I have been having intermitten ear pain fr about two and a half months. I have been seeing an ENT Dr. and after some trial and error he diagnosed me with reflux. I have been on prilosec for about a month and a half. The odd thing is I don't ever have any stomach or chest pain or anything like heartburn. In addition I don't burp alot or have excessive gas. I am curious as to whether ear pain(it is only the left) is a common symptom of reflux. Also how do stress,alcohol,and certain foods(not necessarily in combination) affect the symptoms of reflux? Lastly, any dietary suggestions?
In Reply to: GERD and ear pain posted by Jon on July 14, 1998 at 14:51:20:
Dear Jon,
Your ear pain is almost certainly due to Tempero-Mandibular Joint Syndrome. Since both GERD and TMJ are basically caused by focussing of total body bracing, you are going to have to deal with causes to resolve them.
Go to the FAQ link on this page & read about TMJ to get a way to at least temporarily rid yourself of the ear pain. Perhaps then you will become a believer in what I have to say about the rest. How come I can make the diagnosis over the internet & the doc right on the site cannot?????
Diet can help this but it is WAY down the list of effective things you should be putting your effort into. Right now, you should be doing the ginger root stuff & learning an effective skilled relaxation technique---the introduction to those are also on the FAQ page.
Write with any more questions you might have. In the meantime, as you get over these symptoms, I hope you will share your experiences with the BB participants so others will not have to go through what you are.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: GERD and ear pain posted by Walt Stoll on July 15, 1998 at 10:52:04:
Thanks for the reply. The FAQ page had one article on TMJ and how to get temporary relief, but not what causes it.(Unless I'm not looking in the right place.) How is TMJ diagnosed (aside from symptoms) and how can you be sure that that is what I have?
In Reply to: Re: GERD and ear pain, and TMJ? posted by Jon on July 15, 1998 at 11:20:33:
Hi Jon,
Check out the TMJ archives -- the first 2-3 posts talk a bit more about causes. I'm curious myself how Dad can be so certain that what you have is TMJ on so little info. My guess is your description fits a pattern he's seen many times before.
Peace,
Bill
In Reply to: Re: GERD and ear pain, and TMJ? posted by Jon on July 15, 1998 at 11:20:33:
Dear Jon & Bill,
I AM REALLY GLAD YOU BOTH ASKED THAT QUESTION! It gives me a chance to show off a little (grin).
First of all, MY expertise is seeing patterns in people's symptoms--something STILL not taught in medical schools but taught in every other healing philosophy in the world.
I KNOW what causes almost every case of LGS which is behind all of Jon's intestinal "diagnoses". It is total body bracing.
The other part of this certainty is that I (personally) had severe TMJ, causing ear pain, when I was first in practice and had to learn the hard way that few of my colleagues had any idea of the mechanism of cause. This was long before I ever learned to see patterns and it was nearly 10 years before that experience helped me see this clearly along with the rest of the holistic way of thinking.
Jon. You can prove me wrong by the simple expediient of trying the simple information on the FAQ page and seeing your ear pain go away.
You can see how it connects to the rest by doing some reading (MAH,MAS) AND catching yourself practicing the habit of letting your teeth touch ALL the time. Teeth should NEVER touch except when you are chewing something. The reasons for this are too complex for me to describe briefly although I do think they ARE described in the archives.
There is NO WAY you will be able to know if you are doing this without actually catching yourself in the act. THEN, you will wonder why you had not noticed it before.
The way to do this is for you to forget what I am saying here. Put it totally out of your mind & go on with your life. THEN, when you happen to think of it, instantly see if your teeth are touching. You will find that they are. Just let them drop apart about 1/4 inch & forget everything again. THEN, the instant you think of it again, see if they are touching. It will not take you many times to figure out that they are touching ALL the time. HOW DID I KNOW THAT?
This habit is the precurser of ALL TMJ problems and till it is broken, NO "treatment" of TMJ will be very effective or last for long.
Let me know what you learn. The BB participants will be interested in watching the process of your reagining wellness. It starts with learning AND awareness of the messages your bodymind is sending you all the time.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: GERD and ear pain, and TMJ? posted by Walt Stoll on July 16, 1998 at 09:15:55:
After reading the FAQ page I realized that my teeth touch(Even though I don't grind and rarely clench.). I haven't tried the eraser trick, but have been letting my jaw relax and have set aside time to do some passive relaxation. (I exercise daily and never have symptoms when I do.) I have noticed that I am under an uncommon amount of stress lately due to the intensity of my life. I am a Division I college wrestler studying Electrical Engineering and music.(privately) Unfortunately these activities clash at times and can get me pretty wired. I will continue to practice relaxation, but have scheduled a visit to an oral surgeon to make my wisdom teeth aren't the culprits. Thanks for your help. One last question. Once you realized you had TMJ and learned to relax your jaw ALL the time as well as to relax in general your ear pain never returned with out other treatment? Thanks again
In Reply to: Re: GERD and ear pain, and TMJ? posted by Jon on July 16, 1998 at 09:41:52:
Dear Jon,
My symptoms never returned. They were gone within 2 weeks because I really worked with breaking the habit.
DO NOT let your TMJ "specialist" DO anything to resolve this. All present "treatments" eventually cause more problems than they resolve and NONE of them resolve ANY of the causes.
You do not need to clench OR grind your teeth to cause your ear symptoms----only let them touch. Now, HOW did I know you were doing that (grin)?
Go again to the FAQ page & read the definition of stress in the "Moderm Medical Definition of Stress" and "Stress & Immunity". If THAT makes sense to you, you would profit by reading a copy of MY book.
Let us know how you do.
Walt
I've been experiencing severe jaw stiffness/pain, which travels down to my chest. The chest pain is toward the rear of my chest, closer to my back, and feels like someone is sticking knives between my ribs. Both jaw and chest pain occur mainly on the right side. This occurs several times a week for 30 - 60 minutes, ending with sore & stiff jaw for the rest of the evening. It always happens in late afternoon or evening. I have been to two doctors for the problem, which has been occuring for about two weeks now. The first doc said he couldn't find anything wrong, & recommended tagamet or zantac for a possible digestive link. I thought this sounded wacky, so I went to a different doc when it started to get worse. The second one said it sounded like tmj, especially since I tend to be a jaw clencher, and have a history of a whiplash injury in a car wreck three years ago. This sounds much more likely to me, but I'm still concerned. Are such severe chest pains a normal symptom of tmj? Does it usually get worse so quickly? The second doctor, who I saw today, put me on nopraxin and scheduled a follow up in a week. Does all this sound about right, or could some non-tmj ailment be causing this pain? I'd appreciate any ideas.
In Reply to: tmj??????? posted by beth malone on July 19, 1998 at 22:45:32:
Dear Beth,
This is a classical case of total body bracing that has been aggravated by your accident. You probably also have early TMJ which is also caused by the same mechanism AND is further aggravating the bracing.
You could prove me right AND get a year or so of relief by getting the 10 Rolfing sessions by a Certified Rolfer. Call (800) 447-0150 for the closest Certified Rolfer AND further information about Rolfing.
If you want to understand this in greater depth, read a copy of the most recent edition of "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier. I will bet that you have other symptoms you have not mentioned that are documented in that reference.
Let us know how you do. To keep this from happening in the future, you will need to learn an effective skilled relaxation technique and practice it regularly. Try to break the habit you have of allowing your teeth to touch. Teeth should never touch except when you are biting something.
If you have more questions, please do not hesitate to ask right here on this BB.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: tmj??????? posted by Walt Stoll on July 20, 1998 at 11:38:36:
Dear Walt,
I am seeing an osteopath for my TMJ and that has been very helpful. Actually, it has helped relieve me of more pain than any other therapy.
From the reading I have done on osteopathy, it appears to be an excellent therapy for someone who has been in an accident . The osteopath I am seeing has training in cranial sacral therapy and has experience with TMJ.
What do you think about osteopathy and TMJ, Dr. Stoll? The dentist you told me to call recommended for TMJ.
The osteopath said that massage would not interfere with what he was doing.
peace and love,
pamela
In Reply to: Re: tmj??????? posted by Pamela J on July 21, 1998 at 13:44:47:
Dear Pamela,
A cranial osteopath would be one of the best to help you with TMJ. From your note I gleaned that the dentist might have actually recommended the osteopath. If that is correct it is a great recommendation for that dentist & (hopefully) a harbinger of things to come.
STILL, in the long run, the effective practice of skilled relaxation is more important than AHYTHING else. In the short run, Cranial Osteopathy, Massage, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, even Acupuncture can be very helpful.
Walt
Hello Dr. Stoll,
I have a problem with recuring dark circles under my eyes.
I am a 42 year old woman that has been dianois with anemia
and having fibroid tumors and cyst located around the female area. I am scheduled for surgery to remove my uterus. What I would like to know is, are the circles under my eyes recuring because of the afore mention dianoisis, I know that anemia can cause cirlces< but is there anything else that may cause them? Please if you have and answer to my question and any recommendation to what it is I can do as a follow up with My Doctor.Please Email me back with with any information you may have and sites that I may visit on the Subject.
Thank you in Advance,
Mayrie Lewis
In Reply to: Re: Dark circles under eyes posted by Mayrie Lewis on July 20, 1998 at 00:40:14:
Dear Mayrie,
These "circles" are called "allergic shiners" by knowledgable physicians for more than 50 years. You probably even have a habit of letting your teeth touch when you are relaxed----another cause of "shiners".
ALL of the things you mentioned are caused by the same basic mechanisms. Treating them as you have been recommended to do is just dealing with the tips of the iceberg. Unless there is some emergency to having your surgery, I would suggest putting it off till you have a lot better handle on your options. There are 2 references that you especially need right now:
1. A copy of MY book (link on this page) and then, one of the resources in the back of that book:
2. "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier (latest edition).
THEN, if you still have questions, write again. As you get well, please share yur experiences with the rest of this BB's pardicipants. Others deserve to know that they are not being offered their options that are in compettiton to the conventional medical monopoly.
While you are waiting to get these references, you could get a head start by surfing the entries on these subjects already discussed on this BB. Go to the FAQ page and read about stress, lgs, candida and relaxation, etc. Also, take a look at the archives since your condition is VERY common and has been discussed for years.
Walt
Dear Walt, since you have been so wonderful about answering my questions about myself and daughter, I thought I would ask about my father.He has severe sinus problems so that his eyes turn completely red like they are really bloodshot. THey are extremely painful and sometimes lasts for weeks.Whenever his eyes get like this, he has the typical symptoms of a sinus headache. He thinks it is sinus infection, but he has no other symptoms of infection (no discharge of any sort, no fever). My guess is an allergy, but nothing seems to help and the problem happens at anytime during the year. He won't see a doctor, but years ago he was given antibiotics and cortizone, which of course was only a temporary fix. He does have a deviated septum, although I'm not quite sure what that means. Any ideas? Aimee
p.s. Thank you so much for turning me on to this relaxation thing. I am really following your advice and spreading the word to all of my friends. It is amazing to find out how many people I know who are afflicted with the same problem, but manifest it in different ways. It's nice to know I am not alone!
In Reply to: sinus posted by Aimee on July 23, 1998 at 00:34:01:
Dear Aimee,
Perhaps when your father sees the improvements in you, he will become more ready to learn what HE needs to know.
This is almost certainly caused by TMJ which is only caused by total body bracing. The only "cure" for that , in the long run, is exactly what you are doing with the skilled relaxation.
In the meantime, you might get him to do the eraser thing for his TMJ (see FAQ page), when he has the problem, so he will have the experience that this works for his symptoms. He also needs to become aware that he is letting his teeth touch when he is relaxed. Teeth should never touch except when biting something. There are many reasons that I will not go into here.
His "deviated septum has nothing to do with this! Forget it!
Eventually, if he continues his habit of teeth touching, he WILL get chronic sinusitis & allergies in that area.
He could also see a great improvement (albeit temporary --
several months) by just getting a deep, total-body, therapeutic massage 3 times a week for 2 weeks. Perhaps THAT will convince him that this is what is going on.
Remember, you can open doors--you cannot make people walk through them. When he has suffered enough, he will take you seriously.
Let us know what happens.
Walt
I have had dark circles more on the insides of my nose, It gets ligher and darker, I know it has something to do with my sinuses. If I saty on alergy medication for 4 to 5 weeks daily, they get lighter. They seem to be affected more by fungus times of the year than any other.????
In Reply to: Re: Dark circles under eyes (Allergic Shiners) posted by John Davidson on July 26, 1998 at 20:45:00:
Dear John,
This is likely a combination of your allergies (made possible by LGS) and your habit of letting your teeth touch when you are relaxed (only caused by bracing which is the most common cause of LGS).
I owuld suggest you learn about LGS & bracing as a place to start getting healthier.
Walt
In Reply to: Re: Dark circles under eyes (Allergic Shiners) posted by Walt Stoll on July 27, 1998 at 10:59:27:
I also have dark circles under my eyes. They have become quite a bit worse in the last six months along with red itchy eyes. I am 27 years old and have never had allergies. My physican prescribed an allergy medicene for my sneezing and itchy red eyes. I also have a slight case of TMJ. I have a mouth guard I am suppose to wear at night. Which I forget to do quite often.
I have been reading in the messages put in about dark circles under eyes. I still can't seem to find out what the solution is for making them go away. Also, what is LGS, that is referred to quite frequently? I would really like to find out why and what I can do about it.
Thanks
Christy
In Reply to: Re: Dark circles under eyes (Allergic Shiners) posted by Christy on July 28, 1998 at 10:47:09:
Dear Christy,
Well, now you DO have allergies. Also, TMJ is but a far advanced complication of a habit of allowing your teeth to touch when you are relaxed (a mechanism that blocks the pterygoid plexus of veins that drain from the the sinuses and eyes. The back pressure causes swelling of the tissues AND the dark areas under the eyes.
You are going to have to do some learning to resolve this. Use the archives for this 'site & read everything you can find about LGS. Get a copy of "Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer" by Dr Pelletier-------since it was written about you, you will want your own copy. Get the most recent edition.
THEN, when you are ready to resolve these (and other related conditions you have not yet shared with me) get a copy of my book (link on this page). When you have THAT information under your belt, if you still have questions, write again.
Walt
To anyone,
Since I've been ill, often as soon as a take a sip of water, or my first bite of a meal, I start to get pressure in my entire head, a localized throb in the top left middle of my head, weak and dazed, and my esophagus seems to tighten up. Sometimes it passes, and sometimes it lasts for a couple of hours (usually until my next meal). This symptom especially happens if I haven't eaten for a while, or if I'm very hungry, and then I begin drinking or eating.
I thought maybe it was an allergic reaction, but I could eat the exact same meal and it will happen, and then another time it won't. And I don't think I'm allergic to water. Does anyone have any ideas about this? I'd really appreciate hearing them. I'm clueless.
Thanks,
Tony