This week at TMJ Hope, we closed out our weather poll and published the results with Does Weather Make Jaw Pain Worse? as well as a great dessert recipe: Think Spring Ambrosia.
As far as health and TMJ related news goes, we’ve got a couple things to cover:
Estrogen in cycling rats alters gene expression in the temporomandibular joint – This is a difficult study for the lay person to read… we have reached out to some professionals for assistance, but in the mean time, it basically says that in this study, they found that the genes associated with inflammation were altered by changes in the amount of estradiol (a type of estrogen) present. In our TMJ statistics infographic, we showed that the majority of TMJ disorder sufferers are female….for some time, it has been thought that this might have to do with hormones. This could be a step in the right direction of discovering what it is exactly that causes TMJ pain. Source.
Lifestyle changes as effective as drugs in treating mental health conditions – a new paper published by the American Psychological Association discusses the use of therapeutic lifestyle changes or TLCs to treat conditions like depression & anxiety. The psychologists said lifestyle changes including exercise, diet, spending time in nature, relationships, and meditation are often overlooked as treatments for mental illness… However, they shouldn’t be, because many of them, can have profound positive effects. Dr. Walsh said of the lifestyle changes, “They are effective, inexpensive and often enjoyable, with fewer side effects and complications than medications.” He went on to say, “In the 21st century, therapeutic lifestyles may need to be a central focus of mental, medical and public health.” Source.
Commonly Prescribed Osteoporosis Drug Associated With Very Low Risk of Serious Jaw Disease – The fact that these types of medications caused osteonecrosis was in the news a lot recently, and may have scared people (and doctors) away from prescribing these drugs. The study’s authors say that the benefits of the drug (preventing fractures and treating osteoporosis) usually far outweigh the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw… however, as with all meds – talk to your doc to see what he or she recommends. Source.