Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Acupuncture – Portland, Maine
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Acupuncture Portland, Maine Carpal tunnel syndrome is a serious problem and is becoming more prevalent despite ergonomic measures to reduce Carpal Tunnel injuries. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a repetitive stress injury that results in inflammation of the ligaments, tendons and soft tissue that lie inside the carpal tunnel, or the flexor retinaculum (transverse carpal ligament) that forms the carpal tunnel. This inflammation compresses the median nerve and you may feel the following in the thumb, index and middle finger: * Pain * Numbness * Tingling * Weakness Carpal Tunnel Syndrome has been very effectively treated with acupuncture over the years. Thin needles inserted painlessly in the wrists can reduce, even eliminate the pain associated with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Acupuncture, combined with ice therapy, stretching and even physical therapy can reduce the symptoms or alleviate the problem completely. Oftentimes acupuncture alone will do the trick. A patient of ours we’ll call Seth, works at a very busy restaurant. He is cooking for hundreds of people and uses tongs on the grill most of the time. He has occasional flare ups of all of the above symptoms. He immediately seeks acupuncture treatment and the symptoms are eradicated...
read moreMigraines Portland, Maine
Migraines Portland, Maine Migraine headaches are common among people living in Portland, Maine. Migraine headaches are often debilitating, leading to missed days at work, loss of time with family and sometimes costly trips to the hospital. Most migraine headaches are medicated with drugs like Maxalt and a host of others. Migraine help in Portland, Maine is only a call away. Many migraine headaches are triggered by smells, foods and other environmental factors. Migraine headaches are characterized by the following symptoms: Pain on one side of your head Pain that has a pulsating, throbbing quality Sensitivity to light, sounds and sometimes smells Nausea and vomiting Blurred vision Diarrhea Lightheadedness, sometimes followed by fainting Visual disturbances such as seeing various shapes, bright spots or flashes of light Vision loss Pins and needles sensations in an arm or leg Speech or language problems It is not uncommon for Tension Headaches to be mistaken for migraine headaches. Tension headaches will lead into a migraine or if bad enough, cause some of the same symptoms – they overlap. How does this happen? Tension in the back of the neck will trigger a migraine headache, if you are unsuspecting of the tension, it will appear...
read moreNeck Pain Solutions in Portland, Maine
Neck Pain Solutions in Portland, Maine The Annals of Internal Medicine recently (January 2012) published a study showing that spinal manipulation (chiropractic) was more effective than medication for pain relief at the end of treatment as well as one year later. Neck pain often appears out of nowhere according to patient accounts. In addition to neck pain solutions, there are warning signs and preventive measures that if respected, may reduce your risk of waking up with a “pinched nerve” and inability to move your head. If you are reading this and had to hold your head in the morning to get it off the pillow, you should call us now (207) 774-6251. 1. Don’t sleep on your stomach. If you don’t think that you can change your sleep position, Dr. Lou Jacobs can help you. Call (207) 774-6251. 2. Reduce stress. Mental stress tends to accumulate in the muscles of the neck, often resulting in headaches, twinges and other “pinched nerve” like sensations. 3. Desk work. Desk work for 8-10 hours a day puts a lot of strain on your neck muscles. One solution for neck pain is to quit your job and live on a beach. Kidding, but it...
read moreDr. Lou Jacobs, Portland, Maine Chiropractor collection featured in Gastronomica magazine
Dr. Lou Jacobs, owner of Jacobs Chiropractic Acupuncture in Portland, Maine, studied Chinese culinary theory and cooking in Beijing, China, from 1993-1995. Jacobs has collected culinary memorabilia and photography for years. He donates time as a balloon artist and clown at children’s organizations, charities and hospitals. He can be reached at drj@drloujacobs.com or by calling (207) 774-6251. His collection of culinary mug shots is currently being displayed in the spring 2012 Gastronomica magazine in a six page spread. For more information on Dr. Lou visit...
read moreAlleviating Low Back Pain in Portland Maine
Alleviating Low Back Pain in Portland Maine Alleviating low back pain in Portland can be a challenging task. Between snow shoveling in the winter and hiking, stacking wood and gardening in the summer there are lots of things that can cause low back pain. There are dozens of doctors and people claiming to have solutions for your pain. Drugs, surgeries, therapies. Here are a few tips for finding the doctor who will best help you eradicate your low back pain. 1. Tests. The doctor you choose should perform the tests that will determine what is wrong and how to fix you. 2. Explanation. Your doctor should explain how they will alleviate your low back pain and why what they will do should work. 3. Answers. Your doctor should answer your questions. If they don’t have time to answer your questions, move on. 4. Treatment Plan. Your doctor should explain your treatment plan, why it should work and how long it should take. 5. Touch. If your doctor has never touched your low back, you should move on to the next office. 6. If your gut tells you that you are in the wrong place, you probably are. Move on. There...
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