TMJ 'dysfunction' - Health implications

EJC wrote:
"As we were sitting in the waiting room for the technician to complete the brace, Emma started to get Neuralgic pain in her left hand and asked me to grab some medicated pads from the car. We were chatting to Dr. Amir at the time, he asked Emma not to put the pads on but to come straight into the surgery where the new brace had just been finished.

Dr. Amir fitted both Upper and lower braces and aligned Emma's jaws as he wanted. Almost immediately, the neuralgic pain subsided.

The explanation given was that a nerve in the upper spine/neck area is being subjected to pressure, this was transmitting pain further down the nerve network which was being experienced in Emma's hand. In much the same way, a trapped Sciatic nerve in the lower back manifests itself with leg pain.

It was quite something to see this, I've spent many a night with Emma crying in pain as we were unable to numb the neuralgic pain with anything other than Valium and medicated pads."

Dr Amir wrote:

This illustrates that "demyelination" is a myth in many aches and pains that MS patients experience. If demyelination was the cause, the recovery could never be so instantaneous.
This pain is also experienced by many other patients not labelled with MS, who suffer from neck pain, arm pain, frozen shoulder etc.

Answering SOMEONE's QUESTION ABOUT ATLAS ASYMMETRY:
Dr. Amir answers:
My current thinking is:

Atlas asymmetry is not a genetic phenomenon. It could not be corrected if this was the case.

About 80% of patients have an Atlas asymmetry, not 99% as claimed by some.
In the presence of severe dental asymmetries, the correction often causes serious pain and discomfort, and some additional symptoms may show up.
Correcting the Atlas often changes the TMJ and the dental midline.
Correcting the jaw impacts the Atlas, and in some 25% of cases it corrects itself with a dental appliance.
In the presence of severe jaw asymmetries, wearing a correcting appliance first frees the Atlas for easier correction with maximal positive outcomes.

Extreme caution is required in cases where patients have had multiple high velocity neck adjustments. In such cases, healing appliances have to be used for prolonged periods before Atlas correction.

Extreme caution is required in cases where neck surgery has been performed, where there is advanced Rheumatoid arthritic complications, in cases of ankylosing spondylitis and in cases where there is bony fusion of the occipital condyles with the Atlas. In such cases, it cannot be corrected.

Symmetry is the hallmark of nature. Genes are sufficiently evolved to give the best and most symmetrical form to our structure for optimal function. As such, it cannot have evolved a crooked Atlas, as it would not contribute to the efficient functioning of our form.

If the Atlas was genetically crooked, then everything else around it would have been of similar asymmetric construct to fit in. Correcting such an Atlas without going around chiselling and reshaping everything else will not work. Such tasks are impossible to accomplish.

As it happens, correcting the Atlas makes all the pieces of the jigsaw fit in and leads to an abatement of many symptoms that MSers suffer from.

This is my experience with patients suffering from various illnesses, including MS. In the general population it will vary from country to country and from urbanised communities to rural communities, from ancient lifestyles to modern living.

I do not wish to discredit any treatment, which has more than likely all been undertaken in good faith. However, high velocity adjustments to the neck should be completely avoided because the damage to the neck is secondary to Atlas asymmetry and secondary to poor jaw relationships, often from iatrogenic dental interferences. The damage to the neck is obvious on scans especially if there is late-stage damage and disc herniation which interferes with CSF flow. The cervical spine also loses its cervical lordosis and becomes more erect, which can be seen on radiographs.

Dr Amir asked EJC:
"One thing you failed to mention is the improvements to the 'nystagmumbling' eye. Any comments?"

True I forgot that Dr. Amir, Emma had very mild "Bells Palsy" type symptoms on the left side of her face, her left eye would wander which gave her motion sickness and depth of field vision problems. She also had a droopy eyelid.

The eyelid is now where it should be, the wandering eye has reduced but not stopped completely and is now only prevalent when Emma is tired. The Bells Palsy like symptoms have, on the whole, disappeared.

These changes are subtle and being with Emma everyday means I miss some of them, they are more obvious to others if they've not seen Emma for a few weeks.

Another contributor asked:
I hope you don't mind, but I would like, if I may, ask you a question to satisfy my own curiosity, you being the best person to ask as a qualified dentist.
Have you noticed that MS patients have an increased risk of bleeding gums, which you would consider to be gum disease,
Thank you for your input.

Dr Amir replied:
It is a good question and close to my heart. I wrote an article on the use of salt for oral care some years ago. Here is the link:

http://www.positivehealth.com/article/n ... ic-wonders

MS patients would be much more susceptible if they are taking immune modulating drugs, and in these cases, it is imperative that the advice in the article is followed.

I had a patient who suffered from Leukaemia which was treated and she recovered. However, the illness returned a couple of years later, and she came to see me before her chemotherapy, saying that her biggest worry was that her gums would bleed and get very infected again. It transpired that she was given mouthwashes while in hospital, which made a bad situation worse. I recommended what I said in the article, and she returned a few months later, saying that this time her gums were perfect. She never had a problem.

So answering the question, it is not MS that causes the gum problem, it is the disease modifying drugs which play havoc with the immune system which causes the gum problems and following the instructions in the article would be a great help.


Further remark about Nystagmus:
Dr Amir: The reason I asked this question was because I am a bit concerned about this symptom which appears to be jaw related considering the rapidity with which it settled down. I have noticed this with some other non MS patients who came with various eye problems, which also easily healed through appropriate TMJ treatment.
In medical circles, the description for this symptom is:
"Nystagmus is rapid, involuntary movements of the eyes, which is often unnoticeable to people with the complaint. To others, it resembles the eye movements when someone is looking at the scenery from the window of a moving train. Usually, it occurs in the horizontal plane, but it can also affect the vertical.
Nystagmus can be caused by various underlying conditions, including multiple sclerosis, of which it is quite a common symptom. Most presentations of a type of nystagmus called Acquired Pendular Nystagmus are associated with multiple sclerosis.
In MS, nystagmus is often associated with internuclear ophthalmoplegia - which is a loss of coordination between the two eyes caused by a lesion in an area of the brain called the medial longitudinal fasciculus (MLF). Nystagmus can also be caused by lesions in the cerebellum, the area of the brainstem where the vestibular cranial nerve arises or further along the vestibular pathways.

Apart from immuno-modulating drugs and steroids, there are no treatments for nystagmus. If it is a troubling condition, it may be a good idea to experiment with different lighting levels. As with most symptoms of MS, fatigue and heat (Uhthoff's symptom) usually make the condition worse." as per: http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/nystagmus.html

Dr Amir continues:
These 'nystagmumbling' explanations simply befuddle the patients and probably have no bearing whatsoever on the underlying problem.
Notice the sentence where it says MS causes the Nystagmus! MS has got a life of its own now.

Another contributor comments:
Dr. Amir this is interesting info. I have believed for some time now that MS is not one disease, but several diseases that have similar symptoms but different causes. Perhaps jaw misalignment is one of the diseases. Do you think Emma's brain lesions are the result of Jaw misalignment or does she in fact have MS but that it is not the cause of her problems? Are the brain lesions of no consequence?
I understand that soccer players sometimes have similar lesions but they don't have MS or any other problems.

Thanks
Dave
Dr Amir replies:
Dave
I, personally, have serious doubts if there is anything like "MS" or MS being an "autoimmune disease".

Literally everyone I have seen and treated with "MS" was actually a TMJ dysfunction patient. I am anxiously looking for my first "Real MS Patient".

I am currently treating at least 20 "MS" patients. Many of them have had short-lived benefits from CCSVI. They all appear to be substantially improving with TMJ correction, and most symptoms previously labelled "MS related" have disappeared.

I believe that most "MS lesions" are a consequence of CSF leaking into the brain stroma - they are not lesions in the neural tissue as such; otherwise I could not so rapidly correct the symptoms.

The immune system tries to get rid of this fluid which is in the wrong place but is unable to do so and the deposits calcify leading to the typical opaque lesions seen on MRI and CAT scans. At autopsy, the increased immune function is wrongly diagnosed as an autoimmune disorder.

Imagine taking a slice of pathological tissue around any infective lesion, one is bound to see an increased immune function. To go on to interpret it as an autoimmune disease would be pure folly. The immune system needs help - not an assault on its function, which the drugs do.

As per your question, I have treated hundreds of patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and others who present just with jaw problems for very many years. I have never found a real ME or CFS patient, either. The common denominator is tooth/Jaw dysfunction and some who also have their Atlas out of line.

I remain to be corrected on my hypothesis

CureOrBust wrote:
Amir wrote:
I remain to be corrected on my hypothesis
Are you saying that the JAW adjustments also clear up the brain plaques (or stop new ones, since you are correcting the leakage of CSF)?

I would think that at least one of your patients would have a neurologist wishing to speak to you if they had found that the MS was actually "cured"? although I wouldn't mention to the neurologist that you do not believe MS exists...

And also, one question just occurred to me. Within your TMJ theory, why is it that MS is most commonly "contracted" in the narrowband of 25-30?

Dr Amir replied:

I think no new plaques form. I took an MRI for one patient after 3 years and the plaques were the same as 3 years earlier, and after she had been cured. She remains exceptionally well some 11 years on.

If patients can afford to have a pre- and post-MRI SCAN than I shall appreciate it greatly, and it will advance the knowledge.

When neurologists find out that there is an easier way to treat illness, they go awfully quiet!

Most illnesses start around age 22 to 25. At 22, the jaw grows maximally and causes the most problems because of asymmetries if present.

Patients also have had their wisdom teeth extracted, multiplies their problem. At 25, the skull sutures start closing and there is another spurt of symptom increase. (this ([suture closing]however, is open to contention)

Having accidents like whiplash etc does not help.

Thekla wrote:
So, if I am following this correctly, having a whiplash injury could start symptoms and following that with some incomplete dental work, i.e. extractions but no bridge or implants could start a more rapid decline? Then, the remedy would have to address both issues to improve things.

Dr Amir replied:
I think you are on the right track

Most urbanised people have neck and body asymmetries. (this is an extensive topic on its own).

Neck asymmetry worsens with dental interferences of many different types. (another extensive topic).

Such asymmetries may be giving no pain or discomfort but if injured such as a whiplash injury the neck cannot possibly heal as it is subjected to movement during our swallowing and breathing despite wearing neck collars (which end up being even more harmful where injury is light to moderate, as they take away the potential for any exercise of the supporting neck muscles)

Now the whiplash injury does not heal without correcting the teeth and the jaw - a previously benign problem becomes much more complex to treat.

The neck plays a crucial role in the breathing and swallowing mechanism, in the oxygenation, blood flow and CSF flow to the head.

Therefore, a neck injury of any type is not conducive to a healthy system and is a barrier to recovery from MS which may have its origins from other Cranio mandibular and skeletal asymmetries as well.

The above is possibly a simplified explanation of very complex phenomenon.

Note: I did not use the term brain lesions.

Thekla wrote:
I would love ms to become like the 'vapours' of Victorian times that have quietly evaporated from medical literature.

Dr Amir replied:
It is rapidly 'evaporating' among all the patients here!

It is surprising how many symptoms, previously attributed for years to 'MS lesions', disappear almost overnight.

There is a lot fundamentally wrong with the diagnosis of 'MS' and it's an autoimmune bandwagon.

Thekla wrote:
I think what CureorBust is asking for is some kind of criteria of what constitutes a problem? With CSVI, there is the ultrasound or MRI, depending on where you go, that shows or at least strongly indicates flow disturbances or blockages in the IJVS. Some have been scanned at home to identify the problem before deciding to invest and possibly travel for treatment. I read so much from you guys already being treated and dental distress syndrome and then decided London wasn't that far. We went to be evaluated by Dr. Amir, hoping there would be a problem that could be resolved. But I couldn't figure out myself ahead of time whether I had a problem.

Dr Amir replied:
A vast majority of Europeans and people living in urbanised communities will have some degree of an underlying jaw problem which, very often, they are not even aware of.
If any medical problem exists, the Lateral Pterygoid muscle in the mouth becomes very painful (please google for explanation). This can be palpated by a competent Chiropractor or Osteopath to confirm.
Most illnesses have this as a common denominator, but the expression of the illness is different in different patients. One may have simple headaches while another may have serious Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (An erroneous cooked up entity), and yet another one may be classified into MS (Another questionable entity).

MSers on this thread are more concerned with their own symptoms. It has been proven beyond doubt among my patients that many symptoms that they were previously led to attribute to 'brain lesions' had absolutely nothing to do with 'brain lesions'.

I keep impressing upon the fact that the nature of the problem is extremely subtle. I often mention that many people are hanging by the skin of their teeth.

Yesterday, a gentleman born in India but brought up in the west came along for a consultation. He had the most exquisite teeth and a smile like those Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes. One could never imagine that his teeth were causing his rapidly deteriorating 'MS' and yet, they are. No one, including very astute observers of human dentition, could possibly discern that his teeth might be the root cause of his problem. I have my neck on the block here, but I am pretty sure he will get better rapidly. (I shall keep you posted, or rather I will get him to post)

If I put his photo up with his amazing, dazzling teeth, everyone will think I am absolutely crazy. Before and after pictures will show absolutely no change.

The teeth and jaw problems among most patients are recognisable much more easily. Visiting a local dentist and asking him to palpate the jaw muscles could help confirm the diagnosis.

On another topic, Dr Amir wrote:
I came across a recent article:

http://www.alternet.org/story/153332/se ... age=entire

"Supply-driven marketing, also known as "Have Drug, Need Disease and Patients” not only turns the nation into pill-popping hypochondriacs, it distracts from Pharma's drought of real drugs for real medical problems. Of course, not all diseases are Wall Street pleasers. To be a true blockbuster disease, a condition must:

(1) Really exist but have "huge diagnostic wiggle room" and no clear-cut test.
(2) Be potentially serious with "silent symptoms" said to "only get worse" if untreated,
(3) Be "under recognised", "underreported" with "barriers" to treatment,
(4) Explain hitherto vague health problems a patient has had,
(5) Have a catchy name like ED, ADHD, RLS, Low T or IBS and instant medical identity, and
(6) Need an expensive new drug that has no generic equivalent."

My experience shows that perhaps ME/CFS, FM, MS, RA and so on should also be added to these "incurable" diseases that need expensive permanent medication till death do us part!

Dania wrote:
http://www.biomedreports.com/2011110282 ... iding.html

Dr Amir replied:
Thank you for posting this link. This I feel is the most significant article published regarding MS that I have ever read. However I feel the need to make some observations:

While thoroughly studying the original paper I note that the authors infer that the CSF leakage is into the 'brain parenchyma' and they speculate that this is what causes the brain lesions and subsequent symptoms of MS.

My study of the images that were shown suggests that the leakage is into the stroma (connective tissue) of the brain and hence unlikely to be responsible for the symptoms of MS in a major percentage of the cases. (I remain corrected on this count)

Further speculation in the article points to the conventional myelin sheath breakdown hypothesis.

Correction of the physical obstruction emanating from rotated cervical vertebrae appears to have immediately relieved the symptoms of dizziness and vomiting in one patient.

This cannot have happened in the presence of the purported 'myelin damage' which would take much longer to correct the lesion if, such myelin breakdown, was responsible for the dizziness and vomiting in the subject.

Therefore, the "Brain lesions" must be inconsequential in this case.

The paper points to traumatic injury to the cervical vertebrae resulting in the symptoms of MS. It is pretty obvious that physical injury needs physical means to correct.

Where do the drugs fit in?

Injury to the cervical vertebrae has very many causes. Many patients labelled with 'MS' will more than likely say that they never injured their neck. However, the presence of neck pain (and cervical malrotations) or discomfort is universal in most patients presenting with MS, ME/CFS, FM and very many other illnesses.

These malrotations of the cervical vertebrae are not exclusive to injury but are often consequential upon the modern day processed food diets as theorised by Dr. Weston Price some 70 years ago. At that time, Dr. Price was looking only at the development of facial and dental asymmetries in urbanised societies, perhaps not realising the huge impact on the neck spine.

The health of the neck spine appears crucial. It is firmly established that facial and dental asymmetries nearly always result in cervical rotations followed by a plethora of symptoms often 'medical' in nature, but the causality is physical.

In many patients further gross interferences with the dental complex contribute to a deteriorating neck spine - perhaps leading to obstruction of the CSF flow as postulated in this article and the development of further symptoms which get 'drugged up' and essentially remain untreated and eventually result in the development of severe handicaps and other organic disturbances.

Physical causes need 'correct' physical treatment.

jencor69 wrote:
As an 'MS' patient of 22 years with copies of MRI scans showing 'a multitude of lesions' to explain the 'neurological damage' by 'demyelination' I can confidently say that I believe Dr Amir is right!
I have been told I have SPMS with EDSS 6.5, need a walking frame to walk. After 6 weeks of treatment with adjustable braces I amazed myself and my family, yesterday evening I stood up and walked better than I have done for 10 years! My walking problems cannot have been caused by the lesions on my brain. Even my last CCSVI procedure, although successful, didn't give me that level of improvement!
It's still early days for this treatment, and I can't wait to see what else it brings me.
What I do know for sure is that the current therapies for MS, i.e. the drugs that are pushed by our neurologists, are dangerous immunosuppressants that are more likely to kill you. Not only that, they are developed around an out of date, false paradigm of autoimmunity which was proved false years ago, yet they continue pushing the drugs despite deaths from their use. Get checked for TMJ dysfunction as soon as possible, that's my advice!

Dr Amir commented:
The wholesale hijacking of TMJ dysfunction patients into ME, CFS, FM, MS, RA and many other syndromes and mental conditions is truly merciless and astonishing!

Thekla wrote:
I think this needs research and attention

Dr Amir replied:
Many others have expressed similar calls for 'proper research'.

Proper research would be that which is altruistic. Altruism is, however, a schism between the greed of those seeking exponential wealth brimming with their pretentious remedies and those who seek relief from their afflictions.

I suspect dogmas, deception, greed and invariably a complete and utter distortion of the truth at the hands of those less dedicated to social purpose and professional altruism. Whether these distortions are exercised knowingly, wilfully or criminally, I shall leave all of you to be the best judge.

In another comment, Dr Amir:

I think many of you will have read this article:

"How the MS Society and neurologists seem to work together in the MS Drugs Industry."

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/66292082/Drugs% ... ociety.pdf

I came across it only last night. I was astounded that the evidence presented by Eustace Mullins in his book "Murder by Injection" holds so very true.

My personal dealings with these supposedly altruistic societies are that they are mostly a front advancing the commercial agenda of their sponsors, which seeks exploitation of the sick and have absolutely zilch interest in the welfare of those unfortunate to seek their assistance.

The evidence presented by the above paper about the "Charitable status Society" appears clearly to show that this is perhaps more of a racketeering front, and it should be outed and banished for its grossly unscrupulous activities which is doing nothing more than sentencing many people to avoidable incapacity and death. Its charitable status ought to be immediately reviewed and withdrawn.

I sent them a magazine article where my patient Mary Maguire had presented her case history and how she recovered from her MS through dental treatment. Apparently, many other people also sent this to the society. This was 12 years ago. I never heard from them. Now I know. It went straight into the dustbin. There was absolutely no enquiry or interest from them.

The above-mentioned article mainly discusses the PHYSICAL disturbance to the venous drainage from the cranium as a cause behind MS which is blatantly being suppressed by the MS society.

My personal experience with some 20 patients for whom CCSVI treatment has been largely unsuccessful shows that these patients have another PHYSICAL problem with their jaws and other skeletal asymmetry issues. Each one is recovering rapidly and some amazingly.

My conclusion is that THERE IS NOTHING LIKE AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AS FAR AS "MS" IS CONCERNED (as also supported by a lot of scientific evidence) and patients, especially those who are newly diagnosed with this despicable nonsense should seek immediate dental and symmetry evaluation to avoid this supposedly "Incurable disease".

Neurologists please note that you are duty bound to refer patients for such evaluation in your differential diagnosis to avoid a charge of negligence.

EJC wrote:
Unfortunately, Amir, we find conflicts of interest in our society on every page we turn.

Money drives everything, every aspect of political, medical and even religious aspects of life are all money driven. It's why so many of us have turned to each other on forums like this to try and cut through the crap and find something that really does help.

For many years, many PWMS have felt that the MS society did not and does not represent their best interests, but then show me a charity run like a corporation that really does work for who it claims to represent.

Dr Amir replied:

The fact is that the media creates the hysteria like "Saddam's weapons of mass destruction" and every one runs to arms. Similarly, the same hysteria is created about this "Incurable Multiple sclerosis" and everyone runs for the Frauduzimab!

I have now attended to many "MS" patients. I am pleased to say that I am still looking for that elusive "MS" patient. They have all turned out to be serious cases of Temporo Mandibular Joint Dysfunction who have been enrolled into an illness which is non-existent and hence have been denied a timely correct intervention.

Final Posting on Thisisms:

Facebook appears to have closed my account [after I exposed that dimethyl Fumerate, a banned antifungal, is shortly to be introduced as an MS drug for $50,000 a year!]
We all may have to migrate to an alternate system where neither Facebook nor its cronies can ban free speech.

AND HENCE THIS FORUM