TMJ 'dysfunction' - Health implications

Acid reflux is an extremely common health problem affecting as many as 50 percent of Americans. Other terms used for this condition are gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or peptic ulcer disease.

The hallmark symptom of acid reflux is "heartburn"—a burning sensation behind the breastbone that sometimes travels up the throat. In some cases, this pain can be severe enough to be mistaken for a heart attack.

The graphic above shows that the contents of the stomach are being sucked upwards into the oesophagus. The only reason this can happen is if there is a negative pressure in the chest cavity. This can only happen with Chest Breathing. In other words, one's breathing into the chest rather than the belly is the cause of the problem which needs addressing.

If the breathing pattern is not corrected, it is possible for patients to suffer from long-term complications such as chronic cough, ulcers, Barrett's esophagus and in severe cases, oesophageal cancer.

Many physicians may recommend a change in diet and lifestyle to alleviate the symptoms of acid reflux. They often advise against foods that exacerbate the condition, such as alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, peppermint, spicy and fried foods, citrus and tomatoes, among others. In addition, weight loss and regular physical activity can improve symptoms. Yet, these lifestyle changes do not directly address the fundamental issue, which is an incorrect breathing pattern.

As previously mentioned, chest breathing can exacerbate acid reflux symptoms. Therefore, one should adopt diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing to combat the reflux into the oesophagus. This style of breathing means one will inhale slowly through their nose so that their stomach moves out against their hand. The belly should inflate fully before letting air out from the lungs. One may have to consciously practice this kind of breathing, especially in stressful situations, as stress and anxiety can promote chest breathing. Over time, this kind of deep, full breathing will become a habit and the symptoms of acid reflux should lessen or disappear altogether.

Ultimately, while it is vital to take lifestyle changes into consideration, fundamentally understanding and resolving the issue of incorrect breathing may just be the long-lasting solution that many suffering from acid reflux have been seeking. Thus, it is important to not just focus on the use of medications in treatment but also consider simple natural mechanisms, like proper breathing, that could offer long-term relief to patients suffering from acid reflux.
The diaphragm is the main muscle that aids breathing. During inhalation, the diaphragm contracts and moves in the inferior direction, enlarging the volume of the thoracic cavity and reducing intra-thoracic pressure (the external intercostal muscles also participate in this enlargement), forcing the lungs to expand.

In other words, the diaphragm's movement downwards creates a partial vacuum in the thoracic cavity, which forces the lungs to expand to fill the void, drawing air in the process. This partial vacuum also aids the pumping action of the heart and reduces the incidence of heart palpitations, which are often present in such patients. Chest breathing does the opposite and causes heart palpitations.

During its descent, the belly expands, the oesophageal sphincter which is at the entrance to the stomach is closed, preventing any ingress of stomach acid into the oesophagus, and the abdominal contents get the pumping action of the diaphragm to aid digestion. This pumping also allows other vital organs in the abdomen to perform optimally.

Therefore, in life, the diaphragm must always descend when inhaling. This can only occur when patients' belly breathes with absolutely no visible inflation of their chest cavity! It is of fundamental importance that patients are taught how to correct their breathing pattern before embarking on any medications which nearly always have severe adverse effects, AND the patient may eventually fall victim to a carcinoma of the oesophagus.[/size]

Conventionally, acid reflux is thought to be caused by excessive amounts of acid in the stomach, which is why acid-blocking drugs such as proton pump inhibitors (PPI's), are typically prescribed or recommended. This is more likely a serious medical misconception that adversely affects hundreds of millions of people, as the problem more than likely stems from a poor breathing mechanism in most patients.

Typical drug list for some GERD patients

Drug name:Oxycodone IV
Dose: 12mg *12 times a day = 144mg.
Mode of action: For pain
Main adverse effects: Oxycodone, a synthetic opioid, is a highly selective full agonist of the μ-opioid receptor
Common side effects include constipation, nausea, sleepiness, dizziness, itching, dry mouth, and sweating. Severe side effects may include addiction, respiratory depression (a decreased effort to breathe), and low blood pressure.
On withdrawal: Anxiety, restlessness and insomnia, Abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhoea, Flu-like symptoms, including aching and chills, Elevated BP and HR, Tremors, seizures and convulsions. While marginally relieving pain, it worsens other symptoms that the patient presented with, mainly the respiratory function, which is fundamental for treating GERD.

Drug name:Morphine IV
Dose:10mg qds prn = 40mg.
Mode of action: For pain. Natural Opioid. Vomiting, Cognitive impairment, Constipation, breathing problems.
While marginally relieving pain, it worsens other symptoms that the patient presented with, mainly the respiratory function, which is fundamental for treating GERD.
Main adverse effects: Exactly like the flu... drippy nose, diarrhoea, cramps, profuse sweating, shivering, bad body odour, restless legs, achy joints.

Drug name:Ranitidine
Dose: 50mg three times a day
for Gastric reflux. H2 histamine receptor antagonist that works by blocking histamine and thus decreasing the amount of acid released by cells of the stomach
Common side effects include: headaches and pain or burning if given by injection. Serious side effects may include liver problems, a slow heart rate, pneumonia, and the potential of masking cancer. It is also linked to an increased risk of Clostridium difficile colitis

Drug name:Omeprazole
Dose: 40mg
Mode of action: for Gastric reflux. Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) Nausea, vomiting, headaches, and increased intestinal gas. Serious side effects may include: Clostridium difficile colitis, an increased risk of pneumonia, an increased risk of bone fractures, •Hypomagnesaemia of vitamin B12 and iron malabsorption.

The concentrations of oxycodone, tramadol, and oxymorphone may increase if they are used concomitantly with omeprazole. Chronic PPI users had a 44% increased risk of dementia compared with those who did not take any medication - (Harvard study)

Why anyone would prescribe these drugs at a whim is beyond me. Understanding the basics and applying those principals obviates the need for these very dangerous drugs.
"No matter, there’s nothing money can’t solve. Pay the PR people to make up the stuff, then pay an academic to put his or her name to the paper, get it published in a prestigious medical journal, then wave it in front of the doctor, who will be comforted to know he is doing the right thing by prescribing the drug.

Around 75 per cent of ‘scientific’ medical trials are created that way, yet even with that level of fraud going on, the BMJ’s Clinical Evidence Handbook shows that just 12 per cent of drugs and therapies have any evidence to suggest they work, as our Special Report this month highlights. Consider fraud, and you’re down to around 3 per cent."

Now, that isn’t a science. Fancy boarding planes that crash 97 per cent of the time? But then, healing never could be reduced to a mass-production system: a shame for the shareholders, perhaps, but good news for the patient."

Please read more at : http://community.wddty.com/blogs/advers ... it-up.aspx

Other stories on the Internet:
Oxycodone
Please read Dr Mercola’s article:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/07/18/oxycontin-addiction.aspx
“OxyContin: Time Bomb” tells the story of how this painkiller became the most widely prescribed, abused, and profitable narcotic in history:
Purdue Pharma ran an unprecedentedly aggressive marketing campaign to brainwash physicians that OxyContin was the new “miracle pill”
In 2007, Purdue pleaded guilty to deceptive marketing and was fined $600 million, but six years later, the FDA allowed them to release a new version of the drug
OxyContin is a gateway drug to heroin, leading millions down the path of heroin addiction, methadone dependence, overdose, and death”

Opioid Addiction Likely Part of Declining Life Expectancy in US
Opioid addiction appears to be one significant contributor to declining life expectancy in the U.S. In all, more than 50,000 Americans died from drug overdoses last year, a rise of 11 percent from 2014.
Heroin deaths rose by 23 percent between 2014 and 2015, deaths from synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, rose by 73 percent, while deaths from prescription opioids like OxyContin and Vicodin rose by 4 percent. Prescription painkillers alone killed 17,536 people last year.
According to Robert Anderson, who oversees death statistics at the CDC: "I don't think we've ever seen anything like this. Certainly, not in modern times."
Dr Mercola 21/12/2016

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