Shoveling Snow Whoever says shoveling snow doesn’t count as a workout has definitely never done it before. With the winter most of us recently experienced – and the promise for more of the same in the future – it behooves us all to learn the proper way to shovel snow. Shoveling snow if a very repetitive exercise that involves weight that can vary from a little to a lot. As such, it is really no different from lifting weights at your local gym. If we think about shoveling snow as a workout or an exercise of its own, we easily see the need for applying proper technique just as we do when exercising at the gym. Even before the winter comes – perhaps at your annual checkup – ask your doctor if you should even shovel snow. Individuals with a heart condition or those that do not exercise regularly are especially at risk when shoveling snow. Before beginning to shovel, get the blood moving by jumping rope, marching in place, or doing jumping jacks. Then do a bit of light stretching to wake up those tired muscles. When shoveling snow, stand with your feet about hip-width apart to provide...

 Metagenics Store – Supplements in Portland, Maine Dr. Lou Jacobs   Dr. Lou has opened an online store for the people of Portland, Maine to order Metagenics supplements and medical foods.  Metagenics is one of the leading supplement producers in the country.  Dr. Lou’s online store gives you access to their entire product lineup and it gets delivered to your door.  For supplements like multi vitamins or other items used month to month, you can set up a recurrent delivery so that you never go without your necessary supplements.  Never has this quality product been so available.  No more driving to town to pick up your supplements.   Metagenics has a comprehensive line up: Blood Sugar Balance Body Composition Cardiometabolic Health Children’s Health Gastrointestinal Health General Wellness Immune Health Men’s Health Metabolic Detoxification Muscle, Bone and Joint Health Neurological Health Sports Nutrition Stress Management Women’s Health Health Conditions Bariatric Surgery Patients Fibromyalgia Hypercholesterolemia Inflammatory Bowel Disease Leaky Gut Syndrome Metabolic Syndrome & Cardiovascular Disease Metabolic Syndrome Peripheral Artery Disease Type 2 Diabetes Featured Products CalApatite Bone Builder – Complete Bone Nutrition Estrovera, Featuring ERr 731 – Menopausal Hot Flash Relief OmegaGenics – High Quality Essential Fatty Acids PhytoMulti –...

You Can Lead A Horse To A Chiropractor…… One of the top uses of veterinary chiropractic is on horses.  Owners pay lots of money to have their horses adjusted.  They do it because the horses are stronger, in less pain, healthier and better overall performers after they are adjusted.   It’s amazing how we are so fortunate to have so many things at our disposal and we so often choose new jeans or cable television over our own health.  Horses have no belief in whether the adjustment works. It just works.  Placebo?  How do you say “this is going to feel better” in horse.  Nay naaaay nayyyy naaaay nay?  ...

 You don’t think about espresso when your back hurts? You should!   I recently purchased a really nice espresso machine. One of my favorite things about traveling to Europe is the coffee.  I drink espresso all day long.  The coffee that comes out of vending machines at gas stations is often better than what we get in cafe’s here in Portland, Maine.   I love the art of espresso though, so I bought a manual machine that is very “tampermental”.  Tamping is when you use a round coffee press to compress the grounds in the portafilter.  This is done manually and you are supposed to use 30 lbs of pressure.  Depending on the humidity, the coarseness of the grounds, the temperature of the water, the pressure of the tamp or any combination of a dozen or so factors, the espresso comes out great or terrible.  It’s complicated and there are many things that you can focus on and tweak to get the best results.   I have the beans I like, the coarseness of the grind and all those other factors that I mentioned above.  The tamp eludes me though.  I’ve got this to where the pressure of the...

Reasonable expectations of a chiropractor. If you don’t brush your teeth, they won’t get clean. Seems obvious enough, right?  Who would expect to have clean teeth without brushing? Nobody.  You’d never expect your car to run if you didn’t put gas in it, would you?   Patients need to know what is wrong with them and how the problem is going to be dealt with.  That is at the heart of what you should be able to expect at the office of a chiropractor. We all want to have expectations that are reasonable and set by the doctor when we go in for a problem.  When I have a lung infection I want to know how long it will take for the antibiotics to work, what to do if they don’t and what I should do after I’m no longer sick to keep myself infection free.   “If you don’t follow the treatment plan, the treatment plan won’t work”.  Never have more direct, easy to understand, obvious words been spoken.  All patients hear these exact words, without fail, at their second visit at our office.  We even have patients sign the sheet of paper to verify that they understand...

What Is “Slow Chiropractic”? Slow chiropractic is exactly what it sounds like.  No rush, plenty of time to talk and receive your adjustment and anything else you need.  It’s like concierge chiropractic without the annual fees.  Some people want a quick adjustment.  In and out in less than five. Others want a more comprehensive experience, with more than typical time for talk, questions and creating a relationship with the doctor.  If you are tired of a 3 minute appointment and feel you need something more, call to schedule or learn more about a slow appointment.  Space is limited.  Slow appointments for adjustments are scheduled in 30 minute blocks.  ...

Healthcare Help For Immigrants And Refugees In Portland, Maine   In an effort to provide consistent, compassionate and easy to understand care to the immigrant and refugee population in Southern Maine, Dr. Lou Jacobs of Jacobs Chiropractic Acupuncture has gone to great lengths to make this possible in the chiropractic office he started 10 years ago in Portland.   Dr. Lou has hired a full time interpreter of Arabic and French in an effort to gather accurate histories and visit to visit notes for patients.  Jacobs Chiropractic Acupuncture Center also accepts MaineCare and all other major insurance to make it easier for immigrants and refugees in Portland, Maine to get the care they need. MaineCare covers 12 chiropractic visits each year for spinal manipulation.  For most patients this is more than enough treatment to get them out of pain and moving toward better spinal health.  Dr. Lou’s office is the only private office in Southern Maine with a full time in-house interpreter of Arabic and French.   The healthcare of immigrants and refugees is critically important as their numbers grow in Maine.  Dr. Lou’s goal is to not only be a friend to all but also help these new friends...

Balls of Paper & Chiropractic Garbage   Next time you visit your chiropractors office, look in the garbage by the adjusting table. You’ll see a bin full of squashed up tissue paper. Face paper from the table that is disposed of after a patient receives their adjustments.  This face paper in the can is so much more than trash.   Those balls of tissue represent a chiropractic adjustment or series of adjustments.  The white paper balls are recent byproducts of the process of healing. Better nervous system regulation and restored energy flow from your brain, through ones nerves and to the organs, tissues and cells that they control.  Did you know that your brain and nerves control all healing, function & regulation in your body?   The paper is a sign that someones internal computer was rebooted to run faster and more efficiently, similar to when you reboot your PC at home.  Immune system function, digestion, pain management, reflexes, thoughts, strength and internal communication all have the opportunity to improve with each ball of tissue thrown into the face paper waste basket.  Everything works better when your brain and nerves work better.   You see, most people think adjustments...

Chiropractic Question In Portland, Maine A mothers question about her son.   I was recently asked a question about chiropractic that I thought was worthy of sharing.  A mother of three asked me what the best time to bring her 2 year old son for an evaluation would be.  We’ve known each other a while so I told her the truth.   “Two years ago” I said.   She laughed and said that she thought that I was going to say that.  I asked her why she asked me if she already knew the answer.  She responded that she wanted to hear it from me and said that the answer makes sense.  I asked her why.  She said two words.  Birth Trauma.   Birth trauma, whether it’s from a vaginal birth or c-section can be rather significant.  It is often a baby’s first real exposure to physical stress that can lead to spinal misalignment, nerve compression and decreased nerve control and development.   Needless to say, kids don’t often complain about back and neck pain.  A child’s exam is not about pain, it is about function and preventing issues in the future by identifying underlying predispositions now.   It...

Pregnant Moms! Go Shoe Shopping! The moment I hear that an existing patient in my Portland office is pregnant, or that a new patient is pregnant, we have the “shopping talk”.  There are few times in one’s life when weight gain and structural change occur as rapidly as when one is pregnant.   Tell your partner or spouse that pregnant moms need to shop for shoes.  It’s my first recommendation after learning of their pregnancy.  They need supportive shoes that provide the three primary arches of the foot with enough support that the structural and weigh changes don’t cause those arches to fall.  If shoes are not an option then a rigid shoe insert like those made by “Superfeet” or Birkenstock are ideal.  Superfeet are available at our Portland office but along with Birkenstock inserts are also available at Lamey Wellehan in Falmouth or Scarborough.  Arch support needs to be acquired early in the pregnancy and professional advice is recommended with regard to the extent of the support needed.     Rapid weight gain of any kind leads to unfamiliar strain on the feet.  Arches will tend to fall.  Arches falling and feet spreading during pregnancy is part of...