Tenderness Under the Chin: Causes Including TMJ Disorder
A tenderness that develops under one’s chin can become quite worrisome, bringing to mind the worst possible scenarios as to cause. (more…)
Headaches, Dizziness, Eye Pain, Blurry Vision: Likely Cause
If you’ve been suffering from headaches, dizziness (vertigo), eye pain and blurred vision, and have seen a dozen specialists who’ve failed to figure out the cause, let alone an effective treatment… (more…)
Can Night Sweats Be Caused by TMJ Disorder?
Before you panic that your night sweats are caused by lymphoma or HIV, there’s a possibility they’re caused by TMJ disorder.
Night sweats can be bad enough to require changing one’s clothes.
“Patients with TMJ disorders frequently have a destructive bite with worn down teeth that forces their lower jaw backwards,” begins Jeffrey Haddad, DDS, of Doolin Haddad Advanced Dentistry in Rochester, MI.
“This backwards positioning can cause narrowing of a person’s airway while they sleep, which leads to obstructive sleep apnea.
“Conversely, a person with an obstructed airway may clench and grind their teeth, which can wear down the teeth and deteriorate the bite, leading to TMD symptoms and pain.”
“We have seen a significant increase in the number of patients we treat for combined obstructive sleep apnea/TMD since our practice began monitoring and treating sleep apnea in our practice.
“In fact, it is now protocol to have every one of our TMJ patients utilize our sleep monitor to determine if a sleep breathing disorder is present.
“Night sweats are a very common symptom of a sleep breathing disorder. Therefore if a patient is experiencing this, it could be a result of a combined TMJ/sleep breathing disorder.”
Night Sweats and Sleep Apnea Link
“Night sweats are associated with several sleep symptoms,” says a paper in the Annals of Family Medicine (Sept. 2006).
“Both night sweats and sleep disturbances are commonly experienced by adult primary care patients,” continues the paper.
“When their patients report night sweats, clinicians should consider asking about sleep quality and sleep-related symptoms.”
A report in the British Medical Journal Open states: “The prevalence of frequent nocturnal sweating was threefold higher in untreated OSA [obstructive sleep apnea] patients than in the general population and decreased to general population levels with successful PAP therapy. Practitioners should consider the possibility of OSA in patients who complain of nocturnal sweating.”
TMJ, Night Sweats, Sleep Problems
“Recent data indicates an estimated 75% of people with TMD also have sleep breathing disorders, and 52% of people with sleep disorders have TMD problems or are prone to them in their lifetime,” says Dr. Haddad.
“These are essentially the same patients with poor jaw posture, resulting in either pain and discomfort and/or a compromised airway.
“We have refined our treatment approaches and the design of our oral therapy appliances as more and more research connect TMJ and sleep disorders.”
Dr. Haddad lectures nationally on cosmetic dentistry, TMJ disorders and practice marketing, and utilizes the latest technology to ensure the utmost in patient comfort and care.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Damir Khabirov
How TMJ Disorder Can Affect Your Eyes and Vision
If you’re having problems with your eyes that doctors can’t figure out, it’s possible that a TMJ disorder could be the cause. (more…)
How Well Can a CT Scan Identify Ovarian Cancer?
Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers because it’s usually not discovered until it has spread.
A CT scan is sometimes taken in women who have symptoms suspicious for ovarian cancer. (more…)
How Does Ovarian Cancer Affect Menstruation?
“Menstrual irregularities are a reported symptom of ovarian cancer,” says Robin Cohen, former oncology RN and currently the CEO and co-founder of the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. (more…)
Why Does Ovarian Cancer Cause Frequent Urination?
“Frequent urination and the feeling of having to urinate are two of the symptoms most commonly reported in women with advanced stages of ovarian cancer,” says Robin Cohen, former oncology RN and currently the CEO and co-founder of the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation.
A number of conditions can cause either frequent urination or a frequent feeling that one needs to void, even though nothing actually comes out.
These symptoms should not be ignored. The cause needs to be investigated.
Of course, advanced ovarian cancer is one possible cause. But just why is this?
Cohen adds, “Typically, it is caused by a mass pressing against the bladder, causing the feeling of having to go to the bathroom frequently.”
However, this does not increase the total urinary output or volume come end of day.
The frequency of the bathroom trips is caused by the sensation of a full bladder, rather than a higher than normal volume of urine sitting in the bladder.
A woman with ovarian cancer will find that despite frequent trips to the toilet, her total urinary output isn’t much more than it has always been, relative to the number of all those trips — and in fact, there may be times when nothing comes out despite the urge to urinate.
Again, it’s the tumor pressing against the bladder that causes this sensation.
Urine is produced by the kidneys. Ovarian cancer does not make the kidneys produce more urine. A diuretic or “water pill” does.
The urge to void in the absence of a corresponding volume of urine can also be caused (and far more commonly) by a urinary tract infection.
Robin Cohen
The Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Inc., strives to fight for women who are fighting, speak for those who have fallen silent and provide for those working towards the end of ovarian cancer.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Shidlovski
Can Spotting After Sex Be Caused by Ovarian Cancer?
A woman is not supposed to bleed or spot after having sex, and many women wonder if this could be a sign of ovarian cancer.
The more common symptoms of ovarian cancer include abdominal bloating or fullness, loss of appetite, pelvic pain or heaviness, and a frequent urge to urinate.
Two other symptoms that can be caused by ovarian cancer are back pain and leg pain.
Currently there is no reliable screening tool for this disease. Every year in the U.S. about 22,.200 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, which has a five year survival rate of 47.4 percent, says the National Cancer Institute.
But what about bleeding or just a little spotting after engaging in sexual relations?
“Pain with intercourse is a reported symptom of ovarian cancer,” says Robin Cohen, former oncology RN and currently the CEO and co-founder of the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation.
Cohen continues, “However, spotting after sex is not. It is also a symptom that is found frequently in the general population of women without cancer.”
Cause of spotting after having sex?
When a woman’s estrogen levels begin dropping due to the premenopausal phase in her life, she may start developing dryness in the vaginal tissue.
The dryness means that the natural lubrication that occurs during sex is not present in sufficient quantity.
Penetration, then, can cause tiny tears in the dry and unlubricated vaginal tissue, leading to spotting.
In postmenopause, a woman commonly experiences vaginal atrophy (shrinkage) due to the very low levels of estrogen.
Vaginal atrophy is characterized by dryness, lack of cervical mucus (the lubricant), sometimes pain during intercourse, and occasional spotting due to the tiny tears in the dry vaginal tissue.
Certainly, if you’ve been spotting during or after sex, you’ll want to get an examination by a gynecologist, but at the same time, there is no reason to panic about ovarian cancer.
Robin Cohen
The Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Inc., strives to fight for women who are fighting, speak for those who have fallen silent and provide for those working towards the end of ovarian cancer.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Freepik
Can an Ultrasound Detect Stage 1 Ovarian Cancer?
“An ultrasound can occasionally identify a mass as ovarian cancer but should not be used to rule out ovarian cancer if a mass is not detected,” explains Robin Cohen, former oncology RN and currently the CEO and co-founder of the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation. (more…)
Food Poisoning without Vomiting, Nausea or Diarrhea?
