Dental anxiety helped with relaxation & music distraction. A trial of 90 patients with dental anxiety compared brief relaxation with music distraction and found both methods helped to reduce anxiety. Brief relaxation was significantly better than music distraction and the researchers concluded “brief relaxation was safe, economically sound and effective as a non-pharmacological approach to […]
Lifestyle – counselling, meditation & yoga can help improve sleep. Cognitive behavior therapy, daily exercise, especially in the mornings, and stress management strategies such as meditation and yoga can improve sleep. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2015 Aug 4;163(3):191-204. doi: 10.7326/M14-2841. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26054060 In Need of a […]
Exercise can help. Low impact exercise such as swimming, cycling, Tai chi and gentle yoga can help osteoarthritis of the joints. Comparative Effectiveness of Tai Chi Versus Physical Therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2016 May 17. doi: 10.7326/M15-2143. [Epub ahead of print]. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=tai+chi+pain+ANN+intern+Med+2016 The effect of Tai Chi on four […]
Natural anti-inflammatory supplements such as Curcumin & Fish oils can help. Supplements that may benefit arthritis pain include curcumin and fish oils. Short-term effects of highly-bioavailable curcumin for treating knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled prospective study. J Orthop Sci. 2014 Nov;19(6):933-9. doi: 10.1007/s00776-014-0633-0. Epub 2014 Oct 13.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25308211 A 32-week randomized, placebo-controlled clinical evaluation of RA-11, […]
Reducing stress and improving lifestyle [diet & daily exercise] can help reduce your blood pressure. Weight loss [if needed] and lifestyle changes particularly the Mediterranean diet, daily exercise, sleep management, stress reduction, and avoiding salt can help lower blood pressure. Poor sleep quality increases risk of high blood pressure. American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal […]
Prevention is best. Visit your dentist once a year for a regular check-up and clean. Periodontal disease, also known as periodontitis, is a chronic bacterial infection of the gums and teeth. Recent research suggests that PD may have a systemic effect and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, heart attacks, vascular […]
Green tea extract mouth rinses can help treat periodontal disease and prevent dental caries. Green tea extract mouth rinses may play a role in the treatment of periodontal disease and prevention of dental caries as the green tea catechins can inhibit acid production in dental plaque build-up. Hirasawa M, Takada K, Otake S. Inhibition of […]
A good reason to avoid sugars in your diet. Dental caries are more prevalent if sugars are consumed frequently Children should be encouraged to eat healthy snacks and foods, and discouraged from sugars and frequent consumption of juice, sugary drinks, snacks and sugary foods e.g. lollies, chocolates, toffees, lollipops. Children should be encouraged to brush […]
Bad breath or Halitosis helped with mouth rinses, tongue scraping and chewing mint. Mouth rinses containing antibacterial agents and tongue scraping can help reduce halitosis-producing bacteria on the tongue. However mouth rinses containing alcohol-based mouth rinses should be avoided due to their association with oral and pharyngeal cancer. Warm salt water and zinc rinses are […]