Commonly known as TMJ, temporomandibular joint pain affects over 10 million Americans and can involve difficulty chewing, jaw muscle stiffness and painful popping or clicking, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
Although for some people the pain of TMJ goes away on its own, others develop long-term problems and need treatment to help their pain.
Here are five tips you can practice at home to help your TMJ symptoms. continue reading
Many of us have already experienced or will experience some amount of hearing loss. This can be due to aging or noise-induced factors. Exposure to loud sound over time can permanently damage the ears and result in hearing loss.
If you find yourself struggling with hearing and feeling the need to turn up the TV or your music louder, you may be experiencing hearing loss. Here are five steps to improve your hearing and prevent further damage. continue reading
In my clinic Kinesiotape is often used to help provide patients a proprioceptive response to accelerate healing. Often, Kinesiotape will be used to speed up the healing response on an affected tissue.
What does that mean? Bringing awareness to the affected area helps the person move (or not move) an injured area appropriately!
On skin, the Kinesio Tape pulls the upper layers of skin, creating more space between the dermis and the muscle. The space created is believed to relieve pressure on the lymph channels in the area between the muscle and the dermis, creating more space for lymph flow and thus better lymph drainage through an affected area.
Kinesio Tape also is felt to affect deeper tissues in the body. Increased space theoretically allows muscles greater contractility, which in turn pushes more fluid through the muscle, resulting in better muscle performance. The end results are believed to be reduced muscle fatigue, increase in range of motion, and better quality of muscle contraction.
Kinesio Tex Tape is used to improve joint alignment by affecting the muscles and fascia and can reduce poor function of a joint by influencing opposing muscle groups and joint mobility. [3]
In a recent study[1], 28 patients with chronic ankle instability were taped with kinesiotaping to improve their stability. Interestingly, the effect of the taping on the stability of the ankle through a dynamic postural stability index was negligible. BUT! The perceived stability DID improve.
In conclusion, this taping procedure did not improve postural control during a sagittal and frontal plane landing task in subjects with CAI. Perceived instability did improve and is considered an important treatment outcome, which indicates that taping could be considered as a treatment modality by clinicians.
What does this mean? According to this study individual study, at the end of the day the patient’s felt the KinesioTape helped their ankle.
Similarly, taping on the calf muscle improved walking patterns in health adults, but not necessarily because it changed the muscle movement. Instead, the awareness of the tape on the muscle brought awareness to the gait in a positive way [2].
KT does significantly shorten the duration of the LG activity during gait when applied 72 h in healthy adults.
[1]De Ridder R, Willems TM, Vanrenterghem J, Roosen P. Effect of tape on dynamic postural stability in subjects with chronic ankle instability. Int J Sports Med. Epub 2015 Feb 9.
[2[ Phys Ther Sport. 2014 Dec 23. pii: S1466-853X(14)00107-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2014.12.002.
[3] http://www.medicinenet.com/kinesio_tape/page3.htm
There is a difference between being in top physical shape and holistically healthy. Some people may be in great athletic shape, but actually neglecting their body’s other internal health needs.
There have been numerous cases where professional athletes in the peak of their careers have died of heart attacks and other natural complications. Could these deaths have been prevented by taking better care of their overall health? Possibly. continue reading
Skin issues can happen at any age. Whether you have dry, oily or sensitive skin, it can get complicated.
Although there are many products on the market that promise to “cure” your skin ailments, natural alternatives have proven to be effective and one of the safest options for skin treatment.
Here are just a few of the different oils that are easy to add to your skin maintenance routine and can help with frustrations you may be facing. continue reading
Arthritis is a painful and oftentimes debilitating condition that’s characterized by inflammation within one or more joints. According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 2 people will develop osteoarthritis of the knee by the age of 85. It’s important to note, however, that there are several different types of arthritis, with osteoarthritis being just one. Other common types include rheumatoid arthritis, gout, septic arthritis, Still’s disease, and ankylosing spondylitis.
While most people living with moderate-to-severe arthritis resort to prescription medication to mask their symptoms, a safer and more effective form of treatment may come in the form of a 2,000-plus-year-old Chinese practice called acupuncture. Numerous studies have found acupuncture to offer relief of many different types of arthritis. And best of all, it doesn’t come with the adverse side effects associated with arthritis medication. continue reading
Do you suffer from allergies or asthma? It’s a little-known fact that these two conditions are directly linked to each other. Asthma, which affects roughly one in 12 people according to the CDC, is characterized by spasms of the small airways and inflammation. Furthermore, about 90% of children under the age of 16 with asthma have allergies, while 70% of people between the ages of 16 and 30 have allergies, and 50% of adults over the age of 40 have allergies. continue reading
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disease suffered by an estimated 25-45 million people in the United States. Symptoms include chronic abdominal pain, bloating, excess gas and irregular bowel movements. Symptoms can be brought on by a number of triggers including anxiety, insomnia and stress. Although there is no known cure to IBS, there are numerous alternative treatments to prescription medication that can help relieve symptoms. continue reading
About 10 percent of couples struggle with infertility and an inability to conceive, according to the Centers for Disease Control. For those struggling to have children, fertility treatment can become tiring and expensive very quickly. There are numerous alternative treatments including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that have been thought to improve fertility. continue reading
There’s a certain level of mysticism surrounding the ancient holistic practice of acupuncture. Those who haven’t tried it may view it as some sham practice with no real value or benefit. On the other hand, those who have tried are fully aware of its powerful effects on the human body.
Acupuncture is typically performed on specific points throughout the body, including points both along the meridian and outside the meridian. The number of acupuncture points continues to change on a regular basis, but the latest estimate is around 695 (not including ear treatments). continue reading
