TMD

14 September 2020

Grape Seed Extract: We’re still talking about it for migraine…

With your excellent memory, you probably remember that we were talking about grape seed extract ten years ago, thanks to research at Missouri State University. Well, it’s still being researched.

Grapeseed Extract - helpful for migraine?

You’re probably more familiar with this supplement as “heart friendly”. Improving blood flow and circulation, for example. It’s also an antioxidant.

Now migraine is highly connected to heart and circulation issues. But Missouri State University is back with a new study that suggests that grape seed extract may help “to inhibit trigeminal activation”.

Basically, researchers were looking at a couple of conditions – migraine, and TMD – temporomandibular joint disorders. The pain cycle involves “activation”, which means that your body responds to stimuli. Sometimes it’s responding to an injury, or sometimes apparently to nothing at all. There may be inflammation and pain.

So in the case of jaw pain or migraine, you want to calm down the vicious cycle of pain as much as you can. And according to the recent study, grape seed extract can do that.

Grape seed extract has not become wildly popular for a couple of reasons. First, it’s still being studied, and so for many the verdict is still out. Second, there are some limitations. For example, you may have seen that you should avoid taking vitamin C at the same time, or blood thinners, or even NSAIDs such as aspirin or ibuprofen. Basically, if you have high blood pressure or some other cardiovascular problems, you should talk to your doctor first.

As always, it’s important to do your research before taking a supplement. The supplement used in this study was a polyphenol?enriched grape seed extract. You’ll usually find information on the label, such as “a minimum of 90% Polyphenols”. A typical dose is between 100mg and 400mg.

Like some supplements, you’ll also find that for some people they help a lot, and for others they may actually trigger a migraine attack.

Some of the most well-rated brands currently include Pure Synergy SuperPure Grape Seed Extract, Zazzee Grape Seed Extract, and NOW Supplements Grape Seed Standardized Extract. These are good places to start your research. But remember, talk to your doctor and consider this as a possible complimentary migraine treatment. It seems to work well for some people, but we await further research before it becomes a mainstream treatment.

27 July 2020

Why won’t my Doctor treat my TMD?

James Resources 0

Are you having trouble getting treatment for TMD? You’re not alone.

Mysterious jaw pain? It might be affecting your migraine pain...

TMD stands for temporomandibular disorder/dysfunction, a group of disorders which includes issues with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Symptoms may include having trouble opening your mouth wide enough, or feeling pain in your jaw when you open. There may be a clicking sound when you open your jaw, sometimes or all the time. It may be related to clenching or grinding your teeth while you sleep.

There is a complex relationship between TMD, migraine, and other headache disorders. It’s very important that your doctor be aware of TMD issues as your headaches are treated, because solving one problem may help solve the other. So – why are so many patients not being helped?

In an interview published by NeurologyAdvisor, Dr. Paul G. Mathew explained that many patients aren’t aware that there are good treatments available for their TMD. Some doctors aren’t really aware of the strong connection between migraine and TMD, and don’t know which questions to ask. Worse, some doctors simply tell patients that they don’t treat it, and move on to the next thing.

As many of us know from experience, we’re sometimes so focused on the “headache” that we don’t spend too much time on other lesser symptoms. So we may intentionally not mention these “smaller” issues to our doctors – or maybe we just don’t think of it. Sometimes we’re just not aware of the relationship between the different kinds of pain or discomfort.

But that needs to change, because TMD can have a major impact on migraine symptoms. It may also be related to sleep disorders, which can have a major affect on migraine and other headache conditions.

If you’re ready to get serious about looking into TMD and its treatment, check out this interview with two experts. Dr. Matthew, mentioned above, is a headache, sports concussion and neurology specialist. Dr. Steven D. Bender is a dentist, Director of Facial Pain and Sleep Medicine with the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Texas A&M College of Dentistry.

Here’s the interview: Experts Weigh in on Evaluating, Treating Comorbid Migraine and Temporomandibular Dysfunction

29 November 2018

The “10-Second Tension Headache Remedy”

James Tips, Treatments 0

At least a couple of articles have been circulating promoting a tension headache remedy that is quick, and free. And certainly worth a try.

Tension headaches are, as you may know, now commonly called “tension-type headaches”. Why? Because doctors now know that these headaches aren’t simply caused by tension. Your muscles can be very tense, and you may not have any symptoms whatsoever. And – the reverse can also be true. (For more, see Just what is the “Common Headache”?)

Superficial chewing muscles — Diagram thanks to OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology

With that important caveat in place, the fact remains that, in certain cases, muscle tension is related to headaches. For example, muscle tension can trigger headache and/or migraine attacks in certain people.

That may be one reason why quitting chewing gum seems to help many people lessen headaches.

The “10-second remedy” is similar – it involves massage of the masseter muscle, a muscle used when you chew food – or clench your teeth at night. There are a few ways to massage here. One is using your fingers to put pressure on the front of the muscle (toward your mouth), then push back (up toward your ear).

Another method, the one you’ll read about in the following article, is to let the jaw do the movement.

Try it next time you feel a headache coming on. If it works, it may mean that jaw issues such as TMD are contributing to your headache symptoms.

The 10-Second Tension Headache Remedy a Physical Therapist Swears By (from Prevention)

18 April 2017

Migraine and TMD: A Complex Relationship (that should not be ignored)

James Discoveries & Stats, Information 3

Although it’s not news that there’s a relationship between migraine and TMD, it might be a surprise just how complex the relationship is.

TMD refers to temporomandibular disorder/dysfunction, actually a group of disorders that affect (but are not necessarily caused by) the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and surrounding muscles, nerves, and tissues. TMD may be caused by an injury or a disease such as arthritis. There may also be a connection with structural issues, and even clenching and grinding of the teeth while you sleep.

TMD and Headache — Illustration courtesy Patrick J. Lynch

TMD is actually very poorly understood, and there is a lot of controversy about what causes it and how to treat it in specific cases. But when you think about the structure of the jaw, joint, and the trigeminal nerve system, which is all connected, it’s not surprising that researchers have been very interested in the connection between TMD and headache disorders. That nerve system may play a key role in starting headache pain in migraine disease. It seems that the way trigeminal pain is processed can become impaired, leading to a worsening of migraine. The new class of drugs (CGRP inhibitors) currently being developed play a role in controlling trigeminal pain messages.

A 2016 study concluded that the connection between migraine and TMD was complicated further because of other physical symptoms, and the presence of bruxism (clenching/grinding teeth during sleep). Researchers concluded that doctors need to treat both headache/migraine and TMD together.

A study earlier this year asked the question – can the presence of headache disorders, such as migraine, actually predict TMD? In other words, even though migraine may/may not directly cause TMD, does the presence of migraine or another headache disorder tell us that the patient has a good chance of getting TMD later on?

The answer was yes. Patients who had no sign of TMD, but who did have a headache disorder, were far more likely to end up with TMD. The headache condition also tended to worsen in patients who eventually had TMD symptoms. Patients frequently ended up with migraine and TMD.

Researchers again affirmed what I mentioned in our last podcast – headache conditions, migraine in particular, need to be treated (Migraine and Generalized Anxiety Disorder). If they aren’t, they may lead to other conditions. One of those conditions is TMD. And what if the presence of new TMD in turn worsens the migraine? That could may migraine more difficult to treat.

The relationship between TMD and migraine is complex. It’s not a simple case of one causing the other. There may be underlying causes of both.

Doctors and patients need to focus on treating both, and being aware of changing and worsening symptoms so they can be caught early. If migraine or TMD are ignored, or just treated with “painkillers”, patients may find themselves with more pain in the end.

9 June 2011

1% Thursday: Relax the Jaw

James Tips 3

A lot of pain is triggered by problems in the jaw. You may not realize it, but you could be clenching and tightening your jaw muscles during the day, or at night.

You could avoid a lot of pain long-term by simply learning how to hold your jaw. In fact, learning how to properly relax it during the day could even help avoid problems while you’re asleep with clenching and/or grinding.

I’d like to pass on some advice from Robert O. Uppgaard DDS in his excellent book Taking Control of TMJ.

Make a "cluck" sound with your tongue. The front third of your tongue should rest on the roof of your mouth.
Maintain this position using slight pressure. Do not allow the tongue to touch the teeth.
Keep your lips together.
Your teeth should be slightly apart and your lower jaw should be completely relaxed.
Breathe through your nose. Breathe deeply, from the diaphragm rather than from the chest.

I recommend making this exercise a lifelong habit. Always remember:

Lips together
Teeth slightly apart
Tongue resting on the roof of the mouth
Lower jaw relaxed

If you feel that your jaw is triggering a lot of your pain, I recommend you get a copy of the book and try the many other tips and exercises. Meanwhile, this one alone could make a big difference.

A review of the book can be found at Taking Control of TMJ: A Review of the Book.

What is 1% Thursday?

Every Thursday at Headache and Migraine News (weather permitting) we’ll talk about one measurable, practical thing we can do to make our lives just 1% better. Usually it will be something very easy, sometimes it will be a challenge. Let us know if you try it, or share an idea of your own – and maybe a year from now we’ll see that things have really changed for the better!