TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint Disorder)

There are many different ideas on what causes TMJ—for instance, trauma from accidents and stress. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), TMJ is related to a Stomach function disorder as well as a disorder of the Stomach meridians (the meridians for any given organ run on both sides of the body). The first thing to know is that the Stomach meridians run through the jaw area. Because of stress and an energy imbalance, the Stomach's energy stagnates and then this area of the body will show the effects of that stagnation.

The main point, according to Chinese psychology, is that you are "overeating"—your life has things that you are trying to "eat" but cannot "swallow." TMJ is like an emotional chewing. It is on the level of the subconscious. That's the reason that the clenching and grinding show up at night. During the day the conscious mind is busy, it's distracted. Its attention is turned to different things, turned in a different direction. At night, the conscious mind goes to sleep, but you still have not processed some things very well. In the West, you have the expression, "Something's eating you." You are trying to chew something during sleep that you cannot chew and swallow while awake. Put another way, in the daytime you didn't finish processing the issue, so at night, during sleep, you still continue to chew it. There is also the expression, "You've bitten off more than you can chew." Very often, this health problem is related to a large amount of stress in life, like a big project at work or a personal problem such as an unhappy marriage. Many things are behind TMJ.

If you really want to fix this kind of problem, you have to learn how to let things go emotionally. If you can learn how to let things go, then acupuncture and herbs will help your TMJ. Otherwise, these types of TCM treatment can only provide temporary relief—a couple of months later you'll be getting it again.

TCM Tips for Healing

TCM practitioners treat the physical symptoms of pain associated with this condition as well as its root cause with the following modalities.

• Acupuncture to rebalance the function of the affected organs.
• Herbs: The classical formula Bao He Wan helps the digestive system release stagnation. When your digestive system is strong you can digest everything, including your emotions.
• Acupressure: People suffering from TMJ can help themselves by massaging the following points: Hegu (Large Intestine 4, located on the middle of the second metacarpal bone), Jiache (Stomach 6, located in the lower portion of the masseter or jaw muscle, the area that expands when you bite your upper and lower teeth together), and Tinggong (Small Intestine 19, located in front of the ear in the spot where there is a "hole" when the jaw is opened). Massaging these points can bring temporary relief from the side effects of TMJ, such as headaches, jaw tension and neck pain.
• Rebalancing the emotions: To really fix this kind of problem you have to go to the emotions you are holding and release them. You have to understand why you are holding something beyond what you can handle. You have to understand your stress. By understanding the root cause, it will help you to release the problem.