posted
anyone know what causes bruxism in lymies? is it a herx reaction, or just part and parcel of all the general muscle aching?
also wondering if anyone has an opinion about the usefulness of the NTI-TSS device for bruxism. i've been using a bionator (full mouth guard, brings jaw forward) for about a year now, which helped initially, but now the grinding is worse than ever. i wake up with horrible headaches and neckaches. not sure if a different appliance like the NTI-TSS would help, or if my jaw is clenching in response to an upswing in lyme or EBV activity that would occur regardless of the kind of appliance.
oh, and i have taken tons of calcium and magnesium -- neither seems to effect my clenching. any other supplements or drugs you'd recommend?
Posts: 47 | From California | Registered: Feb 2006
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SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
posted
My guess - parasites. I have known people that had severe bruxism, teeth clicking, etc. that entirely resolved after appropriate parasite programs.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Hi! I grind my teeth something awful! I didn't know this was a symptom of lyme? Are those mouth guards comfortable to sleep in? They don't look like it, I've seen them at the drugstore. Hope you are feeling well this evening! Kellyann
Posts: 8 | From usa | Registered: Feb 2006
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klutzo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5701
posted
Hi, Before Nutramedix stopped giving out advice to customers using their products, for fear of Lawsuits and the DEA, they used to have a very good person just for answering medical questions about herxing. (I take their Samento, and had talked to him many times)
He told me that neuroborreliosis is the reason for the bruxism, esp. if it gets worse when raising the dosage (mine definitely does). He said this means you are herxing too hard, and should drop the dose back until it stops.
The Neuropsychologist who did my brain damage tests also told me that constant bruxism is a common sign of brain damage.
I also found the hard, custom mouth guard to not really help, because I just ground my teeth against it, and it is doggone hard!
Klutzo
Posts: 1269 | From Clearwater, Florida, USA | Registered: May 2004
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posted
i grind my teeth, twitch, jerk... it seems like so much of what i do is a symptom of lyme. am i going to hear next that my episodes of needing to grimace, strain, gape and contort my face is also a symptom?
Posts: 244 | From Ottawa | Registered: Dec 2005
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GiGi
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 259
posted
If your bite is off, if your occlusion is off, if your bite is collapsed, it causes problems. Your brain has trouble detoxing. It is the relationship of the upper jaw and the lower jaw that determins the entire structure of the cranium, the jaw, the neck, the shoulders, the hands. Every joint relationship in the body is programmed by the teeth. If you have perfect occlusion in the jaw, everything in the body will fall into place.
The dental structure controls the lymph drainage from the brain. It changes the suspension of the pituitary and the cranial membranes. It affects every system in the body.
A homemade splint is probably not the best answer. It really takes a knowledgable dentist to help fix that.
The moment you chew, the muscles create suction in the lymphatic system and sucks the fluid down. When you are walking and moving, that rocking motion of the body through the muscle contractions creates a pumping action and sucks slowly fluids and toxins through the lymph system that end up eventually in the big veins. If you have a collapsed bite, this cannot happen. The lymph system is collapsed, and you can stir up stuff in the brain, you can move mercury from the left brain to the right brain. from the back to the front, from the right eye to the left and back again. That's what most people do with mercury detox or neuro detox. One day you have tinnitus, the next day you have blurry vision. the third day you lose your memory.
The moment you clear the tonsils and get the proper splint, everything changes for the better.
Find a good dentist - that knows how.
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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Linda LD
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6663
posted
I know it sounds like a lot--but my splint is around $100.
I did chew through it every 6 months--so my doc put extra plastic on it. It fits my mouth. I wear one on the top because I have "Toros" on the bottum--calcium horns under my tongue.
I actually think my grinding is getting better--but I could not sleep without my mouth guard made for me!
L
Posts: 1171 | From Knoxville, TN US | Registered: Dec 2004
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
quote:Originally posted by GiGi:
If your bite is off, if your occlusion is off, if your bite is collapsed, it causes problems. Your brain has trouble detoxing. It is the relationship of the upper jaw and the lower jaw that determins the entire structure of the cranium, the jaw, the neck, the shoulders, the hands.
Every joint relationship in the body is programmed by the teeth. If you have perfect occlusion in the jaw, everything in the body will fall into place.
The dental structure controls the lymph drainage from the brain. It changes the suspension of the pituitary and the cranial membranes. It affects every system in the body.
A homemade splint is probably not the best answer. It really takes a knowledgable dentist to help fix that.
The moment you chew, the muscles create suction in the lymphatic system and sucks the fluid down.
When you are walking and moving, that rocking motion of the body through the muscle contractions creates a pumping action and sucks slowly fluids and toxins through the lymph system that end up eventually in the big veins. If you have a collapsed bite, this cannot happen.
The lymph system is collapsed, and you can stir up stuff in the brain, you can move mercury from the left brain to the right brain. from the back to the front, from the right eye to the left and back again.
That's what most people do with mercury detox or neuro detox. One day you have tinnitus, the next day you have blurry vision. the third day you lose your memory.
The moment you clear the tonsils and get the proper splint, everything changes for the better.
Find a good dentist - that knows how.
Take care.
Gigi what good info about what I have too & no dr. has ever addressed before. I have sleep apnea too and both overnight tests showed when & length of time I grind my teeth unconsciously. So these 2 problems are separate..don't overlap.
I broke this up for us neuro lymies who can't read long paragraphs and comprehend them.
Gigi, please hit the enter button more often. You have a ton of knowledge that you share freely. Thanks Gigi.
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posted
I too, have been getting a lot of agonizing jaw pain! It hurts so much when I sit down to read a bedtime story with my son.
My jaw keeps popping, tongue so thick and trying to dive down the back of my throat, choking/gagging feeling, constant tension in my face, ears, back of head and neck.
I've been having this on and off for several years now, but it's really bothering me more lately. Don't know if it's because I've been finally dx with lyme recently and taking lots of abx to herx or what?
Sometimes I can hardly speak properly cuz it hurts to move my jaws or it feels soooo TENSE .
It's also rather aggravating while I am trying to teach classes at the community college. The students must think I am freaking weird.
I would like to find out, understand more about and learn what I can do about it. Posts: 90 | From Maryland | Registered: Jan 2006
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GiGi
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 259
posted
Find a well trained ART practitioner or try to find a dentist that understands the structural problems. Beware: most dentists don't.
Any doctor that does ART well, can test your bite in a couple of minutes and can advise you. My doctor uses a simple tool: breaks a wooden throat thingy - spatula - in half, you bite on it, moving jaw in different directions. ART tells (your response by the autonomic nervous system = ART) him when your body goes into a stress mode or gets out of a stress mode as you are biting down. It takes about 30 seconds!
There is never, never a problem in one part of the body that does not overlap (or cause) with a problem in another part of the body. We have only one body and it is made to function as one solid unit. From the top of your head to the tip of the longest toe.
If one part is off, broken, gone, kaputt, the rest of the body is in a constant search trying to adjust to the situation; that eventually often turns into stress and that starts to change your body chemistry. (Then we come with our 70 supplements and expect to correct the situation!!!!!!) Due to structural problems -- that's how much pain starts, that's how some cysts develop, that's how deformed bodies develop over time.
So it is best to try to fix it before it becomes a major problem. It is a structural problem - it is not primarily a biochemical problem. No magnesium and no antibiotica is going to fix that.
Take care
Look up my posts talking about the Seven Factors that are the very basis for Dr. K's teaching.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
I also have a lot of problems grinding and clenching my teeth. I went to an orthodontist and was fitted for a mouthguard. I highly recommend this. I was told if I didn't do it I would eventually crack a tooth.
I have also tried the soft ones in the grocery that cost around $25. Didn't really like it as it was too big for my mouth. Also, the idea with the hard mouth guards is that your teeth can slide on the surface. With the soft ones you can actually clench more.
The other things that help me are to use toothpaste for sensitive teeth. And when it gets really bad, take some ibuprofen before bed. What the dentist explained to me is that when your gums are sore from the grinding this can cause you to clench more. So, get the inflammation down and you'll hopefully relax a little more. Also, you can ask your dentist to polish your teeth with a desensitizer, it's helped me a lot.
hope it gets better! Pam
Posts: 60 | From Northern Va | Registered: Jan 2006
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Thanks for the interesting information GiGi.
I grind my teeth at night and my teeth are very loose because of it. When I started needing to use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea my bite would often be horribly off in the morning such that my lower jaw would be very far back and upper teeth would stick out quite a bit.
I changed dentists when I got nowhere with my long time dentist. My new dentist fitted me for a special appliance on my lower teeth. She adjusted my bite and if I wear this during the day it seems to keep my bite in better alignment and my teeth aren't as loose.
I'm supposed to wear the appliance at night too but I can't manage it and all the headgear that is required for the CPAP and still sleep (not that I sleep much anyway). LOL Many days my gums are swollen and I have sores in my mouth and I can't wear the appliance so it is slow going but I have been making progress with tightening my teeth.
According to my dentist, the body is always trying to fix the bite once it is off and that's why you will continually grind your teeth in an unconcious attempt to align them.
When you grind your teeth, they will become loose and it will be even harder to get your bite back in place. You need to get the bite back in alignment and stablized until the teeth can tighten up so that you can maintain your correct bite and stop grinding your teeth.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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I have long time experience with TMJ and have seen four dentists so far. Currently I'm getting treatment from Dr. K in NJ. (If anyone wants his contact info, PM me.)
I've had many different appliances over the years. Right now I wear a metal/acrylic Gelb type appliance and it does help with the pain a lot.
If I forget to wear it I get terrible headaches and jaw pain. I still clench, grind and chew(!) on it while I sleep.
I have problems swallowing and now even chewing regular food and I choke frequently. I also found out recently that I have arthritis in both sides of my jaw.
My dentist's plan is to get me pain free and then wean me off of the appliance. So far it's not looking good but I'm still hopeful.
Well I don't have any advice about how to stop the clenching & grinding. I just ask myself "where are my teeth?" and that helps keep me aware of it.
-------------------- ~Kelly
"Had I not known I was dead already, I would have mourned my loss of life."
Posts: 22 | From New Jersey | Registered: Jan 2006
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luvs2ride
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8090
posted
Here is a suggestion my dentist gave me and it worked.
Your teeth should never touch except to chew.
Lips together, teeth apart.
I practiced this and my jaw pain went away.
I sometimes will wake up and catch myself clenching my teeth, but so far, not enough to cause the jaw pain.
I never had TMJ until this bout of Lyme and the jaw was one of the first joints to flare and for several months caused me severe pain.
That simple trick of lips together and teeth apart took away all the pain. Amazing!
-------------------- When the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power, there will be Peace. Posts: 3038 | From america | Registered: Oct 2005
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SForsgren
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7686
posted
I am gonna venture to guess....PARASITES. I have seen people specifically have tooth clicking, bruxism and entirely go away with treatment for parasites.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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TheCrimeOfLyme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 4019
posted
I have had terrible bruxism for years.There are a number of things that can cause it.
One thing I know really doesn't help treat it is most of appliances out there because you STILL brux, just on something squishy- so you wake up with still having sore jaws, neck muscles,headaches, etc.
I looked into the appliance u used though ... I was goign to purchase it before.
But believe it or not, I did a liver flush and stopped drinking caffeine and the problem resolved after 25 years. No lie.
-------------------- You want your life back? Take it. Posts: 3169 | From Greensburg, Pennsylvania | Registered: Jun 2003
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I don't know what causes the clenching, but I can tell you that I used to clench and grind my teeth for many years before I was finally diagnosed with Lyme disease.
After being treated for Lyme disease, this clenching and grinding have now gone away.
Initially, I saw a neurologist about all my symptoms. He told me that clenching/grinding teeth can be a sign of epilepsy.
He examined me. I didn't have epilepsy.
Michael
-------------------- I'm not an MD. The above is IMO and in my experience as well as from health related books.
I've had symptoms consistent with neurological Lyme disease since 1986. Was diagnosed with Lyme in 2004. Am feeling better now than ever before. Posts: 702 | From NY | Registered: Jul 2004
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GiGi
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 259
posted
If you haven't been able to solve the occlusion problem and therefore have problems releasing neurotoxins in the head/neck area, the KMT24 is a great tool for doing your own lymph drainage in that area. You can watch the puffed look to fade, color returning to the region as you are doing it. The tissue becomes soft and everything comes to life.
I was also using it in any other body area that seems to be plugged, seems to be tender and painful.
Be inventive --- tie the mask in the back of the neck with only two electrodes. Use the other two in the front of the neck either by using the gloves/stroking gently and moving the lymph, or by just attaching two pads by each collarbone while keeping the mask at the back of the neck supported by a pillow to keep it close to the skin. Or tape the electrodes with pads there.
That way you start draining the tonsils and whole neck region from front to back.
If you have a sore knee, all of a sudden you develop swelling or pain there. Do the same. Give yourself (or have your partner give you) a bit of gentle stroking action. And you will be moving the lymph upward toward the exit point on the upper sternum region.
If you have a gut problem: tie the mask keeping it in the back with two electrodes; apply the other two electrodes to the front gut area, turn it on #3 (The GI ract) and go to sleep with it. A wide soft knit fabric works beautiful to hold the mask and electrodes in place. Or watch a movie with it on.
Be sure you keep electrolite or Silver on the pads (spray the pads and let it soak in for a couple of minutes) and on the graphite part of the mask. Or wear the graphite gloves and massage yourself wherever you have a problem.
Anywhere where you have stagnation of the toxins, help yourself with KMT. There are lymph drainage frequencies on all channels. And you can use any of them and just alternate the different ones. It is a fabulous tool. Apply the New Silver Solution to the skin or spray the mask or pads and have it out with the microbes (microbial inhibition frequencies are programmed in all channels) at the same time as you are clearing the way for the toxins to leave -
By moving the toxic lymph, you are also opening the channels for the nutrients to enter.
You can take the best and most expensive nutrients! If the physical body is not able to move them to where they are needed, you are losing out.
It takes both chemistry and physics for the body to be able to function properly. Most I hear on this board is --- biochemistry, biochemistry....... That alone is not the way to good health. You can achieve a whole lot more with a good lymphatic drainage than with the most expensive supplement that the body is not able to shuttle to where it is needed.
Take care.
Posts: 9834 | From Washington State | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
I have one of the NTI mouth guards. It is very small, and a bit awkward at first, but it's the only mouth guard I ever had (and I've tried all kinds) that I actually would wear every night and it helped me not to clench during the night.
I always have teeth that hurt and because the NTI only covers the front teeth, rather than the whole mouth, it was most comfortable for me. The full-mouth appliances always put too much pressure on the rest of my mouth.
I'm sure that what everyone else is saying about parasites and Lyme causing bruxism is true, but, in the meantime, something like the NTI can offer some relief while you treat Lyme.
I paid about $500 for mine, but that was in California with an expensive dentist. I think I can now get one locally (in FL) for about 1/2 the price.
Posts: 49 | From Orlando, Florida | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
I also saw an expensive dentist in San Diego who uses the NTI. I had one made for me, and found it drove my jaws crazy! I woke up with it on my pillow for the first several mornings, and on the 4th day I woke up and it was NOWHERE to be found. I think I might have swallowed it.
So, in my case, it was not helpful and proved to be a waste of money. Another dentist I spoke with also had a couple of other patients who went thru all the expense with no benefits.
good luck, Anneke
Posts: 364 | From California | Registered: Sep 2005
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According to the Bible (Exodus 21; 27), if a master knocks out one of his slave's teeth, he is worthy to be freed from slavery. This has been a mystery to me and something I have been pondering my entire church life and dental career without understanding and justification.
Our body is one piece and has many members (parts). All the members of the body, being many, are one body. However, modern society divided it in sections medically and politically, and tries to deal with parts by parts. Human being is not a robot, which is assembled together by non-organic parts and operated by pre-programmed instructions mechanically. Our body is an ultimate live machine. All the parts of the body, from head to toe, are connected together by joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, fascias, skin and many other unknown organic components, and are operated by the neuromusculoskeletal system. The cranial nerves, peripheral nerves, and autonomic nerves control biomechanical movements and functions of the body. Furthermore, human beings are influenced by nutrition, infection, environment, emotion, psychological factor, spiritual component, age, sex, and genetic factor and more. Head is positioned on top of the "neck bone-back bone-pelvic bone connection" of the skeletal system and delicately balanced by number of muscles, which controls extension and flexion. The atlanto-axial system (skull and 1st neck bone relationship) allows the head to turn from the body, and inter-vertebral disk (disc) allows the body to bend side-to-side, front to back and in a circular movement. Various muscles which support the head are directly and indirectly connected to the TMJs. Whenever we move head around the bite changes and the TMJ position as well because teeth and TMJs are in the same jaw bone. In other words, if you have a bad bite or unstable bite, it can cause stress/distress to the TMJ, head, neck, back, and entire the body.
Many researchers and clinicians agree that the TMJ is the most complex and mysterious joint in our body. Early embryonic development shows that a fetus begins to open its mouth in the womb 7-8 weeks after conception, before teeth or TMJs are formed yet. Newborn babies do not need any jaw movement training to swallow milk or suck on a nipple. Jaw and endocrine nerves have a common origin, and anterior teeth originate from the forebrain. The cerebellum needs proper information via the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve) to produce body postural changes, and teeth/TMJ is directly related with the trigeminal nerve.
There are some questions arise:
1) Are the TM joints load bearing joints, or not? If they are load bearing joints, where does the loading force go? If it goes to the disc, is the disc tough enough and strong enough to bear the tremendous amount of force?
2) Is the tooth-to-tooth relationship determined by the position and the condition of the TM joints, or is the position and condition of the TM joints determined by the tooth-to tooth relationship?
3) What is the dynamic source of movement of the jaw and jaw joints? If it is the muscles, then what makes the muscles to act? If it is the nerves, than what commands the nerves to send signals? If it is the brain, than what factors influence the brain to interpret and make decisions? Can tapping teeth together send signal to the brain through the Trigeminal nervous system?
4) Why do we call the Trigeminal nerve as the master cranial nerve among the 12 cranial nerves? How closely are the teeth and TMJs related to the trigeminal nerve?
5) Do you agree that 1/1000 of an inch of occlusion (bite) imbalance can influence to the trigeminal nervous system, and can cause TMJ disorders and body dysfunction? If so, do you know how to identify it and correct this micron level of imbalance?
If these questions could be answered, it will assist in solving patient's pain and dysfunctions in higher level.
Pain and dysfunctions in human body provide a challenge to the clinicians, and are frustrating to those who are afflicted at their failure. Numerous TMJ websites are illustrating that a common cause of headaches are bad bite, and claims that headache cab be treated by correcting the bite. However, the other hand, many professionals are claiming that the bite has nothing to do with headache or dysfunction of the body, and TMD symptoms are categorize as an one small part of many other symptoms and should not approach through dental mode.
Pioneers are the people who go with fact and followers will confirm it and theorize it later. For example, acupuncture therapy has been practiced for thousands of years without scientific proof of its exact mechanism, and modern medicine begin to theorize it since last tow-three decades. Pioneers, Willie May, D.D.S., Aelred Fonder, D.D.S., Harold Gelb, D.D.S., Daniel Gole, D.D.S. are firm believers of "Dental Distress Syndrome". If you can identify and remove dental distress, establish proper vertical dimension and physiologically balanced natural plane of occlusion to the upper and low jaw, which is dictated by your own neuromusculoskeletal system, it can do amazing things for your entire body. If someone knows how to control this phenomenon, they may be able to control the entire body neuromusculoskeletal system, relieving pain and improving functions. The echoes are beginning to become familiar to many who have looked hard enough and pondered long enough to consider the neurology, biology, and physiology of the total patient. How close are modern dentistry from there?
Is it reasonable to make our treatment goal to acquire a comfortable dentition and TMJ position that is in balance with the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and body functions? Can we achieve this goal by basic principles of treatment: 1) Relieve stress which comes from dental origin. 2) Correct jaw joint relationship to the physiologically balanced position. 2) Establish proper vertical dimension and natural plane of occlusion to the upper and lower jaw. 4) Correct individual teeth bite relationship to distribute the resultant force vector in fair portion.
We must take the status of the TMJ as the status of the body. If you able to assess the whole body function relating it to the TMJ, and if you able to balance the occlusion accordingly, you may be able to balance the entire body. Natural healing is the highest expression of Nature's Competence and you just need to provide the most desirable Homeostasis to the body. Lets not say there is no "cure". We may not know yet, but when the time come to unveil our foggy thinking, we may have better answer. Some health care providers are instruments that God uses from time to time to initiate or actively participate in the miracle of healing.
I still do not fully understand why God told Moses to let slave go free if the master broke a slave's tooth, but I do now understand that if you lose one of the key teeth in your mouth, it can influence your entire body and can compromise your health, even disabling you enough not be able to do hard labor.
PS: I do not claim that all my knowledge is correct. If you have any different views, opinions, and findings, I welcome you to E-mail me. ([email protected])
HomeAbout Dr KimWhat is TMJ What Causes TMJ Disorders TMD and Its SymptomsDiagnosis and Treatment The Resultant Force Vector TechniqueTeeth do More Than Chew Food Opinion and CritiquePresident's Message / TestimonialsLinks
TMJ, Head & Neck Pain Center Tel: (760) 770-4033 (800) 231-1565 Fax: (760) 770-3975 E-mail: [email protected]Posts: 654 | Registered: Oct 2003
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The TMJ APPLIANCE�, prefabricated, soft, flexible (medical silicone) and fitted by the patient. Using muscle and joint palpation procedure (see video on website) it offers immediate diagnosis and effective treatment for TMJ disorder. The myofunctional aspect of TMJ Disorder is addressed with the TMJ APPLIANCE� tongue tag and guard features. Use is generally one hour daily plus night time while sleeping. Excellent for muscle pain relief. Extra-capsular symptom relief.
See the TMJ APPLIANCE� in virtual reality. (Approx. 1MB) Requires Apple QuickTime.
The Advantages of the TMJ APPLIANCE� * Soft, flexible and easy to wear.
* It has the double mouth guard effect or vertical sides which limits bruxing, para functional habits and the myofunctional effect with the tongue tag and tongue guard stops the tongue thrusting and other tongue habits which is thought to be a major contributing factor in TMJ Disorder.
* It has an aerofoil shape base for joint decompression and is fitted immediately by the patient. Clinical Applications Temporomadibular Joint Disorder, diagnosis and initial treatment, particularly good for muscular pain. (MPD), limits Bruxing and grinding, relieves pressure on TMJs, reduces chronic head, neck and shoulder symptoms.
Joint decompression and limitation of function - Physical Therapists in particular advocate that initial treatment for any inflamed joint should be to decrease joint inflammation and muscle pain by joint decompression and limitation of function. The TMJ APPLIANCE� uses these principles to gain effective symptom relief. Its aerofoil shaped base decompresses the joint and its double mouthguard effect eliminates the effects of bruxing. The muscles resting length is changed when the TMJ APPLIANCE� is in place. This results in an immediate decrease in tension of the craniomandibular muscles in most cases.
A pivotal splint - The TMJ APPLIANCE� has an aerofoil shaped base which is 3.5 mm thick in cross section over the first molar area, tapering forward and back to 2mm. This offers an effective pivotal splint to the majority of patients with complete posterior dentition. Added to this, the silicone material used, is quite different to the characteristics of common vacuum formed splints, which are unsuitable for treating TMJ Disorders (but OK for your average football player). This silicone material is considerably softer and more durable, which in combination with the design, achieves correction of mandibular position and lateral (para)function.
The vertical component of the the TMJ APPLIANCE� is an important feature of its effectiveness - The double mouthguard effect limits lateral movement and the tongue guard stops parafunctional habits (like tongue thrusting) when in place.
Bruxing and grinding of teeth is limited by the aerofoil shaped base and double mouthguard effect.
A true immediate application - No impressions, no boiling water or moulding are required and adjustments are limited to distal end trimming only (for very narrow arches or the absence of the second molars). The patient can be in and out in a few minutes with a definitive initial treatment.
For the busy practitioner - You can offer immediate treatment at the first consultation visit in effectively zero chair time. When you don't have time to make your own splint, and want something that really works, the TMJ APPLIANCE� is the ideal solution, maintaining optimal compliance away from the dental office. Follow up with fitting of TMD APPLIANCE�. Additional Benefits * Universal size for all adults - fits 95% of patients without adjustment. * No impressions, no moulding - effectively zero chair time. * Symptoms are reduced or eliminated without time consuming procedures. * Diagnostic procedure at low time and cost. * Soft silicone construction material is "easy" on painful joints and muscles, unlike hard acrylic splints. * Ideal for initial symptom reduction. * Patient instructions are contained in the pack. * Sterilised by boiling or autoclaving. * A low cost initial treatment. Treatment * Initial soft splint for immediate treatment of TMJ Disorder. * Emergency splint for the patient with acute pain. * Differential diagnosis of dentofacial pain. * Limited opening cases. * Treatment for parafunctional habits and bruxing. * Deprograming splint used prior to bite registration. * Cost effective splint for TMJ Disorder symptom reduction. Recommended minimum use ONE HOUR DAILY plus OVERNIGHT WHILE SLEEPING
This is not a definitive new treatment for all TMJ patients, but another useful time saving tool for the dentist who wishes to have all available treatments for his/her patients.
Use with TMD APPLIANCE� after 1 month for complete TMJ Disorder treatment for the majority of patients.
Posts: 654 | Registered: Oct 2003
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posted
From www.mercola.com. He believes NST is also helpful and belives TMJ is a key problem. NST support www.myoresearch.com as complimentary to their physical therapy.
Wallace
Gentle Hands Can Restore Your Health
Related Links Find an NST Practitioner Near You! Learn About NST Training Opportunities
Wouldn't you like to have your muscle aches and pain melt away with a soft touch that uses no thrusting type actions?
NST is so soft and gentle that most people are skeptical that a touch that light can actually do anything.
Well 1-2 later they realize how mistaken they were as their body starts to undergo dramatic shifts.
NST is an amazing innovative technique developed in Australia. In November 2000 I was able to bring the first course to the Midwest. Four of the therapists in our office and myself use this technique to provide consistent and effective help to many of our patient's pain problems.
I can provide my quick summary right here:
*NST uses a series of gentle moves on specific muscles or at precise points on the body to create an energy flow and vibrations between these points. This allows your body to communicate better with itself and balance the other tissues, muscles and organs.
*The method of action is likely through the autonomic nervous system, allowing the body to better carry out its many functions the way it was designed to.
*NST is done with a light touch and can be done through clothing. There are pauses between sets of moves to allow your body to assimilate the energy and vibrations.
But it is better if the developer of NST explains it in his own words...
NST is an extremely powerful multidimensional technique, which has been specifically developed for the ongoing dynamic integration of the structure and viscera via stimulation of the central, peripheral autonomic nervous systems.
The main objective is to remove pain and dysfunctional physiological conditions by restoring the structural integrity of the body.
In essence NST provides the body with an opportunity to reintegrate on many levels, and thus return to and maintain normal homeostatic limits on a daily basis.
History and Development
In the late 1950s an Australian osteopath Tom Bowen, discovered unusual relationships existed between certain health complaints and particular patterns of muscular dysfunction his patients presented with.
This observation led to many years of intense clinical research, which ultimately resulted in the development of a unique system of myofascial stimulation, which brought about long term corrections to the unusual patterns of muscular dysfunction and the corresponding health complaints in his patients as well.
Tom Bowen referred to his work simply as soft tissue therapy. He continued to develop and refine this work right up until his death in 1982.
He started his career by working with junior football clubs in Victoria, Australia, as a masseur and treated the general public at home after hours. Bowen quickly discovered that he had what can only be described as an extreme hypersensitivity of the fingers and hands, which apparently enabled him to feel nerve transmission and consequently find blockages in the nervous and muscular systems.
In fact often times during experiments when working on somebody, if he performed a move, as he called them, which was wrong, then he would receive a burning sensation in the fingers so hot that it would necessitate him quickly leaving the room to cool his fingers under cold running water.
Add to this unique ability of touch, a discerning eye for variation in surface tension on his client's body, you have a man with a rare and powerful experimental methodology for probing the body. It is indeed fortunate that these unique abilities were further enhanced by Bowen's genuine compassion and love for his fellow man and a strong drive to help whoever he could and whenever he could, as this enabled him to create a system which is now usable by many others.
Bowen became famous throughout his career for being able to cure the incurable, and find solutions when none seemed possible. He treated everybody the same, from street drunkards to the well known and powerful. When investigated in 1975 by the Australian Government for potentially practising osteopathy without a licence it was revealed that he was treating approximately some 13,000 people per year, with amazing success.
Rather than closing his business down, the investigation only served to make him and his methods more well known and famous, a mantle ironically he tried to avoid.
His work did not just stop with humans however, as he also achieved great notoriety for his wonderful success with animals. In particular he was well known around the Melbourne racehorse industry as his work so often helped a racehorse to victory.
Throughout his career there were only five people with whom he spent significant amounts of time at his clinic, to show them his technique and the secrets behind using it.
Interestingly the five individuals were shown the technique as it existed at various times throughout his highly developmental style career.
Consequently after his death different interpretations of his work have sprung up from these students, representing one phase or another in his career.
I personally worked with various people to develop the Neurostructural Integration Technique. The advantage of NST is that it is quicker and smoother in its application than the earlier forms and also consistently achieves excellent results in more difficult cases. It is now practised in many countries around the world including
* Britain * Italy * Germany * Spain * Switzerland * USA * France * Australia * Belgium
Like so many artists and geniuses whose work continues to grow and prosper well after their death, Bowen's work in all its forms is becoming generally known around the world as Bowen Therapy and continues to grow in popularity amongst a wide variety of therapist groups.
The real secret to why NST works is because of its underpinning philosophy. It was this which enabled Bowen to devise a system to suit the philosophy and hence for the philosophy to consistently work through the system.
Put simply, the philosophy is that the body is a self regulating bioenergetic and biomechanical phenomena which will continue to regulate itself for as long as it has the reserve energy necessary to sustain life, by the ongoing process of biological adaptation.
Bowen realised that the body would regulate itself and return to balance if the appropriate neurological and neuromuscular context was created so that it could. There was never the question of if it could, this was implicit -- the fact that the person had life was evidence enough that it could!
He discovered that there is a particular cycle in the body which must be free to operate unimpeded, if the individual is to enjoy good health and balance. Whilst he perceived that this cycle was perceptible at an energetic level, he was equally aware of its physical components namely the sacrum, coccyx, cranium and Temporomandibular Joint complex and the dural membrane, which connects them to make them a functional unit.
Over and above the importance of recognising the need for this system to remain unimpeded, was his emphasis and insistence on releasing the neuromuscular imbalances throughout the body, which have such a direct impact on the proper functioning of the cycle and consequently the health of the whole body.
He postulated that if all muscular imbalances could be released that the body would regulate itself, and in this process pain and symptoms would vanish and energy levels would increase.
His real brilliance however lies in the actual system he devised to enable this automatic systematic reintegration to take place.
Bowen recognised that when the body was stimulated in a very particular fashion that the intelligence of the body would be alerted (as he put it) and the process of unravelling neuromuscular compensations would begin.
Depending on the extent of compensation in the body, this unravelling process could take anywhere from 5 minutes to 7 days at which time the body would go into a holding pattern. A reassessment would be required to evaluate the client again, then another session carried out to restart the unravelling process once again if necessary.
In clinical practice on average it is common to receive reports from clients that they can feel the body going through the unravelling process for approximately 2 -- 4 days. There is often a very similar pattern experienced with body aches which move from one location to another (e.g. shoulder to knee), some sweating, emotional releases with some clients, but above all a very deep sense of relaxation and change taking place. In addition many clients report noticing their symptoms leaving their bodies in the reverse order to which they arrived.
The actual application of the technique is interesting in itself, as it is distinctly different from any other technique attempting to achieve the same goal.
In the first instance, a three part integrated body balance is applied which is partly performed with the client in a prone position and then finished with the client in the supine position.
The work generally commences in a prone position, around the lumbar area and then quickly moves to the thoracic area before returning to the legs and sacrum. There are a few resting periods between the various sequences of `moves', which are carried out before moving the client into a supine position.
The prone work, including resting periods, usually takes about 15 minutes to perform. Once the client is in the supine position, additional releases are applied to the diaphragm, neck and knees -- this also takes another 10 -- 15 minutes to complete.
Other optional procedures may be blended into this integrated body balance to add specificity or release when necessary. There are optional procedures for the shoulders, elbows and wrists, pelvis, ankles, coccyx and TMJ complex.
The integrated balance which is applied to the body via the specialised moves, is directed to areas where proprioreceptors (spindle cells and Golgi tendon organs) abound. However, it is not just single stimulation of these points which elicits such a comprehensive and powerful response in each individual -- rather it is the configuration in which the moves are carried out.
Consequently the integrated balance once applied synthesises an orchestrated response involving alpha and gamma motor neurones, various spinal reflex arcs, the motor cortex of the cerebrum, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum.
It is reasonable to state that the Neurostructural Integration Technique� once applied creates a powerful context for change to take place in the musculoskeletal and visceral systems via what can only be described as a specific decoding of the nervous system and a comprehensive resetting of the body.
Once the session is over the client is given aftercare recommendations which basically reminds them that their body will go through a process of re-organisation for a few days and to take it easy during this time by doing nothing too physically strenuous. The client is also advised to keep up daily walking and sufficient intake of water to help flush the lymphatic system and assist the musculature to return quickly to stable balance.
Although to the client the session seems simple, noninvasive and gentle, the results are nevertheless very surprising and often miraculous. While this is the case for the client, the practitioner comes to expect these wonderful results, as dependability is one of the key characteristics of the NST technique.
Typically clients will require only 2 -- 3 sessions for their health problems to be resolved. Additional sessions may be required for those with chronic health problems or who require ongoing psychological and/or nutritional support
I am often asked "will NST cure this condition or that condition"?
My response is always the same -- NST will cure nothing!
It is simply a process that enables the body to regulate itself, and throughout this process many symptoms will disappear. That is to say that the symptoms in the first place were simply a product of the complex blockage existing in the body. While this may appear to be just semantics I stress that the distinction is very important to keep in mind.
NST is synonymous with contextual healing -- a lost art which is now having a resurgence and gaining both popularity with practitioners and clients alike. Another well-known example of a contextual healing approach is homoeopathy. Interestingly many individuals have dubbed NST as tactile homeopathy!
The following list of symptoms frequently disappear in response to an NST session;
While the above conditions are the most classical there are many other disorders which generally respond favourably to treatment as well. Including:
Parkinson's Disease Multiple Sclerosis Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder Fibromyalgia TMJ Syndrome Herniated Disks Seizures The following case studies are typical of NST sessions
An 8 year old girl, presented with impaired co-ordination, scoliotic pelvis, perception disorder of the muscles, and heavy binocular squint (especially when tired). The child had previously received the best possible medical care available. After the first application of NST the child said she "felt different"; after the second application of NST she was able to ride her scooter and walk up and down the stairs, an activity she was previously unable to do without the help of somebody else. For the first time in her life she felt pain after muscular exertion.
After the third application of NST her physiotherapist asserted that the scoliotic pelvis was now straight, as were relevant points on the scapulae as well. At the same time the co-ordination and perception of the muscles had improved so much that even a forward somersault was possible. After the fourth application of NST -- incredible but true -- the ophthalmologist asserted that the child squinted no longer. In fact this test was carried out when the child was quite tired, having come straight from school. She continues to improve. Dr. Michaele B�ckmann, Dusseldorf, Germany, 1998.
David S a 30-year-old accountant presented complaining of lower back pain due to a football injury that had persisted for 11 years. Although very skeptical during his first NST session he admitted to feeling 80% better within the following days. "Okay I feel heaps better, but how could such light moves on my body possibly provide this much relief"? His second visit convinced him, as he now remains absolutely pain free. Pam Bolger, Melbourne, Australia, 1998.
A 61-year-old woman presented with a very long history of chronic tension in the shoulders and severe weekly migraine attacks and chronic insomnia. She had previously tried allopathic medicine, osteopathy, massage, acupuncture, and according to her "everything else possible." She came with a somewhat skeptical attitude because everything else she had tried provided only temporary relief.
After the first session she was sleeping better and the tension had gone from her shoulders. She had also experienced a week without a migraine attack. After the second session her energy levels where very high, she was pain free and felt "wonderful". To date she has required no further sessions. Judith Smale, France, 1999.
In Conclusion
The Neurostructural Integration Technique is a very powerful and effective advanced Bowen Therapy which can be used to resolve a plethora of health problems, both acute and chronic, in a gentle, timely and safe manner. Results are consistently long lasting for even the most severe and chronic cases.
Its place in the field of bodywork is well established, as evidenced by the many hundreds of practitioners around the world.
About the Author
Michael J. Nixon-Livy is an international teacher and health practitioner who was born in Australia in 1954. He started his career in complementary medicine in 1974, in nutritional science, psychology, human relations and various bodywork therapies.
He is an Applied Physiologist and has a Diploma in Solution Focused Therapy (Eriksonian therapy). In 1991 he started the process of choreographing the advanced principles of the late Australian bodywork genius, Tom Bowen, into a practical, dynamic and teachable system. In 1995 he completed this undertaking and the Neurostructural Integration Technique was founded.
Today he lives in France but will be moving to Germany shortly and teaches the Neurostructural Integration Technique to professional health practitioners in Britain, Germany, the USA, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, France and Australia.
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