Healthy Family
DR. LAUREN GOUIN, N.D.
What are your Knuckles and Knees trying to tell you?
on a rainy day. A dull constant reminder that deters you from wanting to move and makes every exertion more difficult can make days feel much longer. When pain like this creeps up, it is easy to become frustrated with your body and feel like it’s working against you. Joints are a sensitive barometer of the
A
body's overall health, and can become painful with a myriad of conditions, from acute infections to chronic digestive com- plaints. Any painful joint can have a struc- tural component, but could also involve a systemic dysfunction. It is important to remember that your body wants to create balance and be pain free as much as you do. Pain is an effective signaling mecha- nism your body uses to make you pay at- tention to it. Addressing the underlying cause to joint pain can not only help ease day to day tasks, but create better wellness overall in the body. Many disease states, including un-
derlying causes of joint pain, are a sign of imbalance. Balance is disturbed by some excess or deficiency, and/or a structural dysfunction. If you think of your joints as a seesaw, there can be too much or too little on one side of the seesaw. If the hinge
chy joints are difficult to ignore whether it be after a good work out or just sitting on the couch
in the middle of the seesaw is not work- ing properly, there could also be imbal- ance. Naturopathic medicine's goal is to help the body by removing the obstacles to cure, and restore balance to the body's seesaw.
An Excess of Inflammation
Inflammation is probably one of the
most frequently used terms in medicine today. Everyday researchers are discover- ing new forms of inflammation in the body and more ways that it impacts our well- ness. Inflammation is essentially an upset immune system, with messengers, known as cytokines and leukotrienes as well as other parts of the immune system, running about with their arms in the air. In some cases this is an appropriate response, such as to a chronic or acute infection. Howev- er, inflammation can also come from poor diets, stress and food allergies. Whatever triggers the immune system to become up- set, it can manifest in symptoms of autoim- munity, fatigue, allergies or joint pain. A patient with arthritis or joint pain should be evaluated for chronic infection, allergic reactions to foods and environment as well as focusing on ways to improve nutrition and lifestyle, reducing stress and calming the immune system.
Deficiency of Nutrients
Many nutrients keep the immune sys-
tem and therefore inflammation in check. The Standard American diet typically lacks essential fatty acids, which are oils the body cannot produce on its own, but are necessary for immune regulation. Vitamin D also helps improve immune balance, re- ducing inflammation and joint pain. Opti- mal nutrient status can often relieve joint pain and promote balance. Joints are a unique part of the body,
because much of them are fed not by blood and a vascular system like the rest of the body, but from GAGS or glucosamine gly- cans that are found in the space between the intersecting bones. If this fluid is not nourished from our diets or wear and tear on our joints has depleted it, glucosamine and chondroitin are two supplements that may be considered to improve this defi- cient but necessary fluid. One of the best steps a person can
take for their health is to listen to their bodies. In a busy world, it is easy to shrug off knee pain or take a medication to re- duce the sensation in order to get through the workday. Our body wants to have bal- ance, and pain or discomfort is one of its most effective ways our body has of talking with us. Finding the underlying cause for pain, whether it be infection, allergy, nutri- ent deficiency or lack of structural compe- tency will balance the body, reduce pain, improve quality of life as well as prevent further manifestations of the imbalance.
Dr. Lauren Gouin is a board certified natur- opathic physician with a family practice in Manchester and South Windsor. Dr. Gouin is accepting new patients and is an in net- work provider for most insurance plans. See ad on page 34.
38
June 2010
www.naturalnutmeg.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56