Newsletter - The Healer on Tap Volume 4 Issue 1

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Teeth with gum line “notches”

Some researchers say that if the occlusion (bite) of a person is not correct they will brux. Others say that it is a central nervous system disorder. Others say it is a multifaceted problem that may be associated with stress.

In fact, the mouth can show stress sooner than any other part of the body.

It is now widely recognised that stress is a huge factor when it comes to bruxing. The more stress, the more bruxing, the harder the bruxing, the more complications.

Theoretically, if you eliminate problems caused by the stress issues of the day, your dream work will not consist of as much problem solving.

When you are aware of the habit occurring in daytime, issues connected with grinding or clenching can be treated immediately so they don’t carry over into night time bruxing.

Sleep bruxism often exerts remarkably powerful forces on teeth, gums and joints. One estimate puts it at ten times powerful enough to crack a walnut!
Problems can reoccur as a result of these forces being applied over many years and as the problems manifest slowly it can be difficult to recognise the cause/effect sequence.

The good news is that Thought Field Therapy (TFT) can help to rapidly resolve not only the immediate stressful situations but also the underlying, unresolved life issues contributing to bruxism.

Treating Depression
by Christopher Semmens

The recent publication of a study suggesting that the new generation of anti-depressant medication has its effect by way of a psychological mechanism supports the view of many that depression is not about chemical imbalances.

The study, headed by Professor Irving Kirsch of the University of Hull in the UK, was  published in February 2008 and looked at the results of thirty-five trials involving five   thousand patients taking SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors).

It was shown that there was virtually no difference in the improvement scores for drug and placebo (an inactive substitute pill) in patients with moderate depression.

Those with very severe depression showed only a small and clinically insignificant difference in their improvement scores.

There was a significant difference only in the most severely depressed patients.

The researchers attributed the apparent clinical effectiveness of the drug with those most severely depressed to a decreased response to the placebo rather than an increased responsiveness to the drug treatment.

Having extracted these findings from the data they looked at, the researchers  conclude that there is little  reason to prescribe the new generation anti-depressants to any but the most severely depressed patients unless alternative treatments have been  ineffective.

These findings and recommendations are consistent with what a number of psychiatrists, other medical practitioners and others working in health, including Dr Peter Breggin, Dr William Glasser and Dr Terry Lynch have been saying for quite some time.

In his best selling book, Beyond Prozac—healing mental suffering without drugs—Dr Terry Lynch, an Irish GP, argues that the medical profession becomes preoccupied with diagnosing mental illness and initiating medication treatments while the underlying human issues go un-noticed and unresolved.

The key here is the importance of the recognition that unresolved, underlying issues in the psychosocial history of people presenting with depression and other emotional and psychological difficulties are relevant, important and need to be identified and addressed.

The medical model approach has a strong tendency to ignore the often harrowing life histories that people endure.

Rather than a focus on genetic, bio-chemical, biological or hereditary factors, as principally   underlying emotional and psychological problems including depression, as emphasised by the medical/medication approach, plenty of evidence indicates that these people frequently have significant histories of great emotional, social, physical and sexual traumas.

Thought Field Therapy (TFT) is an approach that is ideally placed to efficiently target and resolve these underlying issues of disruption, loss and trauma in peoples lives in most cases.