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Have A Headache? See Your Dentist

9:04 pm by Admin in Headache - Migraine

Headaches

Do you or someone you know suffer from chronic headaches or Migraines? Usually these people have seen a variety of different doctors, with little if any relief. Their symptoms are being treated, but the cause of the problem still persists. Ever thought about seeing your dentist for a migraine? Well that is just one of the conditions that Neuromuscular dentistry is being used to treat. Neuromuscular dentistry is one of the new technologies available in dentistry today. It is different from regular dentistry in that it focuses on the muscles of the jaw and neck and how they are related to the teeth.

Neuromuscular dentistry recognizes that the muscles that move the jaw must be in a comfortable, relaxed position in order to not be in conflict with the teeth and jaw joint i.e. we must have ” happy muscles.” ? Some of the symptoms that occur when we do not have these” happy muscles” include: Headaches, Loose teeth, Clenching or grinding, root abfractions, Pain or clicking and popping in the jaw joints, Shoulder, neck, and back pain, Numbness in arms and fingers, non-specific Facial pain, problems swallowing , hot or cold sensitive teeth ,Crowded teeth , Receding gums , Ringing or congestion in the ears. A person could experience Migraine headaches and no other symptoms for example, yet be suffering from a neuromuscular dental problem.

There are a number of different types of equipment used in Neuromuscular dentistry to help us get a person to a position of “Happy Muscles”. First, we must find a position at rest that is most comfortable for the patient. . This is position where the muscles are relaxed, regardless of where the teeth line up. A device known as the Myo-monitor is used to help relax the patient’s muscles. It is a low frequency T.E.N.S. (Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation) unit. The Myo-monitor stimulates the Trigeminal Nerve and The Facial nerve using a very mild electrical impulse.

This TENSing accomplishes 3 things. First, It pumps waste metabolites and lactic acid away from the stressed muscles. Second, it increases the blood flow to the muscle, which increases the oxygen, glucose, and energy to the muscle itself. Finally, it allows the jaw to relax into its ideal position. Tensing usually takes 45- 60 minutes depending on how bad a patients symptom are and how tight their muscles are. Sometimes we will use an EMG machine to measure the level of tightness in the different muscles. Before tensing ,the EMG shows how hyperactivity of the muscles. After TENSing there is much less activity and the muscle are much “happier”.

After TENSing and finding the ideal position of the jaw where the muscles are happy, we make an appliance called an orthotic to keep the muscles in this position. Keeping the muscles in this position is very important because it allows them to remain at their ideal length, which prevents them from going into spasm. Again, we want to get to a state of “Happy Muscles”.

Wearing the orthotic allows the muscles to heal, pain to dissipate and/or disappear and the jaw joint to heal. The orthotic is usually worn for 1-3 months to make sure the bite is correct and that the symptoms disappear. Once the patient has become symptom free, we make a decision about Phase 2 of treatment. The patient may decide to wear the orthotic indefinitely, have orthodontic treatment done to move teeth into the correct position, have the teeth restored or adjust the teeth to their ideal bite.

The following three patient cases recently came to me for migraine treatment.

Alan is a 68-year-old male with a history of migraine headaches 6-10 times per month for the past 25 years. “I had seen every imaginable type of doctor in the country, including the Mayo clinic. Nothing would stop the headaches; just control the pain with drugs. It got to the point where I had to carry narcotics with me everywhere I went.” Alan was treated using neuromuscular dentistry and is now virtually headache free. “I am so happy with the results of my treatment. I am practically headache free and don’t have to take any headache medications anymore. What a relief after all these years.”

Barbara is a 43-year-old mom of three with a history of headaches and stiff neck for the past 7 years. She had seen numerous physicians, specialists, chiropractors and acupuncturists over the years. “Nobody was able to stop the headaches and I haven’t been able to move my neck completely for 1 and ½ years. I had to miss my 10 year old’s birthday party because of a migraine.” When Barbara came to our office, she had a severe headache and a knot the size of a golf ball in the muscles of her neck. We used the TENS unit on her for 1 hr. “I couldn’t believe it. My headache had disappeared, the knot in my neck was gone, and I could move my neck from side to side for the first time in a year and a half.” Barbara has been virtually pain free for the last 3 months, and is extremely happy with the results of her orthotic use. “I can’t wait to have my mouth restored.”

Deaun had occasional migraines until two years ago. ”I was at a comedy club with my husband and I felt a migraine coming on. We left the club, went home and I went to bed. Ever since then, the migraines have been pretty much all the time for the last two years.” Deaun had been to numerous doctors with no resolution. “They kept telling me that all they could do was give me pain medication. Then I heard about Dr. Cohen. My husband didn’t think anything would work, but I really wanted to try neuromuscular dentistry. I am so glad that I did. My headaches have been reduced to about 1 every 6 weeks, and even my husband, the skeptic, is amazed at the improvement. I am religious about wearing my orthotic and feel great.”

For more information go to Migraine Dentistry

Dr. Patric Cohen has been practicing cosmetic dentistry in Beverly Hills since 1984. He graduated from Stanford University in 1980 and received his DDS degree from USC in 1984. Dr. Cohen is a Fellow in The Academy of General Dentistry, a member of The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and a member of the International Association of Comprehensive Aesthetics.

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Right Habits Should Help You Avoid Back Pain

5:34 pm by Admin in General Medicine

Back pain is going to cause sufferings to about 80 per cent of us at some point on our lives. There is no getting away from it. Although people of all ages have been known to suffer from it, including teenagers and children, it becomes more prevalent as we grow older.

Most types of back pains can be treated without surgeries. People are often recommended over the counter pain killers to reduce inflammation in their back muscles. However back pain should not be ignored at all. Doctor recommended medication should be used to treat acute and chronic low back pain. Many people tend to use hot and cold compresses to relieve pain. Although its use has never been proved medically to relieve back pain injury, compresses may help inflammation and greater mobility for some patients.

Exercises however have been found to be far more effective than they are often given any credit for by would be back pain sufferers. Most people feel that visiting their doctor or taking some pain killers will help them get rid of back pain. But that is only a short term solution. The back pains are primarily caused by displaced muscles of the back. This can happen by being in the same posture for long periods of time (e.g. sleeping or driving long distances), or by sudden movement of the body that causes stress on the back muscles (lifting some weight in an incorrect fashion). So correct postures are paramount. (More info on quality websites like http://www.backpain-revealed.com

Remember, our back is one of the most precious part of our body. It is difficult to imagine how human body can stand straight without the strength of back muscles. Since the back is invisible to us most of the time and is only ‘remembered’ when it starts to hurt. But that is no excuse to ignore it when it is not hurting, yet! As stated before, four in every five people will experience back pain in their lives. Taking up right exercises to strengthen your back muscles, or learning and practicing the right postures is one way to ensure that you are not one of the four who suffer from it.

Excellent information like this can be found in Peter Conati’s book “Understanding Back Pain”. The entire book is temporarily available for FREE & for immediate download at his Back Pain Revealed website. Download your copy while it is still FREE.

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Natural Herbal Therapies for physical and mental problems

5:28 pm by Admin in Herbal Medicine

Perhaps you are one of those men who feel that they need herbal therapies and medicines to boost their sagging energy, improve their memory, and generally enhance their overall health. But you may also feel that herbal medicines and the lot are only reserved for women. Well, if you continue to think that way, you will be missing out on the restorative and therapeutic effects of herbs.

There seems to be a misguided preconception floating around that herbs and herbal medicine in general are only for women. We have a tendency to ignore the unmistakable fact that men need herbs, too. Herbs have an equally important role in both men and women’s health. Imbalances in the hormonal levels usually are to blame for several of the physical and mental problems that are especially unique in males. It is fortunate that there are several available herbal medicines that can help a lot in alleviating these physical and mental health problems.

Our bodies are aging slowly but surely, and we are becoming physically and mentally debilitated as we grow old. In the process, our hormonal levels drop and somehow get confused. Natural herbs can be valuable in helping us fight these problems and add much-needed strength, stamina, vitality and oomph back into our bodies and our lives. Together with the requisite improvements in your diet and exercise habits, natural herbs can help in balancing the confused hormonal levels and bring back the balance to your body and mind.

The usual health problems that men suffer from include several health deficiencies that are unique only to their gender, such as sexual problems like impotence, reduced sexual drive, premature ejaculation, and even prostrate health concerns. Impotence is probably one of the most critical health concerns for men aged 40 years and above. Estimates range from 50 to 100 million males suffering from mild to severe impotence symptoms. Aside from this, several health issues such as heart, kidney, muscle and skin problems also trouble not only women but men as well.

Of course there are several synthetic drugs that men can use to combat these health issues, but the common dilemma regarding chemically-produced drugs is that the negative side-effects and concerns sometimes far outweigh the benefits of using these kinds of drugs. As a result, a growing interest among men for herbal medicines and concoctions to treat impotence has been observed. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, since natural herbs have been used for ages to cure these kinds of maladies. Herbs such as Wild Oats, Horny Goat, Saffron, Ashwamedha and Ginger, to name a few, have been used by the Chinese and Indians centuries ago to treat impotence and boost sex drive.

How about those pesky prostrate problems? For low intensity prostrate tumors, herbs like Ginseng and Chaparral can be effective for treatment, while Echinacea, Yarrow, Dandelion and Marshmallow can be used for painful prostrate enlargements. Hypertension can be brought down to lower levels by using herbs like Catmint and Skullcap, while the pain from arthritis and rheumatism can be alleviated by Marjoram and Meadow Sweet herbs.

This is certainly not an extensive list of the various health problems that can be treated by using natural herbs and concoctions, but is enough to give you an idea of what these herbs can do for you. So stop thinking that herbs are only good for women, and start enjoying the innumerable benefits that natural herbs and medicines can give you.

Azlan Irda is the co-founder of www.aherbstore.com, where you can find safe and effective natural herbs for men and women. Visit us for all your natural herbs needs.

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