Perfect Dessert Recipe for TMJD Sufferers

Time for another free recipe! This one's a dessert recipe that you're going to LOVE for its healthful ingredients, ease in preparation and definitely its ease in eating.

Have you ever looked, really looked on a box of pudding? Go ahead. Look right now. You'll probably notice a whole list of ingredients that are not food at all...ingredients that are often three letter scientific mixtures, preservatives and many harmful chemicals. Well, here's a recipe for chocolate pudding that will seem irresistible for its wholesome goodness.

Grandma's Pudding

Here's just one of the pudding and dessert recipes that is available in One Pot Galley Gourmet, another cookbook very similar to You Can Conquer TMJ: Ideas and Recipes. The main differences between the two books are the inclusion of desserts in One Pot Galley Gourmet along with more recipes and also bread baking recipes. It's an ideal cookbook for TMJD sufferers too although it does not offer the ideas for dealing with TMJD like You Can Conquer TMJ does.

Ready? Here's Grandma's Chocolate Pudding:

Ingredients:

2 cups milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 Tablespoons cocoa

• Combine cornstarch and cocoa


• Add milk and stir until everything is well blended


• Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick


• Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla. Stir until sugar is dissolved


• Chill

That's it!! No chemicals. No preservatives. Look how little sugar is used! Only 1/2 cup sugar for four servings of pudding!

Honestly, the pudding has an irresistible creamy texture if you use whole milk. Remember, fat does not make you fat!!

One Pot Galley Gourmet

This book is available at amazon.com, http://www.moonlightmesaassociates.com/, and many online bookstores. It has received rave reviews for the tasty, easy-to-prepare meals that use wholesome ingredients. The recipes include beef, chicken, vegetarian, fish and pork. Most meals are one pot/pan and will delight the entire family.

TMJ Disorder Requires Life Adjustment

Many illnesses and disorders require the people suffering from them to make life changes. Everyone knows someone who's had to lose weight and change eating habits because of diabetes. You probably also know someone who's had to avoid certain foods because of severe allergic reactions. Maybe you know people who must avoid the sun because of repeated skin cancers.

TMJ Disorder Requires Life Changes

Having TMJ Disorder is no different. For some reason, people don't think of TMJD as a life-altering disorder. They think there's a quick fix at the dental or doctor office. A pill. A mouth applicance. Surgery. Orthodontia work. Bridge work. Grinding teeth down. Bite alteration. Just fix it quick so I can go back to the nachos and margaritas, is the attitude of so many.

Once a person has had a severe bout of TMJ Disorder, however, things need to change. For some, drastic irreversible procedures may work. Unfortunately, this is a gamble, because for many the condition is worse after the irreversible procedure is performed. For others, mouth guards to help protect the teeth from nocturnal grinding and clenching are helpful. A study out of Wayne State University, however, declared that these devices are only effective for about three weeks. After this amount of time, the person adjusts to the device in his/her mouth and simply begins grinding and clenching on it. This may not be true for all people. It was true for me, however.

Changes Can be Simple

A life change does not have to be dramatic. The most important place to start looking at possible changes to make is in one's diet. One simply must eliminate crunchy, chewy foods that aggravate the jaw. It's well worth cutting back on, or eliminating, alcohol consumption, as drinking alcohol is a known cause of nocturnal grinding. Maybe caffeine will have to be eliminated- another known contributor to nocturnal clenching. Even over the counter drugs can exacerbate this condition.

Do No Harm

If you suffer from TMJ Disorder, it may be time that you adopt the "Do No Harm" policy and begin being kind to your body. This may involve a change in diet, practicing stress reduction, adopting an exercise regimen, eliminating toxic habits (like smoking, chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol and caffeine products). Absolutely one should stop using illegal drugs of any kind, even if used "only recreationally." No matter how benign you think your drug usage is, it is highly toxic, stress inducing and harmful to your body.

Time and and a softer diet work wonders for the majority of TMJ Disorder sufferers. Others, unfortunately, do require further intervention. You can find a number of easy-to-cook, easy-to-chew recipes in You Can Conquer TMJ:Recipes and Ideas, available at amazon.com, www.youcanconquertmj.com, and www.moonlightmesaassociates.com

Avoid These Habits if You Have TMJ Disorder

Surprisingly, many people who have TMJ Disorder, or who are flirting with it, often have habits, usually unconscious ones, that exacerbate this condition. Most, of course, have no idea that these habits or activities can cause undue stress on an already stressed jaw.

Gum Chewing

Chewing gum can put tremendous stress on jaw joints. People who have full blown cases of TMJD are aware of this and seldom chew gum, but many people who have lesser symptoms may not always equate gum chewing with TMJD, particularly if one's symptoms don't include pain but only include things like "popping" or crackling of the jaw. Popping and crackling jaw joints are only a prelude of what is to follow!

Chewing Ice

How many times have you sat around crunching on ice? Even chewing on shaved ice can put amazing stress on the jaw joints, not to mention that chomping on ice can crack and break teeth. This is a difficult habit to break. Ice chomping must be in one's DNA, for ice chompers revert to chomping and chewing ice no matter how hard they try not to. This is a BAD habit, and it's particularly bad for people with TMJD!

Chewing Pencils, Pens, Fingernails

This is another habit that is very detrimental to teeth and to jaw joints. It's also probably the most unsanitary habit there is if one considers who else may have handled the pencil or pen, and what else your fingers may have touched that is covered with germs and gross bacteria. Keep things out of your mouth. If you are a chewer and a chomper, this is very difficult. But if you have TMJD, it is essential that you not stress your jaw joints by chomping and grinding away on foreign objects.

Hard Candy

Please, don't even put a hard candy in your mouth if you are a chewer/chomper. The odds are, no matter how careful you are, that you are going to eventually chomp on the candy. Granted, you may wait until it's a tiny sliver or morsel, but you're going to do it. Avoid hard candy, and even avoid licorice and all those hard, chewy treats.

Toothpicks Count Too

If you're a natural born chomper/chewer, even using a toothpick can lead to some heavy duty chewing, especially if you leave the toothpick in your mouth for any length of time.

TMJD and Swallowing Disorders

If you have a bad case of TMJD the odds are that you may also develop a swallowing disorder. This disorder may range from slight to serious. TMJD is not a condition to be blown off or taken lightly, even if you aren't in pain. The throat muscles also can become involved along with the jaw muscles. Treat this condition seriously. Find out what is causing your TMJD and address this issue. TMJD is not a 'normal' condition. Something causes this and it seems that the cause of every case of TMJD is different. Don't continue habits that will lead to further complications of swallowing disorders.

There is speculation that vitamin deficiencies may be the root cause of this disorder; obviously, jaw or facial injury can lead to TMJD also. Some are suggesting that the condition may be hereditary. Sometimes dental procedures can cause a temporary bout of TMJD. No matter the cause, take this condition seriously and protect your jaws from further injury. NO MORE CHEWING and CHOMPING!

Lead Exposure and TMJ Disorder

Calling all would-be scientists...got an idea here. We could all become rich and famous from this!

Toxic Lead/Metal Exposure

I'm not sure why this idea popped into my head, but I can't get rid of it and I need your help! Here's my thesis: Since TMJD is a relatively new disorder, perhaps it is caused by a childhood toxic exposure to lead. Even some other toxic exposure might account for it. Lead just seems to be one that's been around for quite some time.

So, here's where readers come in. If anybody out there has (had) TMJD and then has gone through a de-tox program where metals were removed from your body, please let me know if your TMJ Disorder got better after these metals/toxins were removed.

This toxic exposure idea has as much merit as just about any other idea that has been thrown out there as a possible cause of TMJD. It would even explain why TMJD may be heriditary...if a parent was exposed to this toxin it seems obvious that the fetus would also come into the world with this toxin.

Most adults remember the time when crews used to drive through parks, even neighborhoods, spraying out a mist or fog that used to kill mosquitoes. It could be something as simple as this.

My bet is that it's metals...or exposure during childhood to electromagnetic fields that may be causing TMJ Disorder in so many people.

Has anybody's TMJ Disorder improved after they had amalgam fillings removed?