Archive for the 'Wellness 101' Category

Attaining Physical Vibrancy

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 25, 2011
in Cincinnati Chiropractors, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

One of the most important things you can do to improve your appearance, physical health and mental acuity is to have a deeper understanding of how your  food selections effect your body.  It seems so simple, but if you look around at the majority of people in our society,  it becomes apparent, that it’s not that easy.

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

Cell Phone Elbow

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 3, 2011
in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Cell Phone Elbow, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

Cell Phone CarTingling & Numbness

Have you noticed tingling or numbness in your pinkie and ring finger? Do you typically hold your cell phone to your ear using that same hand? If you answered yes to these questions, you are probably developing Cell Phone Elbow!

I knew that it was only a matter time, before chronic cell phone users would begin damaging an essential nerve in their arms by bending their elbows too tightly for too long. When cell phone users hold the phone to their ears, they stretch a nerve that extends underneath the funny bone and controls the smallest fingers. When they talk for long periods of time in that position, it chokes the blood supply to the nerves. It makes the nerves m-a-l-f-u-n-c-t-i-o-n. The next thing you know, there’s tingling in the ring and small finger.  People who have this condition, which is technically called Cubital Tunnel Syndrome, can feel weakness and clumsiness in their hands.

Blue ToothMy best advice is simple, if you have Cell Phone Elbow or you feel you are developing it, buy a Blue Tooth device, note example to your right. They fit behind your ear and are simple to use.  Within days you should notice the tingling in your fingers fading away.

I hope this post was helpful.

Dr. Gould

Healthy Habits

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on October 27, 2010
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

“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?

How to Keep Your Joints Healthy

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on September 4, 2010
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Wellness 101
. 0 Comments

Your body’s amazing joints

I’d like to talk to you about one of the most common joints in your body, the synovial joint. This joint is absolutely amazing, an engineering marvel.  It allows you almost unlimited movement, constantly repairs itself and if  properly cared for, will give you decades of trouble free service.

We all know of people that have joint problems.  Most people think  joint problems only occur in older adults. This is a myth, joint problems can occur at any age and have many causes, including genetics, abuse and lack of regular exercise.

The inner workings of your joints

There are many types of synovial joints in your body, regardless of their shape and how they function, they all have one thing in common, Articular Cartilage.  Cartilage is what covers the “joint surfaces” of all the joints in your body. It’s smoothness allows for very fluid movements, be it sipping coffee or hitting a golf ball.  It’s durability allows us to run, jump and lift heavy objects.

Under “normal” conditions, there is a constant turnover of articular cartilage in “all” of the joints of your body.  Because of this, any loss of cartilage due to normal wear and tear is matched by cartilage production.

What’s important for you to know is, what specific nutrients your joints need and how they are absorbed.  After all, it’s these nutrients that allow your joints to constantly repair and renew themselves.

Before we begin, let’s review some “very- basic”  joint anatomy (see picture).  Typically,  a joint is made up of two bones coming together, their “articulating ends” are covered with cartilage. The entire joint is then covered by a fibrous capsule and filled with a slippery nutrient rich synovial fluid. Note,  it is the cartilaginous ends, that actually slide on one another, that allow joint motion.

For cartilage to stay healthy,  it has to draw-in and absorb the nutrient rich synovial fluid.  This process of drawing in and releasing synovial fluid,  can only occur with “normal motion and loading” of your joints.

Without normal motion and loading, your joints will begin to degenerate!!!

Imagine having a golf ball sized sponge inside your clinched fist. If you put your fist in a bucket of water and slowly opened it,  the sponge would draw-in water. If  you then squeeze the sponge, it would release the water.  This pulling in and releasing of a fluid is very similar to what occurs in a healthy joint.  The scientific term for this is imbibtion.  Normal joint motion allows the nutrients rich synovial fluid to be draw-in and used by the cartilage.  Any decrease in joint motion and loading, will negatively impact the cartilage of the affected joint.

What specific nutrients are needed to maintain and repair joints?

For years I have been recommending Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate to all my patients.  I have found nothing more effective when it comes to maintaining the cartilage in your joints.   In my opinion, Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate are literally ” biological-spare-parts”  for your joints.

Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate Supplements have gone through a lot of changes over the years.  From the size of the pill to the actual absorption into your blood stream via the intestine.  There is a relatively new Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate product on the market that is simple to use, it tastes great and has an amazingly-high-absorption-rate.  As a bonus, it is available at most supermarkets. The product is called Elations.

If you take care of your joints they will take care of you.

The main reason people begin to feel old is due to a decrease in mobility or pain in their joints.  Are you experiencing these symptoms of degeneration?  If so, give me a call and come in and be evaluated.  One of the important things I do as chiropractor, is to locate joints that have lost their normal motion. Once these joints are located, I try to restore as much mobility as possible and immediately have the patient begin the Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate supplementation.

Keeping your joints healthy for a “lifetime” requires you to be proactive.  Begin today!

Yours in Health, Naturally!

Dr. Gould

Stress

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on July 27, 2010
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