Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) are characterized by pain and tenderness in the jaw muscles and joints used for chewing.
TMD is a problem for millions of Americans whose treatment options range from eating soft foods to undergoing open-joint surgery. Whole system naturopathic care as a treatment option has been largely overlooked, until now.
The results of a new study involving 160 women in the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan finds that whole system naturopathic care is effective in treating TMD pain.
Methodology The study was conducted with 160 volunteer women, ages 25-55, who were patients at the Kaiser Permanente TMD clinic in Portland, OR. Each person was randomly assigned to one of the three study arms: (1) continuing specialty dental care (SDC, n=60); (2) naturopathic medicine (NM, n=45); or (3) traditional Chinese medicine (TCM, n=50).
Women in the naturopathic arm were seen by two community naturopathic physicians during nine visits over a period of 6-8 months, with more frequent visits in the beginning.
The naturopathic doctors completed full health evaluations, potential contributory effects, and then applied a set of individualized treatments at each visit using the standard practices for which NDs are licensed in Oregon. Similar protocols existed for the SDC and TCM volunteers.
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