What is TMJ Pain?

TMJ pain can be anywhere from distracting to debilitating.

TMJ stands for temporomandibular joints, referring to the anatomical structures that connect the jawbone to the skull. TMD is the term for temporomandibular joint disorders. According to the National Institute of Dental and Cranifascial Research “the prevalence of temporomandibular joint and muscle disorder (TMJD) is between 5% and 12%.” and while “there is no standard definition for TMJD; it is measured by asking about various types and durations of muscle, joint, and facial pain, difficulty with chewing, joint sounds, etc.”

Causes

The jaw area is a particularly complex meeting of several systems. In addition to this small but crucial joint there are myofascial connections from the scalp, neck, and shoulder all which attach nearby. There is the auditory tube and associated need for fluid passage deep behind these joints and muscles.

Therefore, there may be overlap with ear and sinus fluid congestion, issues with the joint itself, and the surrounding myofascia. Because of the close quarters of all of these different structures there can be several causes which perpetuate each other. Perhaps an initial trauma causes a dislocation, which lead to inflamation and tension. Or stress lead to unconscious clenching of the jaw causing trigger points and some degree of structural changes, etc.

TMD is generally classified by various causes including inflammation, structural changes, muscle tension, jaw dislocation, or degenerative conditions.

Eastern Medicine Perspective

The Eastern medicine perspective utilizes the above causes as additional data points in arriving at a pattern diagnosis. Individual diagnosis and treatment always takes the entire state of health into account.

An acupuncturist also asks other questions to determine best treatment: Are there other areas of inflammation in the body? Is there is tension in the neck, back, scalp, or shoulders? If there is a dislocation was it caused by external trauma or perhaps degeneration or laxity of the structures? If there are trigger points, adhesions, or other patterns of tension what is the underlying cause?

Stress can be a huge trigger in generating tension around the jaw and face, what are the factors contribute to holding stress in the body?

Is there fluid or heat stagnation in the area or in other parts of the body? Is pathological cold or wind a factor? Are there headaches, sinus issues, ear or throat congestion?

All of these together can help determine the best course of treatment.

Treatment with Acupuncture and Facial Gua Sha

In my practice I have found that directly addressing the areas of myofascial tension is tremendously helpful for the majority of TMJ pain. I release knots and areas of tension in and around the jaw, head, and neck using acupuncture. I use facial gua sha to coax residual tension out of the face and jaw and encourage circulation of blood and lymph. The acupuncture treatment in total addresses underlying imbalances while bringing about stress relief.

Self Care Strategies

Facial gua sha tools are easy to come by and use at home. The best tools for the face are the round edge semi-precious stone tools such as jade or quartz. Using a gently gliding motion, move from the chin along the jawline up to the area surrounding the ear. Use pressure as needed to give a massage to areas of tension.

If jaw clenching at night is an issue I receommend practicing letting your jaw go slack, literally having your mouth hang open, particularly before bed, and consciously letting all of those muscles relax. Taking several deep breaths with the jaw slack signals to the body what a relaxed jaw feels like before you fall asleep and help reset that pattern.

Work on any underlying condition whether it is inflammation, chronic stress, posture issues, or healing from an injury with the appropriate healthcare practitioner.

Sources

https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/data-statistics/facial-pain/prevalence

https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32862

According to WebMD up to 80% of Americans will exprience low back pain some time in their lives, and low back pain is the leading cause of disability.

Low back pain can be caused by any number of factors- overuse or repetitive injury, poor posture, weak musculature, kidney issues, disk degeneration, arthritis, or other diseases.

Low back pain can be constant and chronic or come and go. Low back pain can interfere with sleep, it can take away from our enjoyment of life by preventing us from being able to comfortably sit, stand, walk, or move how we want to.

Conventional care for low back pain usually entails prescription pain killers and/or muscle relaxers, or procedures such as cortisone injection, nerve ablation, or surgery.

There is also often referral to physical therapy which can include prescribed exercises, stretches and manual therapies.

If and when these therapies or procedures do not help the pain, only provide temporary relief, or cause unwanted side-effects there is the option of acupuncure for low back pain.

A new study from the National Insititue of Health shows that acupuncture is effective for chronic low back pain in older adults.

According to the study, “older Americans with chronic low back pain who received acupuncture had greater improvement in physical function and reduced pain than those who received usual medical care only, generally prescribed medications or physical therapy.”

Acupuncture has several advantages over the usual care:

1. Acupuncture utilizes the body’s own natural ability to heal by promoting reduction of inflammation, increase of circulation, and reducing the brains’s pain response.

2. Acupuncture can address myofascial pain by treating trigger points and areas of tension.

3. Acupuncture can reduce sympathetic nervous system response to help with the stress around pain.

4. Acupuncture can help with low back pain that radiates down the leg (sciatica) or around into the groin or up into the shoulder by addressing how the body works together as a whole.

5. Acupuncture will not cause the side effects of  medication such as drowsiness, nausea, or addiction to the medication.

6. Acupuncture is not trying to remove or alter the body as ablations and surgery do.

7. There is no danger to long-term use of acupuncture as there is with cortisone injections.

The best part- acupuncture helps the body-mind connection, and in this study, not only did the group receiving acupuncture have less low back pain, they also had less anxiety than the control group.

“At the six-month and 12-month assessment, both groups who received acupuncture had greater reductions in pain disability than those who received usual medical care alone. The acupuncture-treated groups also had reduced pain intensity and greater physical function after six months as compared to participants who did not receive acupuncture. The researchers also reported that acupuncture treatment was associated with fewer anxiety symptoms as compared to usual medical care alone at the six and 12-month assessments.”

Neck pain can be anything from nagging to debilitating. Conventional treatments usually entail injections, surgeries, or physical therapy. But all of these come with risks and expenses.

Acupuncture is shown in numerous research studies to be effective for neck pain, and typically takes between 6 to 10 sessions when receiving treatments 2 to 5 times a week. This is a relatively affordable and safe option without the risks and recovery time associated with surgery. 

“Unfortunately, surgery and other invasive treatments are not recommended for people with neck pain who do not have a serious structural diagnosis. Additionally, many invasive treatments are focused on fixing the structure of the neck. This does not always bring pain relief for many people. Most of these treatment options come with side effects that many people prefer to avoid. Unfortunately, many people report still having pain after surgery.” [source]

Acupuncture works for neck pain by provoking the body’s natural pain relievers in the brain. Acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, and therapeutic heat also increases local blood flow and reduces inflammation in the area treated.

Hemorrhoids are a common condition of inflammation around the rectum and anus, with symptoms of itching, pain, bleeding, irritation, and pressure. Internal hemorrhoids may affect bowel movements, and external hemorrhoids may present as grape-like clusters.

Hemorroids can be caused by chronic constipation, straining while trying to have a bowel movement, pelvic floor pressure from pregnancy, or even from heavy lifting causing pressure on the pelvic floor.

Hemorrhoids are essentially a type of blood clot, similar to when we accidentally bite our cheek and the delicate tissue become sore and congested.

The good news is that Chinese medicine and acupuncture provide simple, non-invasive relief for hemorrhoids.

Acupuncture Approaches for Hemorrhoids

Please know that you will not need to disrobe or expose yourself at all for the acupuncture treatment. The points we use to help with hemorrhoids are on the arms, legs, or head.

1. Determine the cause

The treatment approach will be different dependong on if the cause was pregnancy (and at what stage), from heavy lifting or a certain exercise, from bowel issues, or other conditions.

2. Diagnose the presentation

What are your symptoms: pain, irritation, itching, bleeding? This will help us understand what organ systems to focus on, along with the pulse diagnosis, abdominal palpation, and other diagnostic tools.

3. Acupuncture treatment

The acupuncture and moxibustion prescription will be based on your particular constitution and presentation.

4. Topical herbal care homework

 Xie Zheng Gu Shui (“Evil Bone Water“) is one of the highest quality herbal topical available. You can apply this liniment at home for immediate symptom relief and it also helps resolve the blood stagnation in the tissues to help shrink the hemorroid quickly.

5. Other homework or referrals

We may have exercise or breathwork suggestions, or possibly refer you to a trusted pelvic floor therapist if needed. 

 

If you suffer from migraines and/or headaches that disrupt your enjoyment of life, you are not alone. According to theCDC in 2018, 20.1% of women and 10.6% of men have had a severe headache or migraine in the past 3 months. While those percentages can vary over time and by age, it does show that headaches and migraines are not uncommon. 

The good news is that numerous studies show acupuncture as effective relief for headaches and migraines, without the side effects and cost of pharmaceuticals.

According to one study, “…acupuncture appears to be an emerging migraine treatment and prevention at par with medication. In addition, it has longer-lasting effects, is safe, seems to be cost-effective, and reduces drug intake with the possibility of severe unwanted adverse effects. Acupuncture can be recommended as an alternative or adjunct to drug treatment for patients suffering migraines.”

Acupuncture works for headaches and migraines by regulating the pain response and balancing the nervous system pathways. 

As for frequency of treatment, acupuncturist and researcher Dr. Heather Wisely found that “A review of 6 trials that effectively used acupuncture for migraines found protocols ranged between 12 and 20 treatments. Often people received acupuncture between one and five times per week.”

To book your acupuncture appointment or a free consultation please schedule now. We look forward to working with you!

Eastern Medicine Perspective

The Eastern medicine perspective utilizes the above causes as additional data points in arriving at a pattern diagnosis. Individual diagnosis and treatment always takes the entire state of health into account. An acupuncturist also asks other questions to determine best treatment: Are there other areas of inflammation in the body? Is there is tension in the neck, back, scalp, or shoulders? If there is a dislocation was it caused by external trauma or perhaps degeneration or laxity of the structures? If there are trigger points, adhesions, or other patterns of tension what is the underlying cause? Stress can be a huge trigger in generating tension around the jaw and face, what are the factors contribute to holding stress in the body? Is there fluid or heat stagnation in the area or in other parts of the body? Is pathological cold or wind a factor? Are there headaches, sinus issues, ear or throat congestion? All of these together can help determine the best course of treatment.

Treatment with Acupuncture and Facial Gua Sha

In my practice I have found that directly addressing the areas of myofascial tension is tremendously helpful for the majority of TMJ pain. I release knots and areas of tension in and around the jaw, head, and neck using acupuncture. I use facial gua sha to coax residual tension out of the face and jaw and encourage circulation of blood and lymph. The acupuncture treatment in total addresses underlying imbalances while bringing about stress relief.

Self Care Strategies

Facial gua sha tools are easy to come by and use at home. The best tools for the face are the round edge semi-precious stone tools such as jade or quartz. Using a gently gliding motion, move from the chin along the jawline up to the area surrounding the ear. Use pressure as needed to give a massage to areas of tension. If jaw clenching at night is an issue I receommend practicing letting your jaw go slack, literally having your mouth hang open, particularly before bed, and consciously letting all of those muscles relax. Taking several deep breaths with the jaw slack signals to the body what a relaxed jaw feels like before you fall asleep and help reset that pattern. Work on any underlying condition whether it is inflammation, chronic stress, posture issues, or healing from an injury with the appropriate healthcare practitioner. Sources https://www.nidcr.nih.gov/research/data-statistics/facial-pain/prevalence https://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=32862