An aspirin a day…. can actually do some serious damage to your body!

Many of our patients suffer from debilitating headaches, and swear that “it’s no big deal, I will just take a Motrin and it will all be better”.  Unfortunately, that may not be the case.  

Anti-inflammatories (Motrin, Advil, Aleve, Ibuprofen, Naprosyn), when taken for extended periods of time can actually cause quite a bit of damage to the body.  Some of the problems that can arise include bleeding ulcers, high blood pressure, kidney problems, and liver problems.

Below is an excerpt published by Dr. Andrew Paul Siskind, MD, of Orange County, California, describing a couple of emergencies he experienced within his practice:

“Mr. Smith was a 48 year old CEO of a big company. He had a bad knee, needed surgery, but was too busy. So he took Aleve, two tablets a day, for about 18 months, which is when I met him. Mr. Smith was vomiting blood in buckets. Those little Aleve tablets had burned a hole in his stomach and caused a bleeding ulcer. I did revive him after he had a full cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, his blood pressure went low during the resuscitation and he had a stroke to his spine. Mr. Smith is paralyzed from his waist down and will never walk again. He is fine from the waist up.

Mr M. was my Father In Law. My wife’s whole family was visiting a few years ago. I noticed Mr M was going up the stairs more slowly every day. I finally asked him if anything was wrong and he said that he had a little cold but that he was ok. After I watched him taking about 30 seconds to go up each step I decided to send him to the emergency room. Upon interviewing and examining him there, the problem was obvious. He had lost about 1/2 of his blood volume. We did an upper endoscopy and he had 4 ulcers, one actively bleeding. We cauterized it and transfused 3 units of blood. He fully recovered. What I learned in the emergency room was that he was taking advil cold and sinus for 1 week-that’s right! For just one week. That is what caused his bleeding ulcer.”

The good news is that we may be able to help you without the use of potentially dangerous medications.  By relaxing the muscles of the head and neck, we can optimally position your lower jaw, effectively eliminating the pain associated with the muscle tension.

If you are suffering from tension headaches or migraines, back pains, muscle aches, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, or other types of facial pain, call us for a complimentary consultation – we can help!

Dr. Siskind is a board certified physician in private practice in Irvine, CA.  You can read about him on his website.

Could your child be suffering from sleep apnea?

My husband and I became aware of the seriousness of this problem when we noticed our 3 year old son, Joey, was snoring. At first we thought it was kind of cute, but then we began to worry – it seemed that he just wasn’t getting enough sleep. Joey was always tired, and cranky, and just didn’t seem to behave as well as he used to.

Another thing that we noticed (being dentists, this one was easy) – his bite was forming improperly! His lower jaw seemed small, and his bite seemed really deep – not the way a 3 year old’s bite should be!

We started looking more carefully, and soon realized he had all the classic signs of a child who was having a hard time breathing – the dark circles under his eyes, the mouth that was always open, the loud, labored breathing during sleep… the list of problems seemed endless.

We scheduled an appointment with an ENT, who confirmed our suspicions – our son was suffering from sleep problems due to enlarged adenoids! Reluctantly, we made the scary decision to have the adenoids taken out. Following the longest 30 minutes of our life, the surgeon came out from the OR and told us that Joey’s airway was 90 percent obstructed! He could not breathe!! Shocked, and extremely grateful, we took our son home, hoping to see signs of improvement within the next few weeks.

The night following the surgery, as we watched Joey sleeping, we noticed the total silence in his room. The next morning, he woke up, we could immediately see a huge difference. Cheerful and happy, he appeared to have finally gotten the sleep he needs. Within a few weeks, the circles under his eyes slowly disappeared, his behavior improved, he started speaking better – overall, he seemed like a different child!

For me, it was easy to notice the signs and symptoms of this scary disorder, because I knew what to look for. But what exactly is sleep apnea, and how do you know your child may be suffering from it?

Sleep apnea is a very serious disorder that occurs when breathing is disrupted during sleep. The airway becomes blocked, resulting in choking that causes a slower heart rate and increased blood pressure, alerting your child’s brain and causing him to wake up.

What are the symptoms of sleep apnea?

• snoring
• behavioral changes (due to a lack of sleep, the child may be more cranky, have more or less energy, and have difficulty concentrating in school or following directions)
• increased bed wetting
• slowed growth
• attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• breathing difficulty
• heart trouble
• dark circles under the child’s eyes
• improper facial development (deep bite, open mouth breathing, small, underdeveloped mandible)

What causes sleep apnea?

In children, there are several physical reasons that sleep apnea may occur, including:

• enlarged tonsils and adenoids
• abnormalities of the jaw bone and tongue
• overweight children (extra fat around neck and throat blocks airway, making it difficult for these children to sleep)

Why is it important to diagnose sleep apnea?

If left untreated, sleep apnea can lead to more serious problems, so it is important to diagnose it early and treat it appropriately.

If you think that your child may be suffering from sleep apnea, or is experiencing any of the above symptoms, don’t wait – call us today and let us help you establish a proper diagnosis.

If you have any questions, please contact us at (702) 341-9597, or you can email me directly at olya@banchikdental.com.