William McDougall D.O.

 

  • A Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) attends four years of college as well as four years of medical school, then attends a post-graduate residency training specific to his or her specialty. DOs are in all fields of medicine from Family Medicine to Surgery and Cardiology. What sets us apart from our MD colleagues is that from the first day of medical school we are taught hands on techniques as well as the whole person framework for health versus the disease based model. A limited number of DOs continue on with this manipulative training in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine.

    Dr. McDougall completed a three-year Family Medicine Residency as well as an additional year in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine, enabling him to understand the traditional Western medicine model. Throughout his residency, Dr. McDougall also completed a longitudinal Acupuncture curriculum to further enhance his osteopathic treatments. His Osteopathic Manipulative Techniques (OMT) include any combination of myofascial release, balanced ligamentous tension, biodynamics, osteopathy in the cranial field, high velocity low amplitude (hvla), dry needling.

  • Osteopathy works for more than just back pain.

    With Osteopathic physicians’ knowledge and skill, they treat a wide variety of patients: from babies who have just been born, relieving the forces and experiences of passing through the birth canal, to hospitalized patients recovering from illness and surgery, to hospice patients in their last hours of life transitioning to the next realm. The body is naturally oriented toward optimal function and, therefore, is actually able to heal itself given the right circumstances: a simple cut on the skin is able to heal without direction or input. An Osteopaths role is to help restore the body’s inherent balance so that this healing ability can happen fully.

    Common symptoms or ailments that Osteopathy can address include:

    Head- headaches, tinnitus, sinusitis, ear infections, pituitary dysfunction, nervous system imbalances, TMJ/jaw pain, ear pain

    Neck- pain, thyroid dysfunction, speech or swallowing difficulties, arthritis

    Chest- COPD, asthma, cough, pneumonia, rib dysfunction, suboptimal breathing

    Abdomen- bowel troubles, menstruation difficulties, digestive issues, post surgical pain

    Limbs- pain and dysfunction of the feet, knees, hips, shoulder, elbow, wrists, immobility, sciatica

    Spine- pain, immobility, DDD, arthritis, injury

    How Osteopathy works with fascia - the web structure.

    Fascial strain can cause a wide range of symptoms in different regions of the body. Connective tissue, or fascia, envelopes the whole body: every organ, blood vessel, bone, and nerve has this fascial layer around it. If you were to take away everything except the fascia there would be a perfect 3D mold of the body. This fascial system provides support and structure, it is where the nutrients are delivered to the organs, and it acts as a shock absorption system for the whole body. Addressing strain patterns in the fascia leads to improved function. It is similar to removing a rock from a stream: the newly opened channel flows more freely and overtime the debris that was behind the rock washes away.

    Addressing the root cause - layer by layer.

    As we each travel through this lifetime, we undergo a multitude of experiences in the physical, emotional, and spiritual realm that impact the physical body, the mind and the soul. These experiences encompass various forms of trauma including broken bones, surgery, musculoskeletal strain, car accidents, increased stress at work and home, abuse, and birth trauma.

    For example, an individual experiences a childhood accident with an impact on the tailbone that causes a strain pattern in the connective tissue. Children are quite resilient and adapt to injury; soon enough this child is running around as if nothing has happened. However, held within the connective tissue is the experience of the incident. Later the individual is in his or her 30s and after a weekend of yard work experiences back pain that has its origins in the connective tissue that has held onto the patterns from the childhood incident.

    Every symptom or complaint of the physical body has its roots in a combination of these experiences. An Osteopath takes this into consideration and optimizes the function for the individual patient in that exact moment. When the body is functioning more optimally it can deal with these issues more effectively. An Osteopath works to peel away these layers and reintegrate the patient to a functional whole.

  • Initial Appointment

    At the initial appointment, a detailed history of your chief complaint (as well as the experiences you've had walking this planet) is taken. A hands-on evaluation from head to toe is also performed with a treatment at the same time.

    The beginning of the treatment consists of listening to the various rhythms in your body: you breathe ten to fifteen times a minute; your heart beats around 60 times per minute; your digestion has a wave pattern around absorption and metabolism; your cerebrospinal fluid has a fluctuating pattern as it is made in the cranium and circulated throughout the nervous system via the peripheral nerves. An osteopath works with these various rhythms in diagnosis and treatment, typically using gentle techniques as your nervous system calms down. Treatments typically last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, depending on the inertia of the experiences in the tissues.

    Everyone experiences treatments differently: some patients notice perceived changes immediately. For others it might take longer as some symptoms have been present for longer than others. As your system reintegrates, you may experience muscle soreness, emotional release or changing in your symptoms. This is just your form returning to a more integrated function.

    Follow-up Appointment(s)

    Ideally your next appointment will be within 2 to 4 weeks for re-evaluation. During this appointment we will discuss shifts in your patterns since your last treatment as well as have another hands-on evaluation and treatment. All symptoms have a multitude of origins and chronicity, but if you haven’t seen some kind of shift in your patterns after 3 visits, this might not be the right modality to completely and fully address your particular situation.

  • Payment is due at each appointment. Dr. McDougall prepares a super bill for you to submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

    Adult Initial Appointment...$260
    Adult Established Appointment...$140 - 160
    Credit Card Minimum $145


    Pediatric Initial Appointment (<18 years old)...$240
    Pediatric Established Appointment...$120 - 140
    Credit Card Minimum $125

    Schedule changes within 24 hours and no-shows are subject to societal inconvenience fee.

    Tax ID Number
    85-2711819

  • Dr. McDougall began his journey into medicine at the University of Maine, Orono, where he studied Biology. During high school and college he worked in the family business in residential construction and decided to pursue it full time after graduating. In this career, he developed the skills and knowledge necessary to build a house as well as skills in running a business. Eventually, he and his wife collectively made the decision that he would best be able to serve his community in Maine by returning to school to study medicine at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford.

    Following graduation from medical school, Dr. McDougall was accepted into the Family Medicine residency at the Maine Dartmouth program, associated with the MaineGeneral hospital system in Augusta. It was important to him to find a program that incorporated a whole person approach to health and well-being that used multiple integrative approaches such as acupuncture, herbal medicine and manual medicine, in addition to traditional medical practices such as pharmaceuticals and surgery. During residency he was able to further his skills in hands-on manual medicine during Osteopathic treatments and he decided to pursue an additional year of residency in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine again through the Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency program.

    Dr. McDougall's studies through his additional year of training focused on the mechanics of the musculoskeletal system and engineering of the human body. As an Osteopathic physician, he is able to effectively incorporate the disciplines of anatomy, physiology, embryology and microbiology into the art of healing medicine through the use of his hands, perceiving the living anatomy and the intricate body functions of each patient. He then uses this information to support each individual patient toward their optimal health.