“Problems are only opportunities with thorns on them.”
Hugh Miller
The Most Common Overlapping Health Issues With TMD And Their Most Common Causes:
- Fibromyalgia
- Fibromyalgia causes widespread muscle/joint aches, pain and stiffness, as well as fatigue and insomnia (in many cases)
- The causes of Fibromyalgia are still mostly unknown in western medicine yet there are overlapping issues such as trigger points, changes in serotonin and other neurotransmitters, and chronic inflammation
- In TCM Fibromyalgia symptoms are triggered by too much “bad stuff” what we call pathogenic factors and stuck energy or “Qi” in general.
- When this overlaps with TMD some of the best simple at home solutions are using heat packs on the area, keeping the face and the base of the head covered in cold or windy weather, and cutting down on greasy, fried, or dairy foods. Also avoiding “snacking” on a regular basis can be very helpful.
- Greater detail will be covered in posts on Fibromyalgia specifically (coming soon)
- Chronic Fatigue
- Also known in western medicine as “post-viral syndrome”, “chronic mononucleosis”, and “chronic fatigue immune deficiency syndrome”.
- Symptoms include chronic fatigue (as you would guess) as well as body aches/pains, depression, insomnia, poor memory and concentration, and poor appetite.
- The causes of Chronic Fatigue are still mostly unknown in western medicine yet there are overlapping issues such as physical/mental stress, immunosuppressive drugs, pregnancy, immunizations, and repeated viral infections.
- In TCM Chronic Fatigue symptoms are triggered by chronic poor digestion, leftover bugs/viruses not getting out of the body, and overall deficiency (lack of good stuff).
- When this overlaps with TMD some of the best simple at home solutions are improving digestion with simple probiotics, reducing stress, and making sure to get EXTRA rest when getting over a bug/virus. (take it easy for a week or 2 afterwards)
- Greater detail will be covered in posts on Chronic Fatigue specifically (coming soon)
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Often used as a “catch all” in western medicine for symptoms of abdominal pain alternating with diarrhea and constipation with no abnormality found with testing (no cause found).
- In TCM symptoms of IBS are very often caused by an imbalance between 2 organs (your liver and your spleen).
- When this overlaps with TMD the two best at home remedies are
- Investigating your relationship with food since chronic irritation, frustration, or worry especially at mealtimes or within 2 hours after a meal plays a huge role in “liver” problems.
- Getting adequate light exercise (often right after meals a short walk is very helpful!)
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- RA is a chronic disease that often progresses through a series of stages. It can affect any part of the body but is often seen in the smaller joints such as the fingers and wrists and is often on both sides of the body.
- Symptoms include swelling, stiffness, and pain in the joint(s) affected which in time lose range of motion.
- In TCM symptoms are triggered by too much “bad stuff” we call pathogenic factors much like in Fibromyalgia. In this case however there is most often a significant amount of 1 type of pathogenic factor we call “heat” which causes the redness and swelling.
- When this overlaps with TMD some of the best simple at home solutions are improving digestion with simple probiotics (helps with the swelling), reducing “hot” foods such as spicy foods, and (according to TCM) avoiding immunizations/vaccinations whenever possible. (more on this in future posts)
- Greater detail will be covered in posts on Rheumatoid Arthritis specifically (coming soon).
- Chronic Headaches
- Headaches are by far the most common TMD symptom I see in the office.
- 2-3X a week is common and the headaches are often described as “coming up from the neck into the skull (base of the neck).
- When looking at chronic headaches as a separate “dis-ease” what is important is tracking down the other causes. The most common causes are
- Neck/shoulder headaches which are usually triggered by movement (awkward positions of the neck and head or chronic tightness in the shoulders)
- Headaches caused by excessive eye strain (when reading, driving, or playing music/video games)
- Menstrual headaches (shortly before, during, or after menstrual cycle and combined with cramps or lightheadedness)
- Stress type headaches (increase under periods of stress and decrease when calm or relaxed to a significant degree)
- Greater detail will be covered in posts on Chronic Headaches specifically (coming soon).
Up Last: Tying It All Together
