Arthritis Remedies Site

On a recent travel from New York to London, I overheard a lady on the plane telling her that her TMJ is bothering her so she needed water to take some aspirin.

When the flight attendant approached, she started to tell her story, of how she is overcome with pain every time her TMJ acts up, and how it always gets worse when she is flying.

I had to stop myself from telling her that we all have TMJ, because it is actually the temporomandibular joint, a unique joint on either side of our jaw formed by the union of our temporal bone (skull) and the mandible (lower jaw).

The actual pain that is encountered when our TMJ malfunctions is known as TMD, or temporomandibular joint disorder (or dysfunction).

Acting as a “shock absorber” so to speak, the TMJ allows movement forward and backward, side to side and up and down. When the muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and other tissues associated with them become stressed or inflamed, TMD can be the result.

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 isn’t clearly understood why TMD affects women in much larger numbers than men, but there are a number of studies which suggest that the frequent relief brought on by pregnancy is an indication that TMD is affected by hormonal changes in the body.

Again I resist telling that to my aisle mate, as I’m almost definite that she would rather take her aspirin than to get pregnant. On the other had, 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 can bring temporary relief. But for extreme cases wherein even trying to open the mouth is too painful to do, 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.

These are all believed to contribute to our TMD problems. So before you choose surgery OR pregnancy, sit up straight, take a deep breath, throw away those gums, and just relax.

An even better source of relief is by using my program “TMJ No More”, an all-natural alternative to the conventional therapies. Just a few simple exercises done each day can remove your TMJ pain permanently!