Archive for the 'Wellness 101' Category

Is Your Mattress Causing Back Pain

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 24, 2008
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

hammock.bmpMany people sleep on older mattresses. By definition, your mattress is older if it is between 8 and 10 years old. Over time your mattress loses its ability to properly support your body. Like many things, this happens slowly over time, so we rarely notice it. What we do notice however, is we are not sleeping soundly or we wake up feeling stiff and in some cases in pain.

The typical older mattress causes what I call “hammocking” of your body. Imagine what your body would look like laying in a hammock. Your feet and head are higher than your bottom. Lying like this for several hours can cause a variety of things to happen to the spine. In your lower back it causes the forward curve of the spine to flatten out. This in-turn causes the spinal joints in your lower back to spread apart, in many cases causing muscle spasm to occur.

If you suffer from back pain it may be due to your mattress and box-springs. Check to see if your mattress has lost its ability to support your body weight. Have someone stand at the side of the bed while you lay in the center of the mattress on your back. Ask them if you are hammocking. If so, it’s time to shop for a new mattress and box-spring.

People always ask me what is the best type of mattress and box-spring. I always tell them that it is a very individual thing. You can spend several hundred, to several thousands of dollars on a mattress and box-springs and find yourself very dissatisfied after several nights of use. Just remember, all mattresses and box-springs have pros & cons.

What you are looking for is a mattress that is both comfortable and offers adequate spinal support. In the majority of cases, a medium to firm mattress with a pillow top usually does the trick.

When you are shopping go to a variety of stores. Don’t be in a hurry and do not allow the salesman to sell you, allow your spine to tell you. When you lay on a mattress and your body and spine go Ahhhhhhh! You know you have found a good one.

Let me know if this has been helpful?

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Stress

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 22, 2008
in Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

StressA funny thing happens as we grow older; time seems to go by faster and faster. Our lives tend to become cluttered with to-do lists. Not only do we make demands on ourselves, but other people seem to enjoy putting demands on us also.

Many of us have gone to seminars to learn time management, but somehow, there are still not enough hours in the day.  Because of this, we spend most of our day in reaction. We feel like we are constantly putting out fires which leaves us feeling out of control and stressed.

Stress is interesting! Events that cause you stress, might not cause someone else any stress at all.  In fact, the other person may totally enjoy the event that stresses you.  This means that stress is an individual thing. Stress is simply how we interpret events.  William Shakespeare once said, ” Nothing has any meaning, accept that which we give it.” Think about that, we give things and events meaning.

The Consequences of Living a Stressful Life.

When stressed, your heart beats faster, your blood pressure becomes elevated and you take shallower breaths.  Our body was actually designed to do this, so we could respond to danger and live to tell about it. However, the intent was to use this only on occasion. Unfortunately, for a lot of people, this is an occurrence that happens several times a day.  This leads to a breakdown of the body. 

One of the most significant effects stress has on the human body is on the immune system. The immune system is a wonderful thing. As you are reading this article, there are cells in your body killing off invading organisms. You don’t even have to think about it. When you are stressed, however, these little attack cells are reproduced at a much slower rate. This of course allows the invading organisms to over-power-us and make us sick.  Getting sick is a sign that our immunity has been compromised. By the way, becoming ill is Feedback!  It’s our body’s way of telling us we need to make changes.

Tips on Dealing with Stress

  1. Develop Empowering Beliefs.  Reflect back on the problems you have had in the past. Problems that at the time, you thought could not be dealt with but you dealt with them and eventually they were handled.  Current problems are no different, regardless of their size.  Always remember, “all” problems have a beginning and an end.
  2. Exercise.  Exercise does marvelous things to counteract the effects of stress. Exercise strengthens the immune system, strengthens the heart, makes blood vessels more pliable and helps you to think more clearly. At the end of the day you will ba able to unwind faster and get a better night’s sleep.
  3. Diet. Most people are digging their grave with their teeth. Begin to eliminate  processed foods out of your diet.  Try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables organically grown if you can find them.  Reduce stimulating substances like sugar, chocolate and coffee. Drink more water!

Let me know how this helps you.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

The Magic of Aerobic Exercise

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 14, 2008
in Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

SwimmerAerobic exercise literally means with oxygen. These foundational exercises demand oxygen without producing an intolerable oxygen debt. They activate the training effect and start producing wonderful changes in your body.

  1. The heart gets stronger. Pumps more blood with fewer strokes.
  2. Blood supply to the muscle improves due to increased collateral circulation.
  3. Total blood volume increases.
  4. Increases HDL and decreases LDL.
  5. Blood vessels become more pliable.

In short, you are improving your body’s capacity to bring in oxygen and to deliver it to your tissues and cells.

Interesting Facts:

  • 1 out of 3 people now die of cancer.
  • Only 1 out of 7 athletes die of cancer. Interesting!
  • So you must exercise if you want to be healthy.
  • You must exercise if you want to BURN FAT.
  • You must do it in an aerobic capacity, which means working at 70% of your maximum heart rate.

Good Fats

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 14, 2008
in Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

almonds.bmpOmega 3 fats are essential. Most Americans get enough Omega 6 and 9 foods like butter and animal products. But they are deficient in Omega 3 fats. Examples of these fats are flaxseed, almonds, walnuts, salmon, tuna and other cold water fish. Good fats are vital for health.

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.

Indigestion

Published
by
Dr. Gould
on February 12, 2008
in Digestion 101, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

So many people in our modern society suffer from indigestion. In a previous post titled “Belching, Bloating & Flatulence” I mentioned Food Combining. In this post, I’d like to give you some background on Food Combining and explain why it is so effective with indigestion and many other health problems.

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!

Proper Food Combining

Let me know how this helps you.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould