“The miracle is this: The more we share the more we have.”
Leonard Nimoy
General Overview:
In my previous post I mentioned a study found that almost 66% (more than half) of people suffering with chronic jaw pain reported three or more additional (and related) health conditions. The most frequent were fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic headaches, depression, and insomnia.
This post is going to look at this relationship in some detail from the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and mental-emotional health.
By the end of this post you should be familiar with:
- The relationship between chronic jaw pain and other chronic health issues (specifically those mentioned above).
- The benefits and limitations of treating TMD with massage, Chinese Medicine, and mental emotional therapies. (Either separately or together)
- How to effectively combine therapies to get results that are quick and affordable.
- What you can do at home to help yourself become free from TMD pain.
Understanding The Relationship (The Western Side):
Western medicine excels at focusing on 1 particular problem. When we look at TMJ/TMD issues through this lens we are looking at the jaw separate from the person. This has great value since we learn a LOT about how the jaw works and how to treat it affectively.
Much of the research into this area suggests that treating the jaw itself (the muscles and the joint) as well as the neck (more on that later) is often very effective. This is when massage, heat, cold, and other similar therapies are all that is needed.
Does this sound like you?
Someone who really benefits from this approach often has TMD symptoms but otherwise suffers very little from any other physical or mental limitation. They have good energy, have minimal pain elsewhere, are generally happy, and easily digest their food.
*The following post “TMD and Chronic Neck/Shoulder Pain” is geared towards this type of jaw pain.
Understanding The Relationship (The Eastern Side):
Eastern medicine excels at looking at the big picture. When we look at TMJ/TMD issues through this lens we are looking at the person who is suffering and the jaw as simply part of that suffering. This has great value because TMD pain is never separate from the person suffering with it.
The question isn’t “how to fix the jaw” but rather “how and why is this person suffering and how can they be free from it?”
Does this sound like you?
Someone who really benefits from this approach often suffers from other physical or mental limitations. They are fatigued, other parts of their body are painful, they might experience anxiety or depression, or they might have difficulty digesting their food.
What is really important here is how much suffering goes away when the TMD symptoms go away? Is fixing the TMD symptoms just taking the edge off?
*The rest of this post is all about you!
*Note that it’s common be somewhere in-between these 2 categories. Perhaps the TMD issues are the major problem but there a few minor problems such as occasional IBS and insomnia when your feeling stressed.*
Up Next: Diving Deeper Into The Eastern Side
