Archived Patient Stories
DARAH
Dr. Jacobs literally touches the lives of hundreds of people every week. We all know that he is a skilled healer, but we also want you to know a little bit more about the remarkable people that come to Carlsbad Wellness Chiropractic to improve their health.
Our first patient profile is Darah, whose smiling face you know at our front desk. Darah is married and has two teenage boys. She just celebrated her first year serving you at CWC. Darah had never been to a chiropractor before starting work here. She had thought about it when her back hurt, but the unknown seemed intimidating. Would it be worth it?
“The personal growth that I have learned from Dr. Jacobs has taught me to manage my feelings in healthy ways and accept alternate ways of managing pain,” says Darah. Darah knows now the difference between feeling okay and feeling great thanks to regular chiropractic adjustments with Dr. Jacobs.
Do you know someone who may be in pain and has never been to a chiropractor? Help them to improve their life with one small step and give Darah a call!
KATHLEEN
“I love talking about cats!”, our patient Kathleen tells us. You can see how it lights up her face when she talks about her animal sanctuary.
Born in Chicago, Kathleen was a teacher locally. But open heart surgery at 49 changed her priorities. “I decided I wanted to pursue my passion full time”. She had been working with her students as a volunteer at a shelter in Baja. Now, for over 24 years, she cares for and adopts out cats that need good homes in San Diego.
The only problem was that her shoulder, her back, and her knees hurt from all the work of caring for her furry friends. “I wasn’t going out without a fight” she said. Kathleen sought the help of an acupuncturist and he referred her to Dr. Jacobs. “I can actually get down on my knees and I couldn’t before. I always feel better when I’ve come in” (for a treatment.) Regular chiropractic adjustments keep Kathleen doing what she loves every day.
Maybe you know someone who is in pain and it is keeping them from living their best life? Have them give us a call!
If you are interested in making a forever home for a cat, contact Baja Animal Sanctuary, bajaanimalsanctuary.org.
BABY C.
Adorable Baby C, born in December 2023, had her moms worried. She is perfect in every way and looks just like her big brother. The problem was that no matter when she nursed, how much, breast or bottle, she kept throwing up. They tried burping her “every ounce that she consumed and she still puked up all over!”, said mom, Natali. “Even putting her in the car seat she always threw up. It didn’t matter if she had eaten recently or not.” Baby C’s pretty little face would scrunch up showing how uncomfortable she was. Her parents were worried that she might need surgery like her brother had when he was a toddler.
The doctors said that they were overfeeding her but that didn’t seem right to Baby C’s moms. A medical doctor prescribed acid reflux medication for her tiny tummy and that didn’t seem good either. So, Baby C got her first adjustments with Dr. Jacobs. The difference was “night and day!” smiles Natali.
No longer on medications, Baby C sleeps through the night and keeps her meals down. Natali said she met another mom recently who took her baby to a chiropractor for the same problem. Both babies are doing well. Natali appreciated the validation that “she wasn’t crazy” to take her newborn to a chiropractor.
When your spine is well, your body can do what it is designed to do – from the day that you are born. Whether your children are babies or nearly grown, it’s not crazy to take them to Dr. Jacobs. Taking care of their health is the most sane thing you can do for them.
LINDA
If you ever thought about joining the circus, we have a patient who did just that.
Born into a Navy family and the eldest of five children trained Linda early for a life of travel and organizational skills. At church when she was 17 she met a young man who worked for the Ringling Brother and Barnum & Bailey circus. He invited her to the show, they kept in touch, fell in love, and married! “My life turned into a real circus”, says Linda.
Performers in the circus are athletes. Linda performed wearing heavy head pieces and costumes while riding elephants along with twisting her body while hanging from a wire. She said she was never really injured during her years of performing, but it was vigorous. She also raised three children while living on a train and she claims that sometimes the trek from the train to the grocery store with three kids in tow was the hardest part of that life. “It was a lot of schlepping!” she remembers vividly.
With such an exciting and active life, what brought Linda in for chiropractic treatment was “closing the car door with my hip”. Linda says she was afraid of chiropractic and “adjustment shy”. When she found Dr. Jacobs she loved that “his technique was not too aggressive but effective,” and “I feel like I’m among friends” at his office. Now Linda does her balancing with the help of regular visits to her friend, Dr. Jacobs.
If you know someone who seems like she could use some help with her balance, please ask her to give us a call.
JACKIE
What would happen if you tried something that you never thought that you could do? Are you too old, too young, too big, too small, too shy, too out of shape, too tired, too short on time? Our patient, Jackie, ignored all that mind stuff and took a chance. She decided to try something new. About a year ago, inspired by the 2009 movie Whip It, Jackie joined the North County Derby Alliance. Jackie, aka “Lucille Brawl”, became part of a pack of women who skate and try to knock each other down. She couldn’t be happier.
Jackie skated a little before, “like when I was about 8″, she laughs. The team taught her everything to become a contact sport competitor. Jackie says that although it sounds dangerous, and certainly there are falls, it is a controlled environment with workouts, training, and rules. In the year that she has been playing, she has never been hurt. When you skate, “anxiety and depression just fly out the window” , she exclaims. Jackie jokes that a teammate known as a “jammer”, can’t wait to get in the rink after a long, hard day and “hit her friends.”
Jackie is a wife and mom with three teenagers. She started chiropractic with her family growing up and it has always been a part of her lifestyle. Whenever they are in need of a tune up, she and her kids come in to see Dr. Jacobs. “I first went to Dr. Jacobs because I heard that he was a good pediatric chiropractor”, she says. “I trust him. He isn’t trying to sell me with the whole song and dance of xrays, and other treatments”, she explains. “I like his energy.” Jackie knows something about energy and how taking a chance on something new can change your life for the better.
If you know someone who is willing to take a chance on feeling great, have them give us a call.
To join or just watch local roller derby, check out the North County Derby Alliance on Facebook. These “tough girls on eight wheels” have a lot of fun and it shows.
MERRI
Actor John Wayne coined the phrase “the Big C” to avoid naming the disease — Cancer. We don’t really like to talk about it because we’re afraid, but we all know someone affected by it. Our patient, Merri, is experiencing cancer up close and she is facing it bravely. Merri has had surgeries, hair loss, and you can see her chemo port on her chest, but she always comes in with a smile and an attitude that matches her name.
“I don’t pay attention to the odds or get hung up on that. Everyone is different”, says Merri. At times she doesn’t feel well and the medical procedures can get her down. Treatment sometimes last up to seven hours, but she perseveres. “I’m the ‘little train that could!'”
Merri comes in for chiropractic adjustments to feel better. “I had no idea this would help me so much!”, she says with surprise in her voice. Sleeping, muscle pain, and stinging in her extremities are relieved. She explains that something about what Dr. Jacobs does makes her feel like her “blood isn’t blocked anymore.”
Merri spends her free time walking and going to the pool, but her favorite day is spent at SeaWorld. Our favorite day is when she comes in and spreads around that positivity.
If you know someone who is dealing with the effects of cancer, we’d be honored to help. Feel free to share Merri’s story.
JUDY
“I couldn’t believe what was happening!”, exclaimed our patient, Judy. She tensed up to prepare for impact. Her adult son was in the passenger seat, but he didn’t understand yet why she was screaming. She had nowhere to go. While she sat trapped at a red stop light, a car going over 40 mph smashed into the back of her truck. The other driver was literally asleep at the wheel.
Judy’s truck was totaled. The day after the accident, she and her son woke up with stiff necks and couldn’t turn their heads all the way. Judy had lower back pain and both sitting and walking hurt.
All during her first pregnancy and for various ailments like frozen shoulder, lower back and hip pain, Judy received chiropractic treatment. Although she had gone to a chiropractor her entire adult life, Judy had never been in an auto accident and she didn’t know what to do. It was her attorney, Brian Mortlock, who referred her to Carlsbad Wellness Chiropractic to help her with her injuries.
Judy said that her body was so out of alignment that it “popped so loud!” during her initial treatment. Not long after their first visits with Dr. Jacobs, Judy and her son began to feel better. More mobility in her neck, and the aches and pains were reduced so that she could go back to her work office. Now she can do her regular 1-mile walk at work and she has returned to the gym.
The mental part of the crash took its toll on Judy, too. “Dr. Jacobs gave me emotional and psychological support” in addition to the physical treatments. “He is always so upbeat”, she smiles.
Even in a low impact collision, your neck, back, and soft tissues can be traumatized and damaged by the sudden force. You may not have obvious physical symptoms like bleeding or bruising, but your body has still been hurt and needs to recover. Chiropractic adjustments speed up healing of the inflammation that causes pain, stiffness and reduced mobility from a car accident. If you or someone you care about is in an auto accident, please give us a call. We can help!
