A few weeks ago, Ruth and I had the privilege of attending the International Lyme and Associated Diseases meetings. As we walked through and attended classes we walked away with so much information and a renewed perspective on the critical connection between Lyme disease and TMJ disorder (TMD). I must say we learned so much sitting in on the various meetings and classes. As the hours went by and listening to each speaker, we came to realize how much TMJ disorder can affect the treatment of a patient with Lyme disease. Did you know that untreated TMD can amplify whole-body inflammation, making it harder for Lyme patients to heal? It’s a piece of the puzzle that’s often overlooked, yet so vital to patient recovery.
As Lyme disease treatments become more complex factoring in conditions like POTS, MCAS, EDS, and more, is essential in addressing all sources of inflammation, including TMD. Few people actually understand what Lyme disease is all about. I have been seeing patients for many years now being a part of their treatment but more on the sidelines than as an active participant. After the meetings, I decided that I need to be more active in making the patients more aware that Lyme and TMD are interconnected. Both need to address and both aspects are important to overall health. The correlation is clear: a patient with active TMD has more whole-body inflammation than they really should, and this will of course make it more difficult for the Lyme patient to heal and respond to the treatment.
With Lyme disease, a patient is generally required to go on a strict program of antibiotic treatment to knock down the borrelia bacteria in the body. You would be amazed at how rampant the tick-borne disease is in this country. Almost every state reports cases each year. The only defense against the bacteria is to try and kill it in its tracks with strong antibiotics. In the past, doxycycline was the common antibiotic of choice, but today doctors need to factor in other health conditions.
In the past, it was just a matter of paying attention to the ‘Triad’ – EDS, POTS, and MCAS. Then came the next awareness level: the ‘Pentad’- POTS, MCAS, Auto immunity, EDS, and Gastroparesis. Now, we are at the level of the ‘Hot Mess’, all of the previous but now add on CRPS, RLS, ME, Glucose intolerance, MALS, SIBO, Chiari malformation, APS, and endometriosis. Not only is the patient dealing with Lyme disease, now we have all these ‘add ons’ to the list as well.
As you can well imagine, it can be a nightmare for both the doctor and patient when they have to treat all these disorders at the same time. Here I come along adding a few more initials to the pile: TMD. That’s right- TMJ disorder absolutely adds to the problem. The displaced articular discs in the TM joints can cause huge problems for the human body. There can be active pain such as headaches, or even migraines, along with neck, back and shoulder pain. Sometimes this just adds to the above problems and just makes treatment more difficult. The displaced discs cause all sorts of inflammation that can travel throughout the entire body. You can only imagine how this inflammation can mess with antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease- it makes the whole thing more difficult to knock down the bacteria. So, if you or a loved one has Lyme disease, it makes good sense to be sure TMD is not knocking at your door. Get it checked!