I use bricks, but you have to lay them down neatly one after another, or the wind will get in. On the sides, too, I use six bricks per side, all told, some 22 bricks per bed. I have a lot of bricks. Perhaps it is colder there than here, but here it is certainly not sunny in winter. Collard and kale make it under a single layer, and collard can be picked frozen. It is not efficient, a lot of outer leaves die and become inedible, but it is much better than nothing. The best thermal ballast is moist, uncovered soil. No mulch whatsoever. I usually water (with a 5-gallons bucket) when I open a bed, and I am meticoulous when I close it. I leave the snow on, because I just overwinter whole beds, and that helps. I suggest you experiment with one bed, single layer, just red kale, and see how it goes. If red kale dies, it is proof positive that you have to go double.

I agree with ginger in terms of getting an assessment, although you should know going into this that you may need to be persistent. I recently read a study that stated most physicians reach a diagnosis within 11 minutes of seeing you - if, of course, they give you 11 minutes. Therefore, your primary care physician may not nail your problem in the first visit. Or the second. There are a number of things that could be going on, including microtrauma to the wrist, epicondylitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, etc. I would work with your primary care doctor and request a consult with a physical therapist (PT) to do an ergonomic evaluation of your work situation. A PT can also do therapy and give you home exercises if required. A chiropractor is not going to be very useful unless there is cervical involvement - extremities are not their forte. Also, despite what their PR states, most chiropractors are quite reductionist - if you want holistic, see a naturopathic physician or a Chinese medicine practitioner that does both herbs and acupuncture. Finally, don't waste your time taking B6 or MSM. I love how people toss supplements around like they are some kind of magic candy. They are not. I imagine this is like how you would feel if someone told your clients to simply "toss in some annuals" or "fill that space with arbor vitae." If you're feeling a bit stressed, fine, take B6. But if you have an actual medical condition, you need a medical protocol designed by a medical professional trained in natural therapies. To use B6 as an example, this means assessing how much B6 you are already getting (for example, in your diet or multivitamin), if you have an intolerance for B vitamins, if B6 is more effective than other natural therapies, if B6 might work better in a specific form or with another supplement, if B6 is contraindicated because of some other medication you are taking, and so on. If you do need B6, it should be taken at a specific dose for a specific period of time. Same with MSM or glucosamine or SAM-e or chondroitin - MSM in particular is tricky stuff that often requires large doses to get the desired effect. Then there is the issue of where you get the B6 or MSM or other supplements. If you are buying the garbage they sell at WalMart, then you will most likely not get the response you are looking for - not unlike what would happen if your clients were to buy their plants there. To use a metaphor I am sure you can appreciate, first you need to get to the root of the problem. Then, hopefully, something actually useful can be done about it. Good luck.

I'm guessing, of course, but since you've said that different sitting positions can relieve the problem, I'm thinking it's an ergonomic problem. It could be that your PC setup ... the height of your desk/table, the distance your chair is from the desk, even how you sit in that chair, is not right for you. It's really important that all of this be correct 'for you' or you can suffer damage. I had to change my chair height and the distance from my keyboard when I got bifocals ... because I found myself tilting my head up, in order to look through the bottom part of my glasses to read the screen. It only took a week or so before I started having horrible headaches at the base of my neck. I corrected my physical position by lowering my chair a bit, so I could look at the screen straight-on again and it only took a couple of days for my headaches to go away. You can google ergonomics and find out all sorts of good information on how to set up a PC arrangement that will be good for you.

CF - My symptoms were much like what you described. For 20 years I put up with carpal tunnel - not that painful, just annoying, especially since it woke me up 5 or 6 times every night. I'd have to drop my hand over the side of the bed until the tingling stopped. I had difficulty using the curling iron or typing or writing for a prolonged time - my fingers would go numb. I went to the neurologist and had the carpal tunnel test done and found out that it was a fairly mild case, not severe enough for surgery which unfortunately does not always produce the desired results or results in unwanted weakness to the hand. So I put up with the CP for a few more years and then I hurt my lower back and had to see a neurosurgeon. After reviewing my Xrays and MRI of both upper and lower back he diagnosed my sciatica problem and gave me a series of cortisone injections directly into that joint. That eliminated the debilitating pain that I had experienced. I also told him about the 20 years of carpal tunnel problems. He did a neurological exam, focusing on my arm and neck. He also did a quick test which required me to hold a couple of fingers together and then bend my wrist at a specific angle. This would cause the tingling associated with carpal tunnel. Well nothing happened. He then told me that most of that tingling was caused by a neck problem - I had a few bulging discs that were pressing on the nerve. He gave me the same cortisone shots in the neck, injected directly into the joint and my carpal tunnel diminished so much that it seldom occurs. What a relief. The cortisone injection is given with an extremely fine needle. First he gave me a lidocaine injection which only hurts for about 10 seconds and then it numbs the area. Then he gave the cortisone. This was done once a week for 3 weeks. I was able to drive home immediately after the shot. It was wonderful. It's been 4 years and lately the tingling has started to occur with greater frequency occompanied by a more painful tingling in my lower neck and across the shoulder. I think I probably need to have the shots again. For those patients who are afraid of the injections or who cannot tolerate the 10 or so seconds of discomfort that the lidocane causes the neurologist schedules an anesthetist once a week who comes to the office and gives a short acting anesthesia. Some of the other suggestions mentioned above also be the cause of the problem. When I finally make my appt with the neurologist I'll specifically ask him about the Thoracic Outlet syndrome too. Good luck.