Two Medical Conditions that Can Make TMJ Worse
There are common two medical conditions in particular that can make TMJ disorder a lot worse.
Temporomandibular joint disorder symptoms are bad enough without some other medical condition amplifying them. (more…)
Is Your Headache from TMJ or Brain Tumor? Misdiagnosis Possible
Have you been told by a dentist that your headaches are from TMJ? What has your dentist done to rule out a brain tumor?
“There are many different kinds of headaches, but TMJ headaches typically occur with other symptoms,” says Jeffrey Haddad, DDS, of Doolin Haddad Advanced Dentistry in Rochester, MI. (more…)
Lip Swelling Overnight: Causes, How to Treat and Prevent
Waking up in the morning to find that your lips have swelled up can be a pretty alarming experience.
“Lips can swell [overnight] for a number of reasons,” says Walter Gaman, MD, FABFM, board certified in family medicine and the author of several award-winning books including “Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100, Happy, Healthy, and Wise.”
Does Having PVC’s when Relaxed Mean a Serious Heart Problem?
You’re just sitting there relaxed before the TV, computer or reading a magazine when suddenly you get a run of PVCs.
Can a healthy heart have premature ventricular contractions at rest?
You know what these are: that unexpected extra heartbeat, or perhaps the sensation feels like a skipped beat — a scary pause in between the beats.
This may even happen for several beats in a row.
“Just about everyone has PVCs sometimes – even hundreds of PVCs per day can be normal,” says Daniel P. Morin, MD, FACC, formerly Director of both Electrophysiology Research and Cardiovascular Research for Ochsner Health System, and currently Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at University of California, San Francisco.
“PVCs can range from harmless to dangerous,” continues Dr. Morin.
“If there are few PVCs, even if they’re symptomatic, most often they’re just a nuisance.”
The symptoms would be one or more of the following.
• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
“If there are more – often, many thousand per day – there can be consequences, including causing weakening of the heart’s squeezing function over time, which may be reversible with appropriate treatment,” says Dr. Morin.
When the heart’s squeezing function is weakened, this is called heart failure. The heart fails to squeeze or contract optimally.
The result is reduced blood flow throughout the body. Over time this can impair kidney and liver function because these organs are highly vascular and are sensitive to reductions in blood flow.
People with chronic heart failure may not even know they have renal insufficiency or cardiac liver disease unless they undergo testing, such the creatinine test for kidney function.
There are various causes of chronic heart failure, and untreated premature ventricular contractions is one of them.
Premature ventricular contractions are early heartbeats originating in the ventricles, and when frequent or sustained, they can disrupt normal cardiac rhythm and function.
Over time, a high burden of PVCs — especially more than 10% of total heartbeats — can lead to PVC-induced cardiomyopathy, a reversible form of heart failure.
The constant irregular contractions strain the heart, reducing its pumping efficiency and triggering structural changes.
Early detection and treatment of frequent PVCs through medication, lifestyle changes or catheter ablation can significantly reduce the risk of progression to CHF.
When the PVCs are appropriately treated, then the heart hopefully can recover, regain its normal shape and thus eventually regain an optimal squeezing with each beat.
If any “fluttering” you feel in your chest seems to be occurring way too frequently, it’s time to see a cardiologist.
Dr. Morin’s clinical interests are in device therapy for cardiac dysfunction (including cardiac resynchronization therapy) and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with medical therapy and/or catheter ablation.
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: ©Lorra Garrick
Can Prilosec Cause Heart Palpitations or PVC’s?
There’s a very logical reason why premature ventricular contractions or palpitations seem to go hand-in-hand with Prilosec.
Prilosec is commonly used in the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease — commonly known as GERD or just “acid reflux.”
“Because Prilosec is a very commonly used drug, and palpitations are a very common symptom, it’s likely that palpitations can be found in Prilosec users,” says Daniel P. Morin, MD, FACC, formerly Director of both Electrophysiology Research and Cardiovascular Research for Ochsner Health System, and currently Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at University of California, San Francisco.
“One condition that Prilosec treats, acid reflux disease (a.k.a., “GERD”), can make the heartbeat more easily felt, so that may cause an apparent association between Prilosec use and the feeling of palpitations,” continues Dr. Morin.
“If a patient suspects that any drug is the cause of their palpitations, one way to test that is to stop that medication for a time (if that is OK’d by the patient’s physician), then see if the symptoms resolve, then restart the medication.”
The bottom line is that there is no evidence or even suggestions via research that point to a cause-and-effect relationship between Prilosec or similar drugs, and the onset of heart “palpitations.”
The subjective experience of a palpitations varies. To some people, this means a racing heart with a steady beat.
To others it means a feeling of a skipped beat. While others report an extra beat or a brief thumping sensation.
If you have occasional acid reflux or its more chronic counterpart, GERD, and are worried about
Prilosec or other PPI (proton pump inhibitor) drugs causing heart palpitations — then why not see if natural treatments can relieve your heartburn and other related symptoms?
Fight GERD without Prilosec and other Drugs
• Avoid eating within three hours of bedtime.
• Avoid eating a lot at once.
• Avoid fast eating.
• Cut back on known acid reflux triggers such as spicy foods, chocolate, raw onions, citrus fruits, orange juice, alcohol and caffeine.
• Work on managing anxiety, as this can also trigger acid reflux. Anxiety is also notorious for causing heart palpitations.
Dr. Morin’s clinical interests are in device therapy for cardiac dysfunction (including cardiac resynchronization therapy) and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with medical therapy and/or catheter ablation.
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/Satyrenko
Can Chocolate Cause PVC’s & what Type Specifically?
If you’re a chocolate lover but also suffer from premature ventricular contractions, does this mean you must give up your Heaven?
Chocolate is the Eighth Wonder of the world. It’s been said that on the eighth day, God spoke, “Let there be chocolate.”
It’s a natural stress fighter and antidepressant. Learning that it can cause premature ventricular contractions is quite distressing to those who suffer from the sensation of skipped or extra heartbeats.
Doctor’s Answer
“Various patients who have PVC’s find that their PVC’s can be triggered by different things,” says Daniel P. Morin, MD, FACC, formerly Director of both Electrophysiology Research and Cardiovascular Research for Ochsner Health System, and currently Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at University of California, San Francisco.
“For some patients, no trigger is identified. Some people only develop premature ventricular contractions when at rest, while others develop them during exertion.
“Some patients find that PVC’s are triggered by caffeine intake (or at least they feel their PVC’s more following caffeine intake), and chocolate does contain some amount of caffeine.
“However, most studies in the general population as a whole show no correlation between the PVC frequency and caffeine (or chocolate) intake.”
Of course, there is always that possibility that the thrilling anticipation of the chocolate that you’re about to eat might set off a few premature ventricular contractions.
Is your heart skipping a few beats just LOOKING at the mesmerizing layer cake below?
Shutterstock/Hurst Photo
If so, those would be “palpitations” of excitement, not pathology as in an arrhythmia.
So go ahead and enjoy your chocolate cake, brownies, cookies, etc., and so not worry about it making your premature ventricular contractions worse or triggering them out of nowhere.
A more potent cause of premature ventricular contractions is acute anxiety as well as chronic anxiety and stress.
If eating a bar of chocolate helps to subdue your inner demons, then go for it!
Just make sure that you healthfully fit this chocolate bar into your overall diet; you don’t want to end up eating a bunch of these week after week, due to their sugar content.
Dr. Morin’s clinical interests are in device therapy for cardiac dysfunction (including cardiac resynchronization therapy) and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with medical therapy and/or catheter ablation.
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/Africa Studio
Sudden Fast Heartbeat when Turning to the Side in Bed: Causes
Boom-boom-boom-boom, your heart rate noticeably speeds up simply because you turned over to the side in bed.
Does this mean poor fitness or an arrhythmia? (more…)
Heart Thumps when Lying on Stomach: Cause, Solution
Thump Thump Thump! Does this describe your heart when you lie on your stomach?
Are you feeling a “boom boom boom” that seems to be just a bit too forceful?
And it occurs only when you lie on your stomach. How odd is that? And not necessarily every single time, but that’s the only time it happens.
What is going on here?
“Changes in the heart’s position may make the heartbeat more forceful on the chest wall, resulting in feeling the heart beat more clearly,” says Daniel P. Morin, MD, FACC, formerly Director of both Electrophysiology Research and Cardiovascular Research for Ochsner Health System, and currently Professor of Medicine and Cardiology at University of California, San Francisco.
This annoying sensation, then, is not a sign of anything wrong with your heart or major blood vessels.
Nevertheless, it’s annoying, and there are ways you can prevent feeling your heart beating in your stomach while you’re lying on your tummy.
How to Prevent Your Heart from “Thumping” While Lying on Your Stomach
Dr. Morin says, “Don’t sleep on the stomach.” It’s that simple.
As you can see, this phenomenon is nothing to worry about.
Maybe now that you know it’s a function of anatomy and body position, you can relax and feel more at ease while your heart “thumps” when you’re lying on your belly.
But what if you can’t fall asleep in any other position?
You can train your body to fall asleep in a different position.
- Try different pillow arrangements.
- Maybe try elevating your feet.
- If sleeping on your side and/or back is uncomfortable, see if a three-quarter position won’t work. In that position, place a plump pillow between your legs.
- Play a white noise machine to help loll you into a peaceful slumber.
If the only way you can fall asleep is if you lie on your stomach, then embrace the sound of your heartbeat pumping much needed blood throughout your body. The muscle is merely doing its job.
Dr. Morin’s clinical interests are in device therapy for cardiac dysfunction (including cardiac resynchronization therapy) and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias with medical therapy and/or catheter ablation.
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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Can a DVT Cause Numbness or Tingling in the Leg?
You know that a DVT can cause pain, cramping and soreness in a leg, but did you also know that it can cause numbness and tingling?
“Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is often labeled the ‘silent killer’ because the blood clot can travel [to the lungs] and lead to death,” says Walter Gaman, MD, FABFM, board certified in family medicine and the author of several award-winning books including “Age to Perfection: How to Thrive to 100, Happy, Healthy, and Wise.”
“In about half the people affected, DVT symptoms include a hot and painful area within the leg, most commonly the calf.
“Some people experience this pain with or without numbness and tingling in the leg, but many people develop these sensations as well.
“The reason it has been named the ‘silent killer’ is because the other half of the population with DVT may not experience any symptoms at all.
“DVT is a serious condition that can lead to the loss of life if the blood clot breaks off and goes to the lungs, a condition known as pulmonary embolism.”
Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include sudden difficulty breathing, chest pain and feeling faint.
A blood clot that’s lodged in a vein in a leg or the pelvic area can become fragmented at any second and within seconds be at the entrance to the lungs.
Shutterstock/Designua
If it blocks the pulmonary artery where it splits off into each lung (saddle embolism), death is quick.
Smaller emboli can also be peppered about inside the lungs. Either way, the condition is a medical emergency.
“Keep in mind that numbness and tingling in the leg can also be caused by a number of other conditions such as diabetes, neuropathy, stroke or even something as simple as a sitting position that temporarily blocks blood flow or causes that area to have a sensation of ‘falling asleep,’” says Dr. Gaman.
Sciatica (a pinched or compressed nerve in the upper leg) can also cause tingling and numbness in the leg.
“Since numbness and tingling of an extremity can be a serious condition, anything that lasts more than a few minutes after changing positions should be discussed with your healthcare provider,” says Dr. Gaman.
Dr. Gaman is with Executive Medicine of Texas and is with the Staying Young Radio Show 2.0 podcast.
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/GBALLGIGGSPHOTO
Can Diabetes Cause Cloudy Urine After Eating?
