No More TMJ

The first time my husband had a TMJ attack was when we were first dating. He was a teacher in Tennessee and up in New Jersey visiting family for the summer. His school district was going through some big shake-ups and he wasn't sure he'd have a position in the fall. Needless to say, that stress brought on an attack of TMJ, something I'd never heard of before. TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint syndrome. This joint connects the temporal bone, which forms the side of the skull, with the mandible or jawbone. When this joint is irritated and not functioning properly it causes extreme pain in the muscles and joints of the jaw. That pain can spread to the face, neck and shoulder as well. It is difficult to open the mouth. The most common underlying causes of this painful condition are stress, grinding the teeth (especially during the night) and a poor bite. Believe me I got an education in this condition and quickly!

That first time I witnessed the attack it wasn't one of his worst and it only lasted a few days. Thankfully, he was told his job was secure and was able to relax and release the stress. Once we were married I realized he was grinding his teeth almost every night. I'd nudge him and interrupt whenever I was awake and heard him. It wasn't long before he had another attack, which lasted about a week this time. He didn't get these attacks all the time, but when he did he was in so much pain he was totally bedridden and out of commission for days at a time.

At one point, when our two boys were young, we had our own business (stress multiplied!) and he had one of the worst attacks ever. He just laid in bed, writhing in pain for a week. He was popping Tylenol and Advil like candy and they weren't even touching the pain. I kept him supplied with warm wash cloths to try and soothe his pain and he was living on Instant Breakfast through a straw as he could only open his mouth very little. It was frightening and upsetting (to say the least!) to see him in so much pain.

In researching some natural options, I happened to talk to my son's first grade teacher, who was also into natural health and healing. She said she had suffered from TMJ in the past and gave me a recipe for a tea she made which provided very quick relief. I was all ears and ran to the health food store to buy the herbs, as well as two large glass jars and began making a batch for him. She suggested he drink it at the first twinge of pain and consume 2-3 cups daily until it subsided.

It was almost unbelievable how quickly it provided relief that very first time, even though he was already in the midst of an attack. From that time on, I made sure I kept a supply of those herbs in the house and as soon as he felt the first twinge he'd tell me and I'd get a batch ready. It never failed to halt an attack in its tracks! If you are wondering what those miraculous herbs are, here's the recipe:

1 large handful of Valerian steeped for 8 hours in a big pot of water (I used my pasta pot, so about 8 cups); in a separate pot of water steep 2 handfuls each of scullcap and spearmint for 4 hours. Strain both and combine in a large, glass jar and keep in the refrigerator. As I mentioned before, drink 2-3 cups daily as needed. You can sweeten with stevia. He didn't seem to mind the taste much because the result was so wonderful.