The Wellness Way- Granville

02/16/2026

Happy Monday!!
*
Our February specials continue……but this time, for our favorite rehab, strength, performance doc!

This is for you if you’re:

- trying to improve your performance for any sport. Athletes of all age, it’s your time to shine. Dr. Ethan will keep you healthy, help you prevent injury, heal an injury, or simply be the best at what you do in your sport!

-if you have any pain you’ve been putting off…..and you don’t want just the “oh let’s just do some exercises for your injured area” type approach…..come on in! Dr. Ethan takes a full body comprehensive approach and seeks to find the root. Which to your surprise, may not even be where you’re having pain. If you’re looking to solve the problem, he’s your guy

-take advantage of his fat loss program. You will get amazing guidance and also accountability!

Dont sleep on your health. It won’t wait on you!

DM, call, or schedule online!

You must call to schedule or book online between now and March 2 to receive this discount. You may book outside of those dates though. If scheduling online, please put in the notes section “special discount” when booking :)

02/16/2026

🌸 Huge Concept Your Endocrinologist Misses When Testing Your S*x Hormones 🌸

Most people think estrogen is just one hormone.

It’s not. 👀

“Estrogen” is actually a family of hormones — and if you’re only testing one of them, you’re only seeing part of the story.

Yet so often, when s*x hormones are tested, providers check estradiol (E2) and call it a day.

But estrogen is made up of multiple players:

✨ Estradiol (E2) – The dominant estrogen during reproductive years.
This is your powerhouse 💪
• Supports ovulation
• Builds uterine lining
• Protects bones
• Influences mood & brain function
• Supports libido

When it’s low: fatigue, low mood, brain fog, vaginal dryness, low libido.
When it’s high: heavy periods, breast tenderness, anxiety, irritability.

✨ Estrone (E1) – The dominant estrogen after menopause.
Produced largely from body fat.
When elevated: can be linked with stubborn weight gain, inflammatory patterns, and feeling “puffy.”
When too low: low energy, poor skin elasticity, decreased vitality.

✨ Estriol (E3) – The gentler estrogen.
Highly active in pregnancy 🤰
Supports vaginal and urinary tissue health.
Low levels may contribute to dryness and discomfort.

But here’s what almost nobody talks about 👇

Your body doesn’t just produce estrogen… it has to convert and detoxify it through different metabolic pathways.

And that’s where blood testing alone can fall short.

🩸 Blood testing shows production levels.
🚽 Urine testing shows how your body is metabolizing and clearing estrogen.

You could have “normal” estradiol in blood work — but be shunting estrogen down pathways that make you feel:

• Moody 😩
• Inflamed 🔥
• Anxious 😬
• Bloated 🤢
• Heavy or clotty periods 🩸

Without looking at metabolites, you’re missing how balanced (or imbalanced) the system really is.

For cycling women, if you truly want the clearest snapshot 📸 of your hormones:

🗓 Test during your luteal phase (days 19–21)
🌅 In the morning
🚫 Fasted
🧪 And ideally include BOTH blood and urine testing

Why then? That’s when progesterone and estrogen peak — giving you the most informative data.

If you are post-menopausal or no longer cycling, timing matters much less 👍

Hormone testing isn’t just about “are you in range?”
It’s about understanding the whole picture 🧩

Your mood.
Your metabolism.
Your sleep.
Your cycles.
Your long-term health.

📍 Licking County friends — if you’ve been told your labs are “normal” but you don’t feel normal, it might be time to look deeper.

02/15/2026

🔥 We Need to Talk About the Allergy Narrative and Why Most Allergists Miss This Crucial Piece 🔥

Somehow we’ve decided that allergies only count
if they look dramatic.

If they look like:

✨ Hives erupting across the skin like a wildfire
🌊 Swelling that reshapes a face in minutes
⚡ Anaphylaxis — the immune system sounding a five-alarm fire resulting in closed airways

That’s Type I hypersensitivity.
IgE.
Immediate.
Explosive.
Undeniable.

And yes — it matters.

But it is only ONE of FOUR immune hypersensitivity pathways.

Immunology recognizes:

• Type I – IgE mediated (immediate)
• Type II – Antibody-mediated cytotoxic
• Type III – Immune complex–mediated (often involving IgG)
• Type IV – Delayed T-cell–mediated reactions

Yet most conventional “allergy testing” screens almost exclusively for Type I.

If it’s not IgE… it’s dismissed.

And that’s where the problem begins.

Because not all immune reactions are immediate.
Some are delayed.
Some are cumulative.
Some are subtle — until they’re not.

You can eat a food on Monday and feel fine.
By Wednesday you’re bloated, foggy, inflamed, exhausted, achy, irritable —
and never connect the dots.

These reactions are often labeled “food sensitivities” —
as if that makes them trivial.

But what are they, really?

They are immune responses.

Many involve IgG antibodies and immune complexes (Type III reactions).
Others involve T-cell activation (Type IV).

They don’t close your airway.
They don’t send you to the ER.

They create something quieter:

Low-grade, chronic inflammation.

The kind that:

• Fuels joint pain
• Water retention and swelling of the face, hands, and feet
• Worsens eczema and other skin disorders
• Drives sinus congestion
• Contributes to migraines and headaches
• Amplifies fatigue and brain fog
• Aggravates autoimmune tendencies
• Disrupts gut integrity leading to bloating and acid reflux
• Affects sleep and overstimulates the mind (anxiousness)
• Raises blood pressure and internal body heat
...and so much more

but because it doesn’t look life-threatening,
it gets minimized.

You can test “negative” on a standard allergy panel.
You can be told you have no food allergies.
You can continue eating the same reactive foods daily.

And your immune system can remain persistently activated in the background.

That’s not imaginary.
That’s immunology beyond IgE.

We have normalized chronic inflammation to the point that people think feeling puffy, tired, foggy, and inflamed is just “life.”

But sometimes it’s daily antigen exposure your body hasn’t made peace with.

Not every allergy screams.

Some whisper.
Some simmer.
Some slowly erode resilience over time.

And dismissing those reactions simply because they aren’t IgE is not scientifically thorough — it’s incomplete.

Your immune system has more than one pathway.

Maybe it’s time our conversations about food reactions did too. 🔥

Below is a young male dealing with eczema, fatigue, ADHD, joint pain, irregular bowel movements, swollen lymph nodes, feelings of "running hot all the time" that all improved dramatically in one month from eliminating IgG mediated food allergies aka "food sensitivities" and had no prior history of any serious food allergies (IgE).

02/13/2026

Outer hip pain in women? Let’s talk gluteal tendinopathy 👀

If you’re pre-, peri-, or post-menopause and dealing with pain on the side of your hip, especially when:
• Lying on that side
• Walking or hiking
• Going up stairs
• Standing on one leg

…it may not be your back or arthritis.

👉 Gluteal tendinopathy is irritation of the glute tendons that help stabilize your pelvis.
Hormonal changes around menopause can make tendons more sensitive and slower to adapt, which is why this shows up so often during this phase of life.

🚫 Rest alone usually doesn’t fix it
🚫 Stretching it aggressively can make it worse
✅ The right progressive strength loading helps calm pain and rebuild tendon resilience

Your body isn’t breaking down — it’s adapting differently.
And with the right plan, this is very treatable.

If side hip pain is affecting your sleep, walking, or workouts — don’t ignore it.

02/13/2026

🧘🏾‍♀️

02/09/2026

🚫 STOP USING RICE METHOD FOR ACUTE INJURIES

RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) is outdated and misunderstood — and in many cases, it slows healing.

Here’s why 👇

❌ REST
Complete rest tells tissue it’s unsafe to load.
Healing tissue needs appropriate movement to remodel and regain strength.

❌ ICE
Ice reduces pain, yes — but it also reduces blood flow, nerve signaling, and the inflammatory response that actually drives healing.
Inflammation isn’t the enemy. It’s the signal.

❌ COMPRESSION & ELEVATION
These can help manage excessive swelling early on — but swelling itself is part of tissue repair.
Eliminating it completely ≠ faster healing.

Even Dr. Gabe Mirkin, who coined RICE in the 1970s, publicly retracted it after decades of evidence showed it delays recovery.

⸻

✅ WHAT WE SHOULD BE USING INSTEAD

PEACE & LOVE

PEACE (first few days):
• Protect
• Elevate (when needed)
• Avoid anti-inflammatories
• Compress (strategically)
• Educate

LOVE (after):
• Load (early & progressive)
• Optimism
• Vascularization
• Exercise

Movement is medicine.
Loading is information.
Pain is feedback — not damage.

If your rehab plan starts and ends with “ice it and rest,” you’re already behind.

02/09/2026

🚨 Licking County — Let’s Talk About Radioactive Brine Salt 🚨

Many residents have been asking questions about the use of brine salt on our local roads — and more specifically, concerns around radioactive brine tied to oil & gas waste. Let’s break this down in simple terms so everyone understands what’s going on 👇

🧂 What is Brine Salt?
Brine is a liquid salt solution — often sprayed on roads for de-icing in winter ❄️ or dust control on rural roads.

However, some brine used in parts of Ohio comes from oil & gas drilling wastewater (also called produced water). This waste fluid can contain:

• High sodium chloride (salt)
• Heavy metals (like barium, strontium)
• Chemical residues from drilling
• Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) such as radium ☢️

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21054690-brineaquasalinaodnr-lab-tests2017/

(This study is from 2017 to show how bad it used to be. Aquasalina has been banned however the radioactive particles can remain in the environment for years to come still).

🛣️ Why Is It Being Used?
Counties use brine because it’s:

✔️ Cheap
✔️ Effective at melting ice
✔️ Recycled from drilling waste
✔️ Helps suppress dust on gravel roads

But the tradeoff — and the reason for concern — is what else may come with it environmentally.

⚠️ Health & Environmental Concerns
Research on long-term exposure to oilfield brine is still developing, but concerns that have been raised include:

• Soil & groundwater contamination 💧
• Crop & livestock exposure 🌽🐄
• Airborne particulates when dried brine dust is inhaled 🌬️
• Potential radiation exposure over time ☢️

High or prolonged exposure to certain radioactive materials has been associated in scientific literature with increased risks of:

• Leukemia
• Bone cancers
• Thyroid disorders
• Breast cancer
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Other radiation-linked illnesses

(Important: Risk depends on dose, duration, and proximity — more research is ongoing.)

**Lastly as radioactive materials decay in the soil they can produce Radon over time which is a serious problem in Licking County Ohio with some of the highest levels in the nation. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer behind smoking ci******es.

🧬 Supporting the Body’s Detox Pathways
If you’re concerned about environmental toxin exposure in general, some compounds studied for binding heavy metals or radioactive elements include:

• Modified Citrus Pectin 🍊
• Apple Pectin 🍎
• Chlorella / Algae 🌿
• Zeolite clays
• Adequate minerals (magnesium, iodine, selenium)

Pectin in particular has been researched for its ability to bind certain radioactive isotopes in the gut and help excretion — though it’s not a guaranteed or sole solution.

Always talk with a qualified healthcare professional before starting detox protocols.

📟 Testing Your Environment
If you want to measure radiation levels locally, a reliable consumer-grade Geiger counter many people use is:

👉 Inspector+ Radiation Detector (SE International)

It can detect alpha, beta, gamma, and X-ray radiation — useful for environmental screening and peace of mind.

🗣️ Use Your Voice, Licking County
Whether you support or oppose brine use — community input matters.

You can:

✔️ Attend county commissioner meetings
✔️ Contact local environmental agencies
✔️ Request public records on brine sourcing/testing
✔️ Advocate for alternative de-icing methods
✔️ Push for soil & water monitoring

Local policy is shaped by local voices 🇺🇸

📍 Bottom Line
Brine application is a cost-effective road tool — but questions remain about long-term environmental and health impacts when sourced from drilling waste.

Stay informed. Test if you feel led. And speak up if you want change. Luckily, some parts of the county are already actively working on solutions to fix this problem which is huge!!

☢️🇺🇸

02/05/2026

🚫🍭 SUGAR FEEDS CANCER?! YES. And here’s why ⬇️

It’s called the Warburg Effect—cancer cells prefer sugar (glucose) to fuel their growth. Unlike healthy cells that use oxygen, cancer cells ferment sugar for energy… even when oxygen is available! 😳🔥

🎯 So how do we fight back?

👉 We STOP feeding them.
👉 We GO KETOGENIC.

🥑 What’s a Keto Diet?
It’s a metabolic shift—high in healthy fats, low in carbs, and just enough moderate protein—that forces your body to burn fat for fuel instead of sugar. This is called ketosis, and cancer cells don’t thrive on fat.

💡How to get into ketosis:
✅ Eat low-carb veggies
✅ Enjoy healthy fats (like avocado, olive oil, nuts, grass-fed meats)
✅ Move your body
✅ Stay hydrated and focused!

🎯 Starve the cancer. Fuel your body. Empower your healing.

📍 From right here in Licking County, Ohio, we believe in more than just symptom management.

🥓
💪
🌿
🌽
❤️

02/04/2026

🌟 Do You Really Need More Iron? 🤔 Let’s Talk About It! 🌟

If you’ve ever been told you’re “anemic” or “low in iron” 🩸, you might be tempted to grab an iron supplement. But what if the issue isn’t a lack of iron… but a problem with how your body uses it? 💥

Let’s break it down 🧠✨

🔁 Iron Recycling: It’s Not About More, It’s About Balance!
Your body is amazing — it recycles iron every single day. 🚴‍♀️ You only need a tiny bit from food. So why do we get iron overload?

➡️ Digestion Issues: If you do not have good stomach acid (super acidic) you will have trouble breaking down and absorbing iron. You will often see constipation, belly aches, and dark stool on an iron supplement if this is primary issue for you.

➡️ Iron can get “stuck” — it can’t be moved or used properly without the right nutrients and enzymes to keep it in motion! 🧩

🧲 Meet Ceruloplasmin: The Copper-Infused “Iron Traffic Cop” 👮‍♂️🧡
Ceruloplasmin is a special protein made in the liver. It needs bioavailable copper to do its job.

💡 What’s the job? Ceruloplasmin activates iron so it can move where it’s needed, like to make energy in your cells ⚡️ or carry oxygen around. Without enough of it, iron gets stuck in tissues 🧱 — and that’s when problems start.

🔥 Iron Overload = Hidden Inflammation
High iron in your body can cause silent damage. It creates oxidative stress (aka internal rusting!) 🧯🧨 This shows up as:

✅ Fatigue
✅ Brain fog
✅ Joint pain
✅ Hormone imbalance
✅ Liver issues

🧪 What Lab Markers Show Iron Overload (Even If Iron Looks “Normal”)

📍 Serum Iron – usually high
📍 Ferritin – might be high, but it’s also an acute phase reactant, which means it can rise from inflammation or infection, NOT just iron stores which is why you want to look at both and not just one or the other! ⚠️
📍 Transferrin Saturation % – over 40% = too much free iron floating around 🚨
📍 Serum Copper & Ceruloplasmin – often low, meaning iron isn’t being moved properly
📍 Zinc:copper ratio – too much zinc? It can block copper’s work! ⚖️
📍 Magnesium – critical for over 3,700 enzyme reactions, including managing iron ⚙️
📍Vitamin A (real retinol) – helps load copper into ceruloplasmin
Support Your Iron Balance Naturally

✔️ Eat real, whole foods
✔️ Get retinol from grass-fed liver or cod liver oil
✔️ Ditch high-dose iron unless you really need it
✔️ Ask your practitioner for a full iron panel, not just ferritin!
✔️ Explore other labs like a comprehensive stool test to look at gut function to see how you are digestive iron and whether you have any infections are not🧩

For more insight on this topic, check out Morley Robbins book "Cure Your Fatigue".

📍 From Newark to Granville to Hebron — let’s get Licking County feeling vibrant again 💪🌻

02/03/2026

01/29/2026

Hello! Time to reintroduce myself to a lot of you, and introduce myself for the first time to many more!

My name is Ethan Flynn. I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy, nutrition coach, fat loss coach, and strength and conditioning coach. I perform manual therapy, exercise treatment, dry needling with and without Estim, and much more. I work with patients who have vertigo, balance deficits, chronic and acute pain, injury, orthopedic surgery, and really anything else you can think of. I also work with young athletes in education and in performance to reach their athletics goals which is a huge passion of mine.

More importantly than these things though, I am a husband to my wonderful wife Lindsey and we have two 2.5 year old twin boys with another baby boy on the way this summer!

Some of the most important things to know about me are:
1) I practice what I preach - I enjoying cooking healthy dinners and meal prepping, training in the gym, and I usually toss in a few challenges each year as well like Spartan races and half marathons.
2) I work with everyone - your grandma who fell last week and hurt her hip, your neighbor fighting through elbow pain because she’s obsessed with pickleball, the athlete who tore his ACL, and the busy mom with plantar fasciitis. Anyone and everyone is appropriate for PT, even if you want to work on your exercise form or learn about why you may have pain.
3) I don’t just love what I do - it’s my way of life. It completely fulfills me. There’s no other job that I could do that would make me as happy as this does. I am doing just what God intended for me to do and I know that.
4) Don’t call me on Saturdays I’m probably watching Ohio State football

Enough about me… I’d like to get to know you guys! If you have never met me yet but are a patient here at wellness way, or if you’ve heard of me but never got the chance to say hello yet, please drop me a comment or a message and I will personal reach out and introduce myself!

01/28/2026

🤕 What Does Upper Crossed Syndrome Feel Like?

You might notice:

💢 Chronic neck or shoulder tightness

🌀 Tension headaches

💪 Limited shoulder mobility

📉 Poor posture (rounded shoulders + forward head)

🛌 Trouble sleeping due to shoulder or neck stiffness

😤 Feeling like you need a massage all the time

🔄 The Muscle Imbalance Loop

Upper Crossed Syndrome is a pattern of tight vs. weak muscles that feed into each other.

- Muscles That Get TOO TIGHT (Overactive):

- Upper traps

- Levator scapulae (runs from shoulder blade to neck)

- Pectoralis major & minor (chest muscles)

- Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) (side/front of the neck)

These are the muscles that make your shoulders creep up and pull your head forward. They’re doing too much work!

- Muscles That Get WEAK (Underactive):

- Deep neck flexors (the muscles that tuck your chin gently back)

- Lower traps (mid-back muscles that pull shoulder blades down)

- Serratus anterior (keeps shoulder blades flat against the ribcage)

- Rhomboids (between the shoulder blades)

These guys get lazy and stop doing their job. That’s what sets up the imbalance!

🧘‍♂️ What To Stretch (Loosen Up):

- These muscles are tight, so they need lengthening.

- Chest (Pecs) — Try doorway stretches

- Upper traps & levator scapula — Gentle side neck stretches

- SCM — Carefully stretch side-to-side, avoid jerking

- What To Strengthen (Fire Up):

- These are weak or inhibited muscles that need activation.

- Deep neck flexors — Chin tucks & nods while lying down

- Lower traps — Wall slides, Y-raises, scapular retraction

- Serratus anterior — Wall push-ups, bear crawls

- Rhomboids — Rows, face pulls

📍Licking County, Let’s Fix That Tech Neck!

You don’t have to live with constant stiffness or headaches! Make movement part of your daily rhythm.

🏞️ Get out to Blackhand Gorge or Dawes Arboretum for walking breaks
🧘‍♀️ Join a local yoga or mobility class in Newark or Granville
💼 Set up an ergonomic workspace (yes, even at home!)
⏰ Take 2-minute stretch breaks every hour — your spine will thank you!
🩻 Get adjusted as well! When nerves get irritated and/or compressed they can lock up the muscles that they control and cause chronic stiffness that will influence your posture!

💚 Final Thoughts

Upper Crossed Syndrome isn’t permanent. The key is consistency: stretch what’s tight, strengthen what’s weak, and get out of the hunched-over pattern. Movement is medicine. 🙌