There are 7 categories sleep disorders as outlined by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. One of those categories involves all the Sleep Breathing Disorders that Dentists treat under the prescription of a Physician. Sleep Apnea and UARS (Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome – considered a variant or pre-cursor to sleep apnea) are what we will […]
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Smoking and Pain: The Untold Relationship
As a Diplomat in the American Academy of Integrative Pain Management, I receive their Pain Practitioner Journal. An article in the December 2016 publication discussed the growing relationship between back pain (orthopedic/joint problems) and smoking. Smoking is referenced to be the root cause of many musculoskeletal disorders because of its relationship to bone damage, the chemicals impair healing in bones and discs, and the chemicals in cigarette smoke sensitize the brain and nerves to pain. Unfortunately this “sensitivity to pain” from smoking takes a long time to go away after quitting smoking and, can be a permanent change in the nerves and brain towards muscle and joint pain.
