| | Homeopathy: Homeopathy and Dentistry Keeps You Smiling | |
A dental problem which has only recently become widely recognized is temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome. (28) This condition has linked various dental and other health problems to the malalignment of the jaw joint, the temporomandibular joint. It has been estimated that 38% of all impulses that go to the brain pass near this joint area. Malalignment of this jaw has been found to lead to symptoms as diverse as headache, vertigo, ringing in the ears, sinus pains, hearing loss, depression, and tic doulourex. Dr. Harold Gelb, director of the TMJ Clinic at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, has estimated that 20 million Americans suffer from TMJ. (29) Some dentists have estimated that 50% of all headaches are traceable to this syndrome. (30)
Because of the diversity of symptoms that TMJ sufferers experience, there are many medicines which homeopaths consider in determining proper treatment. As with any other chronic malady, the homeopathic approach requires an assessment of the person's totality of symptoms. Care from a professional homeopath is clearly indicated in such cases.
Besides treating acute dental problems, homeopathic medicines have the capacity to treat various chronic dental problems as well. Since some chronic dental conditions result from general health problems of the person, homeopathic medicines which have the capacity to strengthen a person's overall health therefore can augment general dental hygiene in order to prevent and treat teeth and gum disease.
The proper functioning of the salivary glands enables the body to digest foods and to neutralize the acids that germs in the mouth produce. Healthy functioning of the endocrine system helps the ligaments that hold teeth to gums remain b and aids the transport of blood to gums. The parathyroid gland is instrumental in helping to regulate calcium levels in the body. Because overall functioning of the body play an integral role in dental health, homeopathy will inevitably be recognized as a necessary part of general health care as well as good dental health.
It is certainly encouraging that more and more dentists are utilizing homeopathic medicines. For those whose dentists have not yet made the transition to homeopathy, lay people can learn to use the medicines themselves with impressive success. In order to obtain the best results, it is recommended to obtain several books (not just books on homeopathy and dentistry, but also some of the materia medicas in order to learn more about the medicines--See the resources section at the end of this book for details on accessing books). And, when possible, it is highly recommended to attend seminars on homeopathic dentistry.
Homeopathy can help keep you smiling!
References
1. Melvin Denholz and Elaine Denholtz, How to Save Your Teeth and Your Money, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977, 12.
2. Thomas McGuire, The Tooth Trip, New York: Random House, 1972, 2.
3. Denholz, 12.
4. J.H. Shaw, Fluoridation as a Public Health Measure, Washington, DC: AAAS, 1954. J.J. Murray, Fluorides in Caries Prevention, Bristol, England: Wright, 1976. E. Newbrun, editor, Fluorides and Dental Caries, Springfield, Il.: Thomas, second edition, 1975.
5. Dennis H. Leverett, "Fluorides and the Changing Prevalence of Dental Caries," Science, 217, July 2, 1982, 26-30.
6. "How Fluoride Might Damage Your Health," New Scientist, February 28, 1985, 20.
7. Leverett, 26-30.
8. "Is Fluoride an Essential Element?" Fluorides, Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, 1971, 66-68. Richard Maurer and Harry Day, "The Non-Essentiality of Fluorine in Nutrition," Journal of Nutrition, 62, 1957, 561-573.
9. Ellen Ruppel Shell, "The New Flap Over Fluoride," American Health, October, 1984, 60-63.
10. John Yiamouyiannis, Fluoride: The Aging Factor, Delaware, Ohio: Health Action, 1983, 172.
11. J.A. Albright, "The Effect of Fluoride on the Mechanical Properties of Bone," Transactions of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopedics Research Society, 1978, 3, 98.
12. D.W. Allmann and M. Benac, "Effect of Inorganic Fluoride Salts on Urine and Tissue 3'5' Cyclic-AMP Concentration in Vivo," Journal of Dental Research, 55 (supplement B), 1976, 523.
13. Alfred Taylor and Nell Carmichael Taylor, "Effect of Sodium Fluoride on Tumor Growth," Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, 119, 1965, 252-255.
14. J.A. Yiamouyiannis and Dean Burk, "Fluoridation and Cancer: Age Dependence of Cancer Mortality Related to Artificial Fluoridation," Fluoride, 10,3, 1977, 102-123.
15. J. David Erickson, "Mortality in Selected Cities with Fluoridated and Non-Fluoridated Water Supplies," New England Journal of Medicine, 298,30, May 18, 1978, 1112-1116.
16. George L. Waldbott with A.W. Burgstahler, and H.L. McKinney, Fluoridation: The Great Dilemma, Kansas: Coronado Press, 1978.
17. Quoted in Dr. Dean Edell's Medical Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, April 29, 1987.
18. Quoted in John Yiamouyiannis, Fluoride: The Aging Factor, 118.
19. Patrick Stortebecker, Mercury Poisoning from Dental Amalgams, Orlando: Bio-probe, 1986.
20. Joe Graedon, "Dental Dangers," San Francisco Chronicle, January 11, 1984.
21. C.W. Svare, L.C. Peterson, J.W. Reinhardt, D.B. Boyer, C.W. Frank, D.P. Gay, R.D. Cox, "The Effect of Dental Amalgams on Mercury Leveles in Expired Air," Journal of Dental Research, 60, 1981, 1668-1671.
22. J.E. Abraham, C.W. Svare, and C.W. Frank, "The Effect of Dental Amalgam Restorations on Blood Mercury Levels," Journal of Dental Research, 63,1, January, 1984, 71-73.
23. D.W. Eggleston, "Effect of Dental Amalgam and Nickel Alloys on T-lymphocytes: Preliminary Report," Journal of Prothetic Dentistry, May, 1984, 617-623.
24. "Mercury in Dental Fillings: Is There a Problem?" The Medical Letter, November, 1985.
25. Charles Taft, "Injurious Effects of Amalgam Fillings," Medical Advance, 30,6, June, 1893, 422-430.
26. R. Voll, "Twenty Years of Electroacupuncture Diagnosis," American Journal of Acupuncture, March, 1975, 15-38. R. Voll, "Electoacupucnture (EAV) Diagnostics and Treatment Results in Odontogenous Focal Events," American Journal of Acupuncture, 9,4, December, 1981, 293-302.
27. Henri Albertini, William Goldberg, Bernard Sanguy, and Claude Toulza, "Homeopathic Treatment of Dental Neuralgia Using Arnica and Hypericum: A Summary of 60 Observations," Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, 78,3, September, 1985, 126- 128.
28. Denholz. Irwin Smigel, Dental Health, Dental Beauty, New York: M. Evans and Co., 1979.
29. Denholz, 42.
30. Smigel, 236.
Additional References:
-Richard D. Fischer, "Dentistry and Homeopathy: An Overview," Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, 78,4, December, 1985, 140-147.
-Colin B. Lessell, The Dental Prescriber, London: British Homoeopathic Association.
-F. Steinlechner, "Homeopathy in Dentistry," British Homoeopathic Journal, 73,3, July, 1984, 145-149.
-Sam Ziff, The Toxic Time Bomb: Can the Mercury in Your Dental Fillings Poison You? New York: Aurora, 1984.
Copyright 1991 by Dana Ullman, M.P.H. used by permission of the author from
the book Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century published
by Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.
For further information about homeopathic medicine, contact:
Homeopathic Educational
Services
2124B Kittredge St.
Berkeley, CA. 94704
(510)649-0294
(510)649-1955 (fax)
Email: [email protected]
(Excerpted from Discovering Homeopathy: Medicine for the 21st Century ISBN: 1556431082)
 | DANA ULLMAN, MPH, is one of America's leading advocates for homeopathy. He has authored 10 books, including ...more |
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