Both conventional health care and alternative/holistic medicine diagnose and treat symptoms. But there are some important differences.

Conventional Health Care: The Bottom Line

Due to the current climate of insurance policy and health care regulations, rather than taking the time to correctly diagnose a patient and create an appropriate treatment plan, many health care professionals today respond by increasing their rate of prescribing medications as a quick fix.

Public pharmaceutical marketing campaigns and the resulting perception of prescription drugs as a panacea for symptom relief only intensifies the situation. Patients themselves frequently request medications as a first-line of treatment. Physicians, also encouraged by prescription drug companies, all too often respond in kind by prescribing millions upon millions of pharmaceuticals each year, creating an ever-increasing cycle that primarily benefits the pharmaceutical companies.

Both patients and physicians pay a high cost for this “easy fix” mentality. Patients, prescribed medications they don’t necessarily need (while the underlying causes of their health concerns remain unaddressed), are often left to deal with unwanted side-effects, in addition to the worsening of existing conditions. Doctors may lose faith in their own profession as they begin to see their integrity, skills and talents eroded by policy and regulations and undermined by pharmaceutical companies’ pull towards profit.

There is another way: Welcome to Wholistic care.

As most conditions, including the TMJ, may be affected by any imbalance in the body from the soles of the feet to the top of the head, a whole-body approach to diagnosis and treatment is critical. We are proud to offer top-of-the-line approaches for integrated health and wellness at all of our clinic locations. Experience whole-body health through Wholistic healing.

In Health and Happiness,

Dr. Richard Gerardo

D.C., C.S.C.P., D.A.C.B.N.

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Balancing the cranial-sacral system using SOT cranial therapy (a system of adjusting patterns in the body rather than focusing solely on individual body parts), along with chiropractic spinal therapy, myofascial treatment, foot mechanics, postural corrections, nutrition and exercise all play an integral role in analysis and treatment.

Properly diagnosing the root cause of the patient’s symptoms and correctly prioritizing treatment aimed at a reduction in the fight or flight response allows the nervous system to calm down and release out of sympathetic overload. With this release, muscle tension decreases and improves posture, allowing the patient to experience relief from symptoms and finally break the cycle of tension, instability and pain.

Keep in mind that jaw clenching, tooth grinding, headaches of any type and/or facial tension may be red flags indicating a TMJ issue. If you’re plagued by any of these common symptoms and have not found effective, long-lasting relief, a global chiropractic approach may be exactly what your body is asking for.

In Health and Happiness,

Dr. Richard Gerardo, D.C.  C.S.C.P. & D.A.C.B.N

View Part 1 of this series Holistic TMJ Treatment – Part 1

View Part 2 of this series Holistic TMJ Treatment – Part 2

TMJ Diagnosis and Treatment – Burbank and Thousand Oaks, CA.

The post Holistic TMJ Treatment – Part 3. TMJ Diagnosis appeared first on Richard C. Gerardo, D.C., C.S.C.P..

The musculosteletal system is made up of the bones of the skeleton, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints and other connective tissue that support and attach tissues and organs. This system supports the body, allowing motion and protecting vital organs. As TMJ issues inherently involve the musculoskeletal system, treatment of TMJ issues necessarily requires a holistic approach.

Apart from garden-variety stress, any instability or injury to the musculoskeletal system can cause or contribute to tension, including clenching and/or grinding and muscle guarding (muscle guarding occurs when muscles are tensed in preparation for use). What may have begun as a simple injury or instability too often results in a painful cycle of tension, further instability and pain.

Any treatment approach which fails to take the entire system into account is by definition an incomplete approach that will yield few, if any, lasting results. To be truly effective and provide patient relief and healing, TMJ therapy must move from traditional symptom care to a global, holistic approach. Stress and tension must be addressed first to render the system receptive to any and all treatments. The jaw, the strongest muscle in the body, serves as both an important monitor for tension patterns in the human body and as an essential entry point onto the path of true health and wellness.

In Health and Happiness,

Dr. Richard Gerardo, D.C. C.S.C.P. & D.A.C.B.N

View Part 3 of this series Addressing TMJ Diagnosis & Treatment.

TMJ and the Musculoskeletal System – Thousand Oaks CA

The post Holistic TMJ Treatment – Part 2 appeared first on Richard C. Gerardo, D.C., C.S.C.P..

In our complex modern lives, we tend to overload our schedules, spend long hours in front of computer screens, skimp on nutritious meals and adequate sleep and run from appointment to appointment on our “time off.” Exhausting! This near-constant state of busyness and stress often results in facial tension, jaw pain and headaches, along with a whole host of nagging health issues. Many of these problems originate from an often unconscious habitual clenching or grinding of the teeth that impacts the temporomandibular joint.

The temporomandibular joint, commonly known as TMJ, serves as a monitor or sentinel for the postural system. This joint contains the most nerve receptors of any joint in the body. As a result, vital information relayed to and from the TMJ regarding chewing, speaking and swallowing, for example, has priority when it reaches the brain—and with good reason! These functions are obviously essential not only for optimal health, but for survival.

Tension in the TMJ, (including clenching and grinding), is part of the body’s fight or flight response, an integral function of the musculoskeletal system that is often over-activated in a stress response to our hectic lives. To break this cycle of stress including clenching and grinding, successful remediation starts by treating the whole system rather than simply focusing on individual symptoms.

Jaw clenching, tooth grinding, headaches of any type and/or facial tension may signifiy a TMJ issue. If you’ve experienced these symptoms and have not been able to find relief, a global approach may be the missing puzzle piece.

In Health and Happiness,

Dr. Richard Gerardo, D.C.  C.S.C.P. & D.A.C.B.N

View Part 2 of this series TMJ and the Musculoskeletal System.

TMJ Holistic Treatment – Burbank, Montrose and Thousand Oaks, California

The post Holistic TMJ Treatment – Part 1. What is TMJ? appeared first on Richard C. Gerardo, D.C., C.S.C.P..