Issue 42

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PROCEDURE PERFORMED AT MEDICAL WELLNESS ASSOCIATES BY EMMA McGOWAN, M.D. AND MARTIN GALLAGHER, M.D.

Acupuncture found to be Effective Acute Treatment for Craniomandibular Disorders

CRANIOMANDIBULAR DISORDERS, TEMPOROMANDIBULAR DISORDER, TMJ - Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Stomatognathic System

In a randomized, controlled trial involving 23 subjects with temporomandibular disorders, acupuncture was found to be an effective acute treatment. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups - an acupuncture group and a sham laser treatment group (which acted as a placebo). Pain, mouth opening, muscular tenderness and pain on pressure, and mandibular joint movement pathways were assessed before and after the intervention period. Judged on a scale from 0-100, results found that subjects who received acupuncture had significant improvements in pain (19.1), as compared with the placebo group (6.2). In addition, subjects who received acupuncture experienced significant improvements in muscular tenderness and pain on pressure in the neck and mastication muscles. A trend towards improvement in mouth opening was seen among subjects in the acupuncture group (5.0 mm), as compared with the placebo group (1.0 mm), though the difference was not significant. Electronic axiography found subjects in the acupuncture group to have greater improvements in terms of opening and closing the mouth movements, as compared with the placebo group. These results suggest that persons with temporomandibular disorders, for whom pain and clicking are primary symptoms, may benefit from treatment with acupuncture. While long-term outcomes were not assessed in this study, the short term effects of acupuncture were found to be significant. Further studies involving larger numbers of subjects, conducted over a longer period of time, are warranted.

"Oral acupuncture in the therapy of craniomandibular dysfunction syndrome -- a randomized controlled trial," Schmid-Schwap M, Simma-Kletschka I, et al, Wien Klin Wochenschr, 2006; 118(1-2): 36-42. (Address: Department of Fixed and Removable Prosthodontics, University Clinic of Dentistry, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ).

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Did you know.......

CILANTRO

  • Cilantro may be useful to treat urinary tract infections
  • Both the leaves and seeds aid digestion, relieve intestinal gas, pain and distention
  • They also treat nausea, soothe inflammation, rheumatic pain, headaches, coughs and mental stress
  • Cilantro is a member of the carrot family

 

Bio-Oxidative Therapies Offered at MWA:

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