Headaches Since Going Vegetarian...

What is "TMJs"?

 

MY HEADACHE IS GONE! THANK JESUS, MY HEADACHE IS GONE!

 

Regular massage would be good for you too.


That's great Ash!

 

It stands for temporomandibular joint. I guess the proper term is tmj dysfunction. Basically my jaw joint is all kinds of fucked.

 

Having a glass of wine with a friend goes a long way!

 

That sounds awful. Is it kind of like lockjaw?

 

I haven't had the wine yet....I know what you mean, though.

 

You can get that TMJ problem from gritting or clenching your teeth. Even in your sleep.

 

It's not really that horrible actually, my joints are just out of whack so my jaw makes a cracking noise sometimes like when you pop your knuckles, and I can't ever relax my jaw completely because it doesn't fit together quite right. It doesn't actually hurt except for the tension headaches caused by it

Yeah I grind my teeth in my sleep, that's definitely what caused it

 

I grind my teeth in my sleep too. My boyfriend says he got annoyed a few times and tried to pry my mouth open while I slept, but he couldn't. I hope I don't get that...

 

You can go to the dentist and get a mouth guard made. I did several years ago, my dog chewed it up and it was expensive so I didn't get another one. You can also buy them online or in the drug store but you have to boil water to soften them and fit them to your mouth. Those don't really work that well so I would recommend getting fitted for one at the dentist.

 

Mouth guards make it so you don't grind your teeth down but really does not help TMJ dysfunction, actually it can make it worse by throwing your bite off. Massage and meditational type things where you totally relax the jaw is the best for easing long term pain. Warm, moist heat also. There are yoga poses that help with TMJ problems, if you do a search on youtube for it, you'll find some.

If your bite is off, it can really mess with that joint, if you are simply grinding at night, that is usually tension.

 

I did try a couple of drug store mouth gaurds and they were both too big to fit in my mouth. I kind of have a weirdly tiny mouth. The dentist told me the price of the custom one and I said forget it, but now I'm thinking I'll have to...

 

I will look into this thanks.

 

I've had a hard time finding yoga poses for TMJs and also for the neck but I'll look again. Meditation does help a bit but I've gotten out of the habit of doing it daily, I need to sart again

I really want to try acupuncture for it as I've heard that is very effective but it is also a bit pricey

 

What kind of dog do you have?????

 

Acupuncture IS pricey, but I found it to be incredibly effective when I mucked up my wrist doing a one handed push up thingy at the gym a few years ago. Definitely worth a try if you can find the money, I think.

 

She has since passed away but she was a jack Russell/ dachshund mix. I really loved her but she was also the worst dog I've ever had - 0 bladder control, ridiculously hyper, and she chewed EVERYTHING

 

I am sorry she has passed away, that must have been sad. I am also sorry for giggling at her being the worst dog ever....must have been stressful for you, but I do find it kind of funny...I'm sorry...

 

Do you know what did it?

Sounds like a vitamin deficiency was the most likely culprit. Could have been iron, maybe b12. I suppose the problem could be something else, such as the tea or anything else new that you did about the time that the headaches appeared.

It would probably be a good idea to see an MD about this and get your vitamin levels checked. Even if you are now cured of headaches, in principle vitamin deficiencies could be a sign of an underlying disease.

I think that you have to be careful with iron supplements, because too much can cause problems.

It's unusual to my knowledge for someone to get headaches at all, and especially so soon and so intensely, after becoming vegetarian.