In one of my flights from New York to London, I overheard a lady across the aisle complaining to her husband about her TMJ. She said she needed a sip of water so that she could take some aspirin.
As soon as the flight attendant arrived, this woman that was overcome with pain began to tell a rather long story about the anguish she had been experiencing since she developed TMJ and how it always got worse when she was flying.
I was tempted to correct her and tell her that we all have TMJ, which is the acronym of Temporomandibular Joint. TMJ is a unique joint on either side or our jaw formed by the union of our temporal bone (skull) and the mandible (lower jaw).
The actual soreness that we feel when our TMJ malfunctions is known as TMD, acronym for temporomandibular joint disorder (or dysfunction).
The TMJ's role is to act as a "shock absorber". It allows movement forward and backward, side to side and up and down. TMD happens when the muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and other tissures involved become stressed or inflamed.
This can cause an assortment of ailments including headaches, neck aches, back aches, swelling of the face, jaw pain, and an inability to chew or swallow without some degree of pain.
It is still not clear why TMD affects women more than men, but there are a number of studies which indicate that the frequent relief brought on by pregnancy is a sign that TMD is affected by hormonal changes in the body.
Again I resist commenting to my aisle mate, as I'm almost certain she'd rather take her aspirin in lieu of getting pregnant. On the other hand, we do have a rather long flight ahead of us.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the nine months of relief during pregnancy is worth the morning sickness, labor, delivery, child rearing and college tuition. However, many experience the excruciating pain that pregnancy seems like a good alternative. For men who endure, along with those who cannot bear children anymore, arthritis medications may offer some relief.
Some report that ice or heat packs have been found to give the temporary relief that they seek. But for the most severe cases, when opening the mouth has become too painful to endure, surgery is often recommended.
But before giving in to such extreme degree, it would be prudent to note that some find it helpful to eat soft foods, avoid chewing gums, beef jerky or jawbreakers.
Avoid yawning and singing and remember that any extraneous movement such as chewing ice or holding the phone between your shoulder and your jaw should also be shunned.
Above all else, don't disregard the possibility that simple stress can be the cause of your TMD. Together with stress, jaw clenching, teeth grinding and poor posture can also be the culprits.
All of these are believed to be the main cause of TMD. So before you consider surgery OR pregnancy, try sitting up straight, taking a deep breath, stop chewing gum and just relax.
An even better source for relief can be found in my program ?TMJ No More?, an all-natural alternative to traditional therapies. Learn how just a few simple facial exercises done each day can eliminate your TMJ pain for good! - 15438
As soon as the flight attendant arrived, this woman that was overcome with pain began to tell a rather long story about the anguish she had been experiencing since she developed TMJ and how it always got worse when she was flying.
I was tempted to correct her and tell her that we all have TMJ, which is the acronym of Temporomandibular Joint. TMJ is a unique joint on either side or our jaw formed by the union of our temporal bone (skull) and the mandible (lower jaw).
The actual soreness that we feel when our TMJ malfunctions is known as TMD, acronym for temporomandibular joint disorder (or dysfunction).
The TMJ's role is to act as a "shock absorber". It allows movement forward and backward, side to side and up and down. TMD happens when the muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and other tissures involved become stressed or inflamed.
This can cause an assortment of ailments including headaches, neck aches, back aches, swelling of the face, jaw pain, and an inability to chew or swallow without some degree of pain.
It is still not clear why TMD affects women more than men, but there are a number of studies which indicate that the frequent relief brought on by pregnancy is a sign that TMD is affected by hormonal changes in the body.
Again I resist commenting to my aisle mate, as I'm almost certain she'd rather take her aspirin in lieu of getting pregnant. On the other hand, we do have a rather long flight ahead of us.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that the nine months of relief during pregnancy is worth the morning sickness, labor, delivery, child rearing and college tuition. However, many experience the excruciating pain that pregnancy seems like a good alternative. For men who endure, along with those who cannot bear children anymore, arthritis medications may offer some relief.
Some report that ice or heat packs have been found to give the temporary relief that they seek. But for the most severe cases, when opening the mouth has become too painful to endure, surgery is often recommended.
But before giving in to such extreme degree, it would be prudent to note that some find it helpful to eat soft foods, avoid chewing gums, beef jerky or jawbreakers.
Avoid yawning and singing and remember that any extraneous movement such as chewing ice or holding the phone between your shoulder and your jaw should also be shunned.
Above all else, don't disregard the possibility that simple stress can be the cause of your TMD. Together with stress, jaw clenching, teeth grinding and poor posture can also be the culprits.
All of these are believed to be the main cause of TMD. So before you consider surgery OR pregnancy, try sitting up straight, taking a deep breath, stop chewing gum and just relax.
An even better source for relief can be found in my program ?TMJ No More?, an all-natural alternative to traditional therapies. Learn how just a few simple facial exercises done each day can eliminate your TMJ pain for good! - 15438
About the Author:
Christian Goodman is a well known natural health alternative researcher and the creator of the Natural Health Blog. His latest work is the Natural TMJ Treatment , which has now helped thousands of people to cure their TMD naturally.
