 |
Last month I suggested some methods for diagnosing toothache, when the dentist has found no obvious cause for it.These included interference fields in the tooth itself, or in nearby autonomic ganglia (usually sphenopalatine ganglia for upper teeth and submandibular for the lower teeth).And I also suggested methods of treating them. There are yet other causes of dental pain that the dentist is unlikely to detect.These occur when pain is referred from trigger points in certain muscles.The tricky part about trigger points is that they may refer pain to locations quite distant from the trigger point, just as pain refers from visceral organs.But in the case of dental pain, the muscle trigger points are all located in the head and neck. According to Simons and Travell's classic textbook "Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual" there are three muscles likely to refer pain to teeth:
One tip‐off that pain is being referred from a muscle trigger point is that pain is usually felt in other places than just the tooth. For example, temporalis trigger points usually also provoke pain in the temple or in the low forehead. The diagnosis is confirmed by palpating the characteristically tender nodules in the muscle and then by a therapeutic trial ‐ usually involving local anesthetic injections. No physician practicing clinical medicine should be without the Trigger Point Manual (2 volumes).It is truly one of the great medical books of all time.The text is rich with clinical pearls; the illustrations are outstanding and best of all, it is organized in such a way that looking up trigger points and their referral patterns is easy, even for the busiest practitioner. Now, where does neural therapy fit into all this? The answer is ‐ in a number of ways. Janet Travell was familiar with the same body of science that the early neural therapists were. She correctly deduced that dilute procaine would treat trigger points and the associated pain. But she also discovered that a longer lasting effect could be obtained by (in addition) stretching the muscles. And she realized that "perpetuating factors" such as mechanical disturbances, malnutrition and psychosomatic factors had to be addressed to prevent recurrence. The modern neural therapist has the same and additional options.Trigger points can be detected not only by palpation but also by autonomic response testing, i.e. touching an active trigger point makes an indicator muscle go weak. When deciding on treatment, segmental therapy, injections of "quaddles" of dilute procaine into the skin overlying the affected muscle can be as effective as trigger point injections. Stretching of the muscles is not required. One might also search for interference fields that explain the genesis of the tight muscles. Somatic dysfunction of related vertebrae can be treated either by manipulation or by neural therapy (quaddles of dilute procaine into the skin over the vertebra). Tight muscles in the head and neck may be part of a whole-body pattern, in which whole‐body assessment and treatment is necessary. Cranial somatic dysfunction can also cause tight muscles. For those who are not trained in cranial osteopathy (or craniosacral therapy), a history of head trauma, however remote, should be reason enough for referral for cranial assessment. Psychological factors may be important in tight muscles, especially masseters. The patient who is enduring anger and frustration, perhaps "through clenched teeth" is prone to toothache not only through dental malocclusion, but also from referral from trigger points. --------------- A letter from a reader: The tooth issue is of course a major health concern, and although you may manage dental pain with neural and homeopathic remedies, the offending tooth, once infected to the point that the blood flow through the apex is blocked, will invariably have to be removed as part of clearing the interference field. Many, in fact, most "biological dentists" are still trying to do a better root canal therapy, when the fact is that the tooth is dead and gangrenous and cannot be revived. The lack of a biological mechanism for re-establishing blood flow and nerve innervation to the interior tooth pulp tissue, makes it illogical to mechanically rebuild the tooth. Once the pathological degeneration cascade has reached a certain point, there is no reversal possible. There are exceptional cases though for maintaining function and position of the tooth by doing root canal, as long as we accept it only as a temporary measure for which there may be a biological price. Hans Schwartz DDS Markham, Ontario, Canada. Editor's comment: I agree with Dr. Schwartz. Once the tooth has become gangrenous, neural therapy is a temporary measure. However it can be "life‐saving" for that tooth that is close to death and for which the dentist is sometimes recommending root canal treatment. Neural therapy's role is to optimize the body's defense mechanisms. However in the case of the dead tooth these defenses must be maintained throughout life. If the body's defenses falter, the root canal may come back to haunt the patient, often in subtle ways. --------------------- Mid-winter Neural Therapy Retreat February 5th and 6th, 2010 Wakefield Mill Inn, Wakefield, Quebec, Canada. Plans are now falling into place for this winter's mid-winter retreat. For those of you who have attended previous Mid-winter Retreats, you will recognize a similar format ‐ lectures on neural therapy and related subjects, demonstrations, and discussion ‐ all at a leisurely pace and in a relaxed environment. Lectures and demonstrations will be "in house" i.e. by invited participants. The emphasis will be on sharing knowledge but there will also be opportunity for participants to have their own (or a family member's) health problems addressed. This year we have as a special guest, Dr Carlos Chiriboga, an orthopaedic surgeon from Ecuador. As many of you know, "two solitudes" exist in neural therapy - the world of Spanish and German speakers - and the rest of us. Fortunately, Dr Chiriboga speaks English and we look forward to this opportunity to learn more about neural therapy as practiced in the Spanish-speaking countries. Lynne August will be returning for this meeting and will speak on "Practical tips to be gleaned from minor changes in blood chemistry". She is also again offering free "Health Equations"http://www.healthequations.com/ blood test evaluations to course participants.After you have registered, contact my (Dr. Kidd's) office, for information on how to go about this. Robert Banner from London, Ontario, will be teaching some advanced techniques in autonomic response testing; Bernadette Kohn from Chicago will be speaking on integration of neural therapy and osteopathy; Michael Gurevich, from Long Island NY will be sharing experiences from his psychiatric practice.I will likely speak on "energetics" and the importance of autonomic ganglia in neural therapy. Participants are invited to present free papers. Even a few minutes reporting an interesting case would be welcome. This year the venue is an inn in the Gatineau Hills, 25 minutes drive north of Ottawa.It is a converted stone gristmill, famous in the area for its fine cuisine. It has 27 guest rooms and they are all reserved for us ‐ so we will have the place to ourselves for those days.http://www.wakefieldmill.com/themill/index_e.html As in the past, the number of registrants is limited to less than 30. Only those with experience in neural therapy or closely related fields are invited.I expect that we will reach capacity quickly, so I would suggest that you reserve a place soon. Seminar registration is only $350 Cdn (about $320 US).Please contact my office by email (rfkidd@rfkidd.com) or telephone at (613) 432-6596.Visa and Mastercard are accepted. Please contact the mill and mention "Neural Therapy Retreat" for a special rate. ------------ Sincerely, Robert F. Kidd, MD, CM |