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TMJ vs Teeth Grinding – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 528
TMJ
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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
TMJ vs Teeth Grinding – InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode 528
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH: [00:00:40] Have you ever bit down on a piece of food so hard that you feel almost a shooting pain sensation go across your face? This is a common occurrence that can happen, but what’s even more common is when you look at the statistics for TMJ, and that’s what I want to talk about today, is what is TMJ? What is the difference between someone grinding their teeth at night and actually having TMJ? Because sometimes people get the two slightly confused and the two can be linked for sure. But I want to talk about the difference and what TMJ actually is and what you can be doing if you feel that you fall into this category, or perhaps you’ve been to your dentist and your dentist has diagnosed you with TMJ. So I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH. And when it comes to TMJ, this is a lot more common than we actually recognize. I always look at things in terms of prevalence rates and when you have anything that’s creeping over 2, 3% of the population, that’s a fairly common ailment. Now, when you look at the statistics, when it comes to TMJ, this number is really quite large. It’s estimated that upwards of 10%, if not even higher, of the population suffers from TMJ.† [00:02:04]
[00:02:05] So what is TMJ? Well, that is your temporomandibular joint, and some people have a diagnosis of what is known as temporomandibular joint or muscular disorder within that joint space. We know that this is more common in women than it is in men, and we can look at reasons for why women are more prone to experiencing TMJ disorders than men. And oftentimes we can look at things like birth control pills, so oral contraceptives and utilizing synthetic estrogens oftentimes can be linked to a inflammation within that joint space itself. And the way that dentists or doctors actually diagnose this can be very difficult because it’s very complicated. A lot of it comes down to the level of pain or self-reporting of pain. Looking at the duration to which your muscles in the face and the joint itself experience pain. Do you have a difficult time when it comes to chewing? Is there a snapping noise that occurs? So there’s many different variations and variables when it comes to TMJ, but what we do know is that it is quite prevalent.† [00:03:29]
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[00:03:30] Now understanding the difference between that and grinding your teeth because grinding your teeth, this is something that doesn’t necessarily affect the temporal mandible joint. However, if someone has TMJ and they’re also grinding their teeth, this can really become incredibly problematic. So when you think about teeth grinding, many people do this and some people do it during the day when they’re thinking about something, or maybe they’re irritated and they grind their teeth together. But most people talk about this at night. And there’s an actual term for it. It’s called bruxism. So when people are grinding their teeth, this can certainly create a problem within the enamel of the teeth wearing that away, and you have to try to figure out well, why is that occurring? And there’s usually an underlying reason as to what makes people grind their teeth. Is it too much stress? Is it a issue with maybe an imbalance in your immune system? Perhaps there’s an over abundance of biofilms that are building up that are created from perhaps a parasite, for example. I know people don’t like to think about that, but that is definitely a reason sometimes that we find people will be grinding their teeth at night or having like a chewing sensation while they are trying to sleep.† [00:04:51]
[00:04:52] So there are two different types. One is when you’re actually clenching your teeth while you’re awake, so there’s the Awake Bruxism, and then the other is when you’re grinding your teeth or clenching your teeth at night and that is termed Sleep Bruxism. Now daytime, usually we can link that more towards the stress. The Sleep Bruxism or grinding of the teeth, this is a little bit more difficult to to find that underlying root cause. Like I said, it could have something to do with a parasite. It could have something to do with restless leg syndrome. It can certainly still be because of adrenal stress that is disrupting the normal sleep cycle. But at the end of the day, we know that signs and symptoms of teeth grinding are a little bit easier for for dentists or doctors to be able to diagnose because you’re going to see the enamel being worn down. You can see that the teeth themselves sometimes become very sensitive to hot and to cold. Or maybe you, you know, bite into something sweet and you get this sensation. So this is oftentimes an indication that you’re clenching down or you’re grinding your teeth too much. Some people will get a headache in, in the temporal region, and then they sometimes get that confused and say, “Oh, maybe I have TMJ.”.† [00:06:15]
[00:06:16] Well, certainly this is not always the case. We know that the disorder, known as temporal mandible joint disorder, this causes pain and discomfort, and it’s almost like an arthritis basically within that joint space. Now, oftentimes it gets to that level of severity where people have to go in and have surgery done. There are many different signs and symptoms outside of just that of having extreme pain. You can have a difficult time when it comes to chewing a food. You can have this clicking sound when the jaw opens or closes. But diagnosis of TMJ oftentimes can be a little bit more complicated than that when we look at bruxism or grinding or clenching of the teeth. So at the end of the day, if you have a clicking or a popping sound, does that mean that you have TMJ? No, not necessarily. Could just be the anatomy of your jaw. But we do know that this is commonly associated with TMJ. If you have ringing in the ears or dizziness, could this be an indication that you have TMJ? Certainly, it can be. So to try to find the true root cause and the proper diagnosis is really important because then you can have the most well-equipped way in terms of managing this in a natural sense. So for many people, they will go in and they’ll try, you know, maybe a chiropractic treatment. And sometimes this is all that they need. Sometimes their dentist will fit them with a particular mouthpiece to try to avoid worsening of the inflammation and pain within that joint if they are also concurrently grinding their teeth at night.† [00:08:02]
[00:08:03] But we know that stress reduction is certainly key to being a natural remedy when it comes to TMJ. We know that your diet really, really matters, and following an anti-inflammatory diet is incredibly important. When someone is experiencing TMJ and they have a significant amount of pain occurring within that joint, it is really crucial that you have a higher intake of foods that are packed with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, so fatty fish such as salmon, for example. I would also include in to a daily routine, if you have TMJ or you suspect you have TMJ, to be making sure that you are supporting the joint with collagen. So the utilization of Collagen HxⓇ or Collagex HA, which is a Dr. Pressman formulation, are really good ideas. If you have a very acute situation with TMJ, then trying to avoid foods that are creating an awful lot of chewing would be incredibly smart. So soft foods, foods that have been, you know, steamed, cooked down, so they’re easier for you to break down and to digest is certainly important.† [00:09:21]
[00:09:22] And then we want to look at other nutrients that we know can be beneficial. So we want to regulate our stress response, so adrenal adaptogenic herbs such as ashwagandha, rhodiola certainly would be advantageous. We also want to look at B-vitamins. We know that when it comes to the nervous system and the muscles that feed into that joint space, having a methylated B-complex, so the Methyl-B formulation would be incredibly wise to add into your routine, along with magnesium to make sure that we’re having relaxation within the muscles around that joint, calcium, Vitamin C, as well as glucosamine. So oftentimes when I’m working with someone who has TMJ, I will put them on a combination of the Bone Powder formulation, the Collagen HxⓇ, Methyl-B, Fish Oil, along with additional Vitamin C. And for many folks, they will find that this can alleviate so much of their discomfort. Now we have to change the diet as well. We need to regulate that stress throughout the day so that we are not exacerbating the pain and inflammation within the joint itself. This is definitely a key area to to make sure that we are paying attention to.† [00:10:42]
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[00:10:42] But glucosamine, I must say, has been studied and shown to be incredibly beneficial when it comes to that arthritic inflammation and pain within the temporomandibular joint. They did a study back in 2018 and it was published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, and they found that when compared to the placebo, that glucosamine was very, very beneficial. So at the end of the day, we know that we have to change our diet. We need to manage our stress, need to get adequate sleep, and we need to incorporate in nutrients that are going to support that joint space by structurally supporting it with glucosamine as well as collagen. And then we want to make sure that we have an adequate magnesium, Vitamin C, those adrenal adaptogenic herbs. All of these can be incredibly supportive.† [00:11:36]
[00:11:37] Now there’s one last little key point here when it comes to your TMJ disorders, and that is bromelain. This is kind of my go-to whenever there is a lot of acute inflammation that is occurring within a joint. Bromelain, which comes from the stem of pineapple, is actually very, very targeted towards that type of inflammation. So if you take bromelain away from food, so it’s not utilized as a digestive enzyme, this would be incredibly good when it comes to targeting that joint. So about 1000mg two to three times per day when you’re in a real acute situation. Now also, keep in mind that we know that Vitamin D is integral to the maintaining of our skeletal muscles when it comes to our immune system and our inflammatory response. So making sure that you are always maintaining healthy serum Vitamin D levels can also get you out of a jam when it comes to TMJ. They’ve done studies, and they’ve been able to show that when people are experiencing TMJ disorder, that they are more likely to have deficiencies in Vitamin D, and once those levels become normalized, they have less pain. So definitely include your Vitamin D, your magnesium, your collagen, your Vitamin C, your glucosamine. All of these nutrients in combination can certainly pack a whole heck of a lot of punch.† [00:13:11]
[00:13:11] Now there’s other interesting research out there showing that powerful antioxidants coming from things like grape seed extract have also been shown to be incredibly supportive for those who are suffering with TMJ. But we know it’s common. We know many people deal with it. Your foods matter, your stress levels matter, and of course, the nutrients that you’re taking every day. Those matter as well.† [00:13:35]
[00:13:35] So that’s all that I have for you for today. I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Do you make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:13:35]
*Exit music*
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Keto Diet vs Mediterranean Diet – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 525
keto diet
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Please see below for a complete transcript of this episode.
Keto Diet vs Mediterranean Diet – InViteⓇ Health Podcast, Episode 525
Hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
*Intro music*
InViteⓇ Health Podcast Intro: Welcome to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast, where our degreed healthcare professionals are excited to offer you the most important health and wellness information you need to make informed choices about your health. You can learn more about the products discussed in each of these episodes and all that InViteⓇ Health has to offer at www.invitehealth.com/podcast. First time customers can use promo code PODCAST at checkout for an additional 15% off your first purchase. Let’s get started!
*Intro music*
Amanda Williams, MPH:
[00:00:40] When it comes to a healthy diet, oftentimes people get confused between dieting and diet. Today, I want to talk about the importance of diet, and I’m going to zero in on the difference between the two most popular diets that people adhere to. One is the Mediterranean diet, the other is the keto diet. The keto diet has definitely gained a lot of attention and momentum over the past few years, so I want to really be able to differentiate between the two, which is the most ideal and why one would be following a said diet. So not dieting, but actual diet. I’m Amanda Williams, MD, MPH, Scientific Director at InViteⓇ Health, and it’s important to understand the difference, when you think about the word dieting and people will often say this, “Oh, I’m on a diet,” or “I’m dieting.” Dieting is when you’re actually limiting yourself to, you know, certain choices of foods as opposed to following a healthy diet, which is going to allow you to have a lot more options, but they’re in that healthy category.† [00:01:52]
[00:01:53] So we have to understand that when it comes to adhering to a particular dietary pattern, the two diets that most people trend to are going to be the Mediterranean diet and the keto diet, and there’s a lot of interest in this. They are very different in their own right. We understand that many people say, “Oh, you have to be on a keto diet and this creates ketosis.” There’s a lot of science that will show that actually the adherence to the Mediterranean diet is the preferred dietary choice. And I encourage people all the time when they come to me and say, “Hey, should I be doing a keto diet? I had a friend that did it and they lost all this weight and they feel really good and energetic.” It doesn’t work the same for every single person. So when you’re doing the keto diet, we’re actually kind of following in that vein of dieting because we’re limiting our exposure to certain nutrients, whereas the Mediterranean diet is not doing that. We have the full spectrum of all of the different food groups, but we’re just making healthier choices.† [00:03:05]
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[00:03:06] So let’s get into some of the science behind this. So what’s really involved when someone’s doing a Mediterranean diet or a keto diet and comparing the two? So historically, when you think about the Mediterranean diet, this is when you think about countries that border the Mediterranean Sea, who always followed a very unique dietary routine that included many healthy fats, things like seeds and nuts, lots of fruits and vegetables, a good intake when it came to fatty fish and a low intake of things like red meat and sugar and dairy. Now, following a Mediterranean diet is certainly advantageous and the most widely studied of all diets out there. So we understand that when we look at every single system in the body, the Mediterranean diet has been shown to be clinically effective at targeting issues with cognitive health because it helps to maintain your brain volume as you age. When it comes to heart health for supporting the entire vascular system. When it comes to regulating blood cholesterol levels as well as blood sugar levels. So all in all, we know that the most healthy way to eat is through that adherence of the Mediterranean diet. Having optimal cardiovascular health is what most people should be striving for. Maintaining the health of our brain is what most people should be striving for. And of course, not falling into that trap of having elevated glucose that can do so much damage to every single system in the body.† [00:04:44]
[00:04:45] Now, when you think about the keto diet, this is a little bit different. The keto diet was initially introduced back in the 1920s as a diet to turn to for neurological support. So when people had seizures, for example, what they were doing was allowing the body to use ketosis. It’s using fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. So when you think about this and you correlate this into a dietary intake, this is why a keto diet is going to be incredibly restrictive or basically eliminating down carbohydrates. So the carb intake would solely be coming from minimal exposure to, say, a little tiny bit of fruit or a little tiny bit of vegetables. So its initial, you know, target for brain health and for the neurological component to that made a lot of sense because you didn’t want to have excess sugar, which would then create these misfirings. However, for the average person to eat this way is usually not going to be sustainable. And we know that when people are doing a keto diet, oftentimes they will find this initial drop in weight, and that’s because you’re taking the bad carbohydrates out, so initially you can have this weight loss. But the problem is is that managing that weight loss and maintaining that over time becomes difficult because now you’re lacking in key nutrients that come from healthy carbohydrates. So now you can start to see the difference. And this can start to create this response in the body where originally you do the keto diet, you have a lot of energy and then over time you start to dwindle and you start to feel tired and fatigued, and it can even affect your mood. You maybe start feeling anxious or depressed. It can affect your sleep.† [00:06:49]
[00:06:51] So when we think about a keto diet, does it mean no one should ever do a keto diet? No, not necessarily. There are times where a keto diet could be quite advantageous, but for the average person, 95% of people the Mediterranean diet is 100% the choice that you want to make. And looking at that comparison, the risk versus benefits one could say between a keto diet and a Mediterranean diet, it is definitely very scientific, and we can look at how many of the foods that are contained in both the keto diet as well as the Mediterranean diet. There’s a cross linking of those when you look at some of the healthy fats, for example. But we also have to realize that it is through that, you know, strict adherence to a keto diet that things can start to diminish in the body.† [00:07:46]
[00:07:47] So I want to talk about a study that was done in 2021, and it was published in the Nutrients Journal, where they were looking at the adherence of a ketogenic and Mediterranean style diets. So this was a crossover trial, and it was called the Keto-Med randomized trial. So it’s kind of interesting, right? Keto-Med randomized trial. And the reason why they wanted to focus in on this is because of the prevalence, the rate of type two diabetes that is increasing at this alarming rate throughout the United States as well as throughout the world. And we know that the foods are that driving factor. So people who follow a Standard American Diet, which is high in bad carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, does not have any exposure to the powerful antioxidants that fruits and vegetables provide, or the fiber that those fruits and vegetables provide. We know that when we’re looking at the average carbohydrate intake in the United States, it makes up well over for many folks 50% of your daily energy, and that is certainly going to be problematic. Now, when you look at a Mediterranean diet because you’re getting this expansive exposure to different nutrients, the healthy fats coming from the olive oils and the nuts and the seeds, fatty fish, avocados, for example, we know that the energy coming from the carbohydrates is going to be somewhere around 35%. Now we can look at a ketogenic diet. We know that this is incredibly restrictive to that carb intake. And so the range of carb energy when someone’s on a keto diet is roughly about 10%. So you can see Standard American Diet, you’re well over 50% just eating donuts, horrible foods that are just not nutrient dense whatsoever. We can look at healthier carb options in the Mediterranean diet, which is going to yield you really wonderful energy. About 35% of your energy will be coming from those foods, from those carbohydrate-based foods, but they’re healthy carbs, whereas the restrictive keto diet only going to be 10% and in some cases even lower than that.† [00:10:05]
[00:10:05] So they wanted to set up this randomized crossover trial to compare the two different diets. So looking at the ketogenic diet versus the Mediterranean diet, and the objective was to really determine which diet is more effective in improving blood glucose for that regulation of diabetes and looking at those outcomes over time. It was quite interesting the way that they set this study up, so they took adults over the age of 18 years old and they were assessing their blood glucose levels, their hemoglobin A1C and these were all people who had been diagnosed with type two diabetes. They had them complete these different screening assessments to see what their current dietary intake was like. And then they had them join into this, and they had them adhere to a Mediterranean diet, and then after they did that, they switched them over to a keto diet and they were able to follow and track how these people responded to the different foods through the analysis of blood testing. So it’s a really interesting way to, to assess how foods impact the human body. And they’ve done a really interesting study where they had people go and eat like a burger and fries and a milkshake. And then like an hour later, they tested their blood levels and you could see how the immune system was incredibly raging and the inflammation was driving up. And then they tested them like six hours after they had that meal and it was still really high. So it tells you the damaging effects of those bad foods. So looking at this particular study, they, you know, tracked what they were eating. They had them do the Mediterranean diet. Then they switched them over to doing a keto diet and then assessed all of those different functional levels so they can compare which one is going to actually yield and garnish the better support for someone who is dealing with type two diabetes. And what they were able to notate through this study was that the nutritional interventions that both of the different diets yielded, the Mediterranean diet by far gave the greatest bit of support because remember, they were getting that comprehensive blend of fruits and vegetables that were helping to fend off oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. And so this is a example of a very scientifically driven study showing the advantages of adherence to a Mediterranean diet over a ketogenic diet.† [00:12:54]
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[00:12:55] There have been other studies that have looked at both the positives and negatives of a ketogenic diet, and it is, like I said, gained a lot of momentum and popularity over the last decade. And the main reason is because people can lose a lot of weight. So I always say ketogenic is technically dieting. It’s not a diet. It’s not something that you would stick with for life. It’s dieting. And to understand the difference between the two and seeing the science behind the Mediterranean diet and its prevention of chronic diseases, it is hands down the most widely studied and the most supported when it comes to the scientific data when you’re looking across all different spectrums, whether we’re talking about chronic kidney disease, heart disease, any of the metabolic disorders, we know that it comes down to the full spectrum of getting vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibers, healthy fats, good healthy carbohydrates. This is what the human body actually needs. So when we’re restricting the body to less amounts of one thing, it doesn’t always pay off for us in the end. So hopefully this yields a little clarity for those who maybe are kind of on the fence, like, “Which one should I do? Should I do the keto diet or the Mediterranean diet?” Well, Mediterranean diet is actually the one about healthy eating, keto diet is technically dieting. So if you understand the difference between the two, maybe you use the keto diet for a short term, maybe a couple of weeks. You know you’re getting ready to go on a beach vacation. You want to trim down a little bit. Perhaps that keto diet in the short term would be ideal, but for long term overall health for all aspects of your wellness, the Mediterranean diet is the choice to definitely make.† [00:14:50]
[00:14:51] So I want to thank you so much for tuning in to the InViteⓇ Health Podcast. Remember, you can find all of our episodes for free wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting invitehealth.com/podcast. Now, do make sure that you subscribe and you leave us a review. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @invitehealth and we will see you next time for another episode of the InViteⓇ Health Podcast.† [00:14:51]