Most people say "I have TMJ" when describing jaw pain. That's like saying "I have knee" instead of "I have knee pain." TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint—the hinge connecting your jaw to your skull. We all have two of them. What people mean is TMJ dysfunction: the joint isn't moving correctly, muscles aren't firing in proper sequence, or structural compensation has developed.

Why does this matter? Because TMJ dysfunction doesn't stay isolated to your jaw.

The Neurological Reality of TMJ Dysfunction

Your TMJ sends massive sensory input to your brain—approximately 35-40% of all proprioceptive information processed by your sensory cortex comes from the jaw and surrounding structures. This is why neurologists mapping the homunculus (the brain's representation of body parts) show disproportionately large areas dedicated to the face and jaw.

When TMJ mechanics are disrupted, that distorted sensory input affects motor control throughout the body. This isn't theoretical. We see it clin...

PCOS: What It Is and Why It Matters

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome affects 5-15% of women of reproductive age—approximately 6 million diagnosed annually in the US. Despite how common it is, most women receive inadequate explanations about what's actually driving their symptoms.

Common manifestations include irregular or absent menstrual cycles, subfertility or infertility, male-pattern hair growth (hirsutism—not just facial hair, but thick growth on arms, chest, abdomen), difficulty losing weight despite caloric restriction, low libido, and persistent acne on face and torso.

PCOS also correlates with increased risk for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, endometrial hyperplasia, and endometrial or ovarian cancers. If you're reading this list and recognizing your own patterns, you're not alone. And more importantly: PCOS isn't a genetic sentence you're stuck with.

The Problem with "It's Genetic"

The prevailing medical explanation for PCOS is genetic predisposition. Thi...

What are allergies?
By J. J. Gregor DC, DIBAK, DCCN

It's allergy season again here in North Texas.  I’ve been told since I moved here 14 years ago that there are two types of people here: those who have allergies and those who will get allergies.   

Growing up in West Virginia, I experienced horrible sniffling, sneezing, sinus headaches, you name it, for a week every spring and every fall.  What's crazy is that when I moved to Dallas, all my allergies 'went away'.  So, why when I moved to one of the worst allergy prone places in the US, I suddenly felt my best? 

Allergies are an immune response or reaction to specific substances.  Allergens are all around us and are particularly problematic in the spring with trees budding out, flowers blooming, grass being cut and tons of pollen flying through the air.  And in Fall, it's the budding of other seasonal plants and the sap moving in trees. 

Conservatively 10 to 20% of the population of the U.S. suffer from some seasonal allergy at var...