Doctors often prescribe a mouthpiece, guard or splint to treat their patients suffering from temporomandibular disorders -- TMD, which involves the masticatory, or chewing, muscles and TMJ, which involves the jaw joints. These conditions cause...
Injuries are the major disadvantage of playing basketball. According to statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 481,000 basketball-related injuries were treated in 2007. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons...
Tumeric is a spice used in curry and other dishes. It is a perennial plant belonging to the same family as ginger. Scientific studies show that turmeric tablets may provide a variety of health benefits. However, consult with your doctor before...
Indians have used cinnamon as herbal remedy for centuries. Today, nearly every part of the world uses cinnamon, mainly as spice for food, and some people use it for the treatment of such conditions as an upset stomach, gastric ulcers, respiratory...
Mouth guards offer athletes a growing level of protection. In heavy contact sports like football, boxing, mixed martial arts fighting and ice hockey, players wear mouthguards to protect their teeth. Generations ago, mouth guards were made of hard...
The pros and cons of facial exercises are reflected in the vast differences of opinion when it comes to the safety and effectiveness of performing them. Facial exercises consist of a series of poses and expressions that are held for certain...
Qigong offers you a practice with physical and mental components that come from Chinese medicine. The goal of the practice is to bring the body toward homeostasis. Homeostasis is your body’s natural balance. Qigong, as defined by Kenneth...
Properly fitted sports mouthguards can help prevent injuries to the mouth. Sportsdentistry.com says good mouthguards should be comfortable, resilient and tear-resistant. Mouthguards are particularly important for preventing injuries to the teeth...
Cinnamon is touted as an herb that will help keep your blood sugar in control, relieve dyspeptic complaints like bloating and heartburn, help with symptoms of arthritis, stimulate appetite and fight inflammation. You’ll find it on grocery...
Endorphins are natural substances that your brain manufactures to control pain and stress levels. A variety of foods contain certain building blocks from which endorphins and compounds that promote the production of endorphins are made. Consult...
While a child who stutters or who has trouble pronouncing sounds may have a speech disorder, children who have difficulty understanding others or trouble sharing their own thoughts are described as having a language disorder. According to the...
Injuries are an unavoidable part of sports, and ice hockey has more than its fair share of injuries because it is a contact sport that involves sticks, sharp blades and vulcanized rubber flying at high speeds. Mouth guards are protective equipment...
The zygomaticus muscles make it possible for you to speak, chew and use your face to express emotions. You can injure these muscles by overuse or trauma. Because they are connected to the eye socket and the jawbone, injuries, irritation or disease...
Brain injuries resulting in damage do not affect just the cognitive, or thinking, processes. These injuries can result in many impairments ranging from psychological to physical disabilities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...
The brain is the center of all neurological processing activity and can be affected by more than 600 known neurological disorders. Causes of neurological disorders include genetics, injury and environment with symptoms ranging in severity from...
Folic acid, also known as folate and vitamin B9 is involved in several bodily functions including the synthesis of DNA and is therefore very important during growth. Initially in pregnant women, blood levels of folate decrease because of the rapid...
Fluid around your joints allows them to move freely and painlessly. Glucosamine sulfate is a naturally occurring substance in this fluid. It is commonly used as a treatment for osteoarthritis, for which there is supportive clinical data. The...
Folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, is a water-soluble vitamin used in supplements. Folate is the natural occurring form of vitamin B9 found in dietary sources. The Institute of Medicine recommends a daily intake of 400 mcg of folate for adult...
A red, cracked, sore tongue can be very painful and interfere with your ability to eat properly. The condition can be caused by irritation from eating, a fissured tongue or even from a disease known as Sjogren's syndrome. It is essential for you...
Using protective gear while playing sports is important to prevent or reduce the severity of dental and facial injuries. Despite their importance, many athletes do not to use these devices. A study published in June 2010 in the "European Journal...
Dimethylaminuethanol -- or DMAE -- is a precursor of a neurotransmitter, acethylcholine, and is naturally produced by the human brain. There are several DMAE products on the market, targeted for either oral or topical use. The oral products are...
Available in a variety of forms and formulations, cold-sore medications can quicken the pace of healing of cold sores or fever blisters caused by herpes simplex virus (HSV). Orofacial herpes is a widespread malady that is more a health irritant...
A toothache does not always originate in your teeth. Pain in your teeth when you jog or jump can have several causes, some tooth-related and some not. Problems with your sinuses and even problems with your heart can manifest themselves as...
Deformities from lack of nutrition can occur at any age, even in utero. In the United States, 3 percent of children are born with birth defects, a condition that causes a physical change to one or more body parts. Researchers attribute some of...
Neurological disorders affect the brain, spinal cord and nerves of the central and peripheral nervous systems. While many neurological disorders are common, others occur so infrequently that they are recognized as rare disorders. These disorders...
In the United States, approximately one in every 750 babies are born with cleft lip and/or palate, according to the National Institutes of Health. Cleft lip is a birth defect that occurs when there is an incomplete closure of tissue around the...
Maintaining optimal nutrition throughout your pregnancy is vital. Not only does your baby need an abundant supply of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients to develop properly, you also require additional nutritional support to prepare you for...
Cleft lip and cleft palate are two birth defects that affect the face. Medline Plus notes that 1 in every 2,500 people have a cleft palate, in which the roof of the mouth does not join together during development. In a cleft lip, an opening in the...
Sleep apnea is a potentially serious, chronic health condition characterized by brief pauses in breathing while you're asleep. Although oropharyngeal exercises don't work for all kinds of sleep apnea, they may provide an effective supplemental...
