise-based hormone on other diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions, and have licensed the finding to Ember Therapeutics (a company co-founded by Spiegelman) for drug development.

via Newly Discovered Hormone Boosts Effects of Exercise, Could Help Fend Off Diabetes | Observations, Scientific American Blog Network.

He elected to ask questions and focus on success and therefore came to know success. If you become what you think about most of the time — what better concept to focus upon, contemplate and learn about then success? He spent 14 years. YES, 14 YEARS developing a success pyramid. How many DAYS have you thought about your definition of success and its component parts?

2. Life is a TEAM Sport.

Wooden embraced diversity and worked to find all players strengths.

3. Don’t treat everyone the same.

To COACH effectively you don’t treat everyone the same. Everyone responds differently. Some require encouragement and some require increased pressure and challenge. Same goes for management.

4. Concentrate on what you can control.

Coach would never let his team’s dwell on the opposition. They remained focused on what they could control — mainly…

5. Practice Fundamentals FIRST and LAST.

He was legendary for grinding even the best players on the basics. He knew they could do fancy dunks — but could they hit a clutch free throw or bank shot when it counted? Do you know what your fundamentals are?

6. Moderate and Simplify.

Wooden exemplified this on the court and off with his simple demeanor and tremendous humility.

7. Focus on effort not the result.

Knowing that practicing fundamentals takes time, he was concerned solely with effort and commitment, understanding that success is a bi-product of said constant effort.

8. Quality Leadership and management require teaching.

Effective teaching requires coaching. Effective coaching requires caring and caring requires listening! Even today, ex-players recall his impact because he cared and took the time to listen and teach.

9. Balance is everything.

He said this often – balance in life and balance on the court. He put balance only second to LOVE. Balance is everything. “Be quick, but don’t hurry”. This, in essence, is balance; controlled action in all areas of life.

10. Love Rules.

See above. He used to say “the purpose of discipline isn’t to punish but to correct.” With love in his heart and by always seeking to measure intent and effort first, his players would quickly align with the teams goal — a national championship. They never feared or second guessed his intentions.

So, when you combine all his methods, it becomes fairly easy to see why he has been so successful on and off the basketball court.

Thank you Coach! All the best Sir! Thanks so much for your tremendous gifts — your thoughtful consideration and study of SUCCESS has no doubt made many a persons’ path more swift and assured. We are all likely to go farther faster because you have contributed so generously. We have indeed been fortunate to benefit from your wisdom.

via Ten Great Life Lessons from a Legend; Coach John Wooden « ZenHabits.com | Succcess.org.

Every year it seems there is a newer and more deadly strain of the flu that threatens us.  The media always depicts these viruses in away that leave us feeling fearful and vulnerable.  The “experts” solution is always the same, inoculation but is there an alternative?

What most people don’t realize is there are literally thousands of viruses on this earth, maybe millions, know one really knows. What we do know about viruses is they are master mutaters.  They are constantly morphing into another strain of virus.

With these odds it would be pretty tough, if not impossible, to guess what strain of virus to use to create a vaccine.

I keep an envelope of geranium seeds in my office that I use to educate people about their immunity.  I ask them to hold out their hand palm side up, I then place a seed on their palm. I then ask them a couple of questions.  Would the seed grow if we left it there for a week?  If not, why?  Typically they look at me like I’m nuts, however, it makes very precise point.  A seed needs a very specific environment to grow and reproduce. Viruses and germs are no different.   Louis  Pasteur the father of the germ theory put it this way,

” The microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything.”

Why is it that some people that get the flu shot still get the flu?  Why is it that some people that don’t get the flu shot do not get the flu?  These questions are rarely asked by either the media or the public.  If you are contemplating getting the shot, you should know these answers.  It’s my belief the answer can be summed up in two words… Individual Immunity.  If you live a life full of unhealthy habits you are creating an internal environment (or terrain as Pasteur put it) that invites illness and disease.  Like a lion looking for the weakest in the heard, you too become easy pray for the latest germ or virus.  Conversely, if you live that is filled with health building habits, your chances of becoming ill are significantly less because your internal environment becomes fortified.

What about possible side effects of the vaccine?

A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday, leading to demands to know why the information has not been given to the public before the vaccination of millions of people, including children, begins.

It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.

GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

The letter, sent to about 600 neurologists on July 29, is the first sign that there is concern at the highest levels that the vaccine itself could cause serious complications.

It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976 when:

• More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.
• 500 cases of GBS were detected.
• The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
• The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
• The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected

Read more:  Source Daily Mail News Article

Below are two short videos one by Ron Paul and another by  Barbara Loe Fisher.  I think you will find both compelling and educational.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I hope this post has been helpful.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

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

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

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

Common Injuries Encountered By Cyclists

Neck & Mid Back Injuries

• Causes – This problem is typically due to over exertion of the muscles that extend the neck and raise the shoulders. The cause of this is usually the rams-horn style of handlebars that cause the rider to hold the head and neck in a hyperextended position for prolonged periods of time. Some individuals have problems with this due to the loss of the normal forward curve (lordosis) in their neck.  This type of structural problem is best addressed with chiropractic care.
• Symptoms – Spasm, tenderness and soreness of the muscles of the neck and upper back. Pain is usually felt with extension and rotation of the neck.
• Treatment – Initially stretching and strengthening the muscles of the neck and upper back is advisable. If the problem persists, it maybe due to structural problems in your neck.  If the neck and upper back pain persists for more than a week you need to be evaluated.

Lower Back  & Injuries

• Causes – Lower back strain and pain can occur when an unconditioned rider rides too long with the back flexed forward.  Other causes are obesity, weak trunk muscles or biomechanical dysfunction in the form of lumbar and sacroiliac subluxations .
• Symptoms – Decreased mobility of the trunk and spasms of the lower back. Pain is usually felt with flexion and rotation of the trunk muscles.  In many instances, lower back pain will be felt more on one side due to asymmetrical loading of the sacroiliac joints. If not corrected the individual may begin experiencing Sciatica.
• Treatment – Strengthening and stretching of the torso, lower back and hip musculature will help remedy many of the lower back symptoms many riders experience due to muscular weakness. If the injury has caused pain due to misalignments in the lower back or sacroiliac area strength training will only irritate the condition. If this is the case, chiropractic evaluation is indicated.

Trochanteric Bursitis

• Causes – Trochanteric bursitis is an inflammation of the bursa on the side of the hip, typically caused by the gluteus medius or iliotibial band rubbing over the bursa and causing irritation.  The injury is most common in cyclists with a saddle adjusted too high, unequal leg lengths (possible sacroiliac subluxation) or weak hip muscles.
• Symtoms – There is a gradual onset of pain. Typically, the pain is on the side of the hip and will gradually migrate down the side of the leg.  If not properly treated, sleeping on the affected side and climbing stairs will begin to cause pain.
• Treatment – Resting and icing the area is always beneficial.  Trochanteric busitis is usuallly a symptom of riding with a saddle that is too high.  Consider lowering the saddle to limit hip extension with each stroke.  Once the pain begins to subside begin stretching the gluteus medius and the IT band.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post it is very important to have a professional help you to set up your bike.  Ergonomics are not just for the office.  A properly set up bike will not only increase your bike riding enjoyment but it will also minimize your chances of overuse injuries. Below is a video of a professional setting up a riders bicycle.

I hope this post has been helpful.  If you live in the Cincinnati area and are still experiencing pain while riding, even though your bike has been professionally fitted to your body give me a call and schedule an exam.

Happy Riding,

Dr. Gould

If you live in the Cincinnati area, you have likely heard,  seen or received advertising from various Chiropractors.   The question is, if you need one, how do you choose one that is right for you? In this article, I’d like to share with you answers to some of the most common questions about Chiropractic Care, which will allow you to make a better choice.

I would like to begin by saying there is absolutely nothing mystical about chiropractic care, once you have a basic understanding of it.  In reality, Chiropractic makes more sense than many other forms of health care.

Chiropractic’s Philosophy is one that works “with” the body, not “against” it. Within you, there is a Life-Force, an intelligent energy, that runs and monitors “all” the processes of your body. Chiropractors have a name for this force, we call it the body’s “Innate-Intelligence.” This inborn intelligence has the ability to heal you and keep you healthy all the years of your life.

Like the front end of your car, the spine is also susceptible to misalignment problems.  When spinal misalignments occur, there is a disruption in the flow of this energy, allowing you to become susceptible to illness, injury and disease. Correcting spinal misalignments restores this intelligent flow of energy in your body, allowing you to regain your health.

A Chiropractor’s “primary function” is to correct  spinal misalingments.

People are always amazed how simple Chiropractic is once they understand it.  Yes, Chiropractic is simple, however, it is also extremely effective for a wide variety of health problems.

Ask Around!

Selecting a chiropractor should be no different than selecting a dentist, surgeon or accountant.  Do you have a friend that is currently going to a Chiropractor?  That is the best way to find a good one.  I never recommend yellow pages or other forms of advertising.  Remember, advertising (television, radio, printed ads or the “latest-marketing-gimmick” offering you a free dinner) is used to “entice” you to become a client. If you are looking to find the best deal on groceries or garden supplies, by all means check out local advertisers.  However, choosing a doctor should be a bit more contemplative.  Ask around, eventually you will hear one doctor’s name stand out above “all” the others.  Let that be your choice.

If your search for a chiropractor has brought you to my website, I would like to briefly tell you about my philosophy as a physician. First and foremost, my commitment has always been focused on one thing, Quality Patient Care. It is my belief, that the doctor patient relationship is critical when it comes to dealing with health problems. I’m dedicated to building a relationship with each of my patients, so that I can fine-tune my treatment to their individual needs.

Today’s health care arena offers many choices, if you choose my office; you will be educated, informed and respected.

Yours in Health, Naturally!

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.