Those who
are affected with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ)
syndrome not only suffer from excruciating jaw pain, but
they also face many other problems that include facial
pain (myofascial pain syndrome), headache, tinnitus,
misaligned bite, lock jaw, difficulty in opening or
closing the mouth, clicking or popping noise every time
the jaw is opened and many others like this. Since the
friendly forms of family physicians have now been rudely
replaced by frosty MDs who mostly believe in invasive
surgery that creates more complications than ready
relief, it is no wonder that many of the TMJ victims
turn to home remedies that often prove better
cure.
Here is a
listing of some common home TMJ remedies that are
believed to provide relief to TMJ sufferers, if
practiced well.
Home
Remedies For The TMJ Syndrome
Try
Acupressure at home for relief from the TMJ symptoms for
which the meridian points are given
below.
- Pressure
at Pericardium 6, which is located on the wrist and so
easy to administer is believed to relax the tensed jaw
muscles. This can substantially reduce the TMJ
pain.
- Pressure
at large intestine 4, which is located four fingers
above the navel, is known to help reduce pain in the
head and the jaw region. It also relaxes facial
muscles.
- Pressure
at gallbladder 20 helps TMJ pain relief in the neck
and shoulders.
- Pressure
at Lung 1 is known to prevent teeth grinding at
bedtime.
You may
also try Homeopathic remedies at home for relief from
the TMJ symptoms. However, one should select a remedy
that best matches with the symptoms. For beginners,
lesser potencies should preferably be used. The
following can be good options.
- Try
Arnica 6x or 12c if TMJ is caused due to injury. It
will work wonders.
- Try Rhus
Toxicodendron 30c twice daily if jaws stiffen up at
night.
- Use Kali
Phosphorica to reduce nerve pain and stress.
- Try
Ignatia 12x if pain is caused more due to emotional
stress.
- Magnesia
Phosphorica 12x will relieve tensed jaw muscles that
tend to spasm.
There are
quite a few vitamins and mineral supplements that often
provide the cure as well from TMJ disorders and so, they
have been listed below for the convenience of the
reader.
- Magnesium
is supposed to be TMJ specific and so may be used as a
home remedy for relaxing the muscles that surround the
jaw.
- Valerian
Officinalis is believed to help reduce the effects of
stress that causes muscles to tighten up and so may be
used as a home remedy for the TMJ
disorder.
- Kava is
believed to have special effects on the nervous system
and so can be safely used as a home remedy for TMJ
related problems.
- Methylsulnylmethan
or MSM can reduce inflammation and muscle spasm caused
due to the TMJ syndrome and hence this may be used as
a home TMJ remedy as well.
Practicing
TMJ exercises at home can also bring ultimate relief to
TMJ related problems that are simple yet effective. This
includes placing the tip of the tongue against the roof
of the mouth and simultaneously moving the jaw up and
down very slowly. This would retrain the wayward jaw
muscles to perform again in right pattern, thus
resolving most TMJ related problems. Needless to say,
this can be practiced at the privacy of home, needing no
help from outside agents.
The
Various TMJ Treatment Options
Apart from
the TMJ home remedies, there are actually many other TMJ
treatment options as well. There are of course
conventional medications that include drugs and surgery,
and over the counter remedies that include mouthguards
and splints. But the fact remains that, there is a
problem with almost all the approaches, and yes, this
includes the home remedies too. To begin with, surgeries
almost always come with a risk, and so should never be
attempted without consultation with a physician. Most
over the counter drugs also come with harmful side
effects, and often these side effects become more
serious than the main problem itself. The natural
approach of using herbal supplements and home remedies
can help somewhat, but then the relief is often not
permanent.
TMJ Cure
That Really Works
It seems
that the only TMJ cure that really works is holistic
remedies. The problem with the other remedies is that,
they only try to address the symptoms of TMJ and not the
root causes, which is the result of many factors. And
since just the symptoms are addresses, they often make a
quick comeback, even after they go away with treatment.
Holistic remedies on the other hand treat the body as a
whole and identify all the root causes of TMJ and treats
them, rather than just treating the symptoms. This is
the better approach because once the causes go away, the
symptoms too disappear automatically, and they never
come back again.
