The Limits of Willpower

 This young man has incipient Tourettes.  His face is spasming out of control due to nerve compression caused by speaking.  Those braces are definitely making it worse.   (been there done that)

He should not have to struggle this way to compensate for incompetent dentistry.  It won't get better through "discipline". 

He needs his molars checked for infection and occlusion problems.

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Effin Ay

Repeating the “F” word can improve threshold for pain during an ice water challenge

A recent study found that repeating the “F” word during an ice water experiment increased subjects’ tolerance and threshold for pain. However, reciting made-up swear words showed no such pain-reducing effects. 

This article makes me so incredibly happy.   
They are wrong in most of their conclusions, but the data is amazing.  (data are amazing?  whatever!)

I can't believe I'm not verbal ticcing...  finally all those years of observing my blurting and cursing comes in handy.  I have been meaning to write this up for a while:

Physical effects of spoken words have nothing to do with their meanings.   It is a result of the activation of certain cranial and cervical nerves via speech production...
This became obvious to me after I moved to Arizona and started saying "I hate you" as soon as I woke up in the morning.  Every. single. day.  I actually did not hate anyone at the time, and I knew it, and I said it anyway...
It was perplexing.   I thought about it for a long time.   Until it got so bad the answer was obvious.

The reason the work FUCK is so therapeutic is it activates certain muscles.
  -The initial F pushes the mandible forward and bites the lower lip, pinching the face and tightening the neck
  -The UH sound in the middle stimulates the diaphragm.
  -And the terminal hard K pulls in the abdominals.

The whole sequence expels your breath and tightens your core. Increases your endurance.
The word Shit is similar, but more staccato.  More diaphragm, less abdominal.
Their made-up words don't have the same effect.

Hard C/K sounds are very common in tics.  
I used to repeat "Corey, Corey, Corey" when stressed or tired.   Always in threes.  I wondered why for a decade after we broke up.   It did not make sense, I did not miss him, but I did it anyway.  Now I realize it was an involuntary breathing exercise...

I have repeated a number of other words for periods of time- most of them seem to have been a method of relieving various transient dental problems.   Certain words move the tongue, cheeks and lips more effectively than others.  ("I despise you" moves the upper lip, "I hate you" does not.)

For the record, this is my favorite hypothesis of mine.  The one that was the biggest mystery.
It took the last 7 years to figure out the physiological triggers, effects, and benefits of cursing like a drunken sailor..

Ooh Look at That

That's Tourette's Syndrome  (fixed link)

Uh huh

For Posterity

Tourettes is caused by molar teeth.
Verbal tics are caused by the upper first molar pinching the Glossopharyngeal nerve.
Body tics are caused by the lower second molar pinching the Phrenic nerve.
Inflammation of the sockets causes clenching and grinding.
Which then cause twitching and vocalizations.

I freakin found it!   I tweaked the upper molar a little, and have not spontaneously talked for over a week now.   A symptom I have had for 38 years...

I need to make up some diagrams and modulate the vicious rant that is running through my head.
Will write more soon.

Quickie Hypothesis

Tourette's has multiple trigger points.

The major symptoms are separated by the nerves that trigger them.

Body tics come from the Phrenic nerve.  It twitches your shoulder and spasms the diaphragm.
The phrenic nerve is irritated by lower molar infection.
It can also be triggered by injury at the clavicle or lowest ribs.
This seems to cause grunts, and sounds with consonants, and hard H.
"I hate you."  (I say this a lot.)

Vocal tics come from the Glossopharyngeal nerve.
The glossopharyngeal nerve terminates above the upper second molar.  It innervates the tongue and parotid gland.  When the upper molar or parotid gland is inflamed, tongue movement and vocalizations ensue.  And salivary insufficiency inhibits healing of infected tissues...
I tend to say words with the letter L or R in them when this happens.
"I love you." (I say this a lot, too.)

The interaction between them is interesting.   Especially if they are on the same side...
And chewing and talking then compounds the irritation and weirdness.
"I hate you so much I want you to be my friend."   (Yes I say nonsensical shit like this out loud.  And then I hear it.   And then I say "no, that's not true." Just to stay sane.)

Loopy loopy loops. 

Research Results

Tics and things:

Well, the verbal tics are back and definitely associated with the upper molars, not the bottom.
I am talking again,  and today the gap between my upper rear two molars had something sharp stuck in it.   I could hear the nerve firing in my ear when I woke up.  My teeth were chattery too.  Didn't realize that was a symptom, I associate shivering with cold  and dehydration.
I am not having the shoulder spasms that radiate down to my rib cage and tailbone and knees and drop me to the floor, though.  That's really nice.  Really improves my quality of life.  Ha.

There's a guy who made a tooth retainer thing that puts pressure between the upper and lower molars.   He thinks it's the position of the jaw that is wrong.   I am pretty sure that he's not really addressing the problem though.  This is definitely related to tissue damage.  I think he's just smashing the nerves that are inflamed...


Parotid Research

I believe I have found a way to drain the parotid gland.
I put an "end tuft toothbrush" in my shower to do this with the rest of my routine.  The spongy swabs do not seem to be strong enough for this procedure.

The parotid salivary gland is located behind your molars and in front of your ear.
The duct runs down along your upper jaw and drains out of the cheek outside the upper molars.

I have found that you need to trigger it on the inside of the teeth though.
I take the back of the little toothbrush and push against the jaw above the rear molar.  I can't describe it exactly, but it's up there where the tooth roots are. I usually have to try a couple different places.
There's a spot up there that if you push and HOLD for a couple seconds it will activate the draining sequence.    It's sort of like a windshield washer unit-   If you push and hold it, a second or so later it will pump a few times and then drain into your mouth.  Then you want to use the swab.  Heh.

It's very odd, but it seems to work and I have tried it numerous times just to check I'm not imagining it.  And my cheekbones are now more prominent and my entire face is slimmer.   I sure could have used this advice when I was 17 and obsessed with cheekbones...

(I will now add this suggestion to the shower post.) 


Later:   and since these two things are more or less in the same place, I will now clearly have to research those nerves....
Same as it ever was.

Update:   I put my electric toothbrush on that spot and it worked really well.   Maybe too well for some people- the vibrations were sort of shocking and the gag reflex pretty strong.

Further Adventures in Pain Insensitivity

It has been two weeks since having that crown put on my lower left molar.
My shoulder girdle popped and relaxed and dropped and was way less painful before I even left the dentist office.  That was lovely.   The verbal tics have been on and off since then, though. 
Last night my tongue and salivary gland down under my ear came back to life.   At about midnight.  Of course.
So I laid on the couch in the dark and entertained myself with breathing and swallowing  and surfing the tingles.  
I had no idea how paralyzed my tongue was.
Tics are way in the background today.   My diaphragm is still twitchy though.
Hmmm, the tongue might be connected to the phrenic nerve somehow...   I gotta check on that.

Friday:
I have been able to pour a full pot of coffee with my left arm for two days.
That is what I call a successful experiment.
I can't even remember how long that's been impossible.
Last night my left pectoral muscle reanimated.   Tingly boob at midnight.  LOL.
Verbals tics are seldom, and now mostly when I'm in positions that pinch my waist and diaphragm. And they have devolved to just "HA!" instead of phrases.  Nice.

Current Research

Dental appointment today.   So excited.
I would very much like to regain control of my mouth. 

I'm totally convinced that Tourette's is a Phrenic nerve thing, and that it's triggered by problems with molar teeth somehow.
It's like my mechanism for cataplexy- just a different nerve. Direct infection or inflammation that pinches the nerve in the neck. The phrenic nerve runs under the clavicle, that is why the shoulders twitch.  If it's on the left side, it may also activate Broca's area in the brain, but I'm not sure that's necessary... the real action seems to be in the diaphragm.  It really is like a hiccup or a cough.

Give me a few weeks to heal, I'll tell you if I stop talking when I'm alone.

(for the record, I have spent way more time in dentist chairs than most people.  I have never missed a dental appointment in my life.  These days I go to the dentist at least 4 times a year for cleanings.  Although it has a filling, I have never felt pain from this tooth.   If you don't flinch, they just won't notice your infections...)