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Do You Wash Your Hands after using the Bathroom?

Most of us don't. New studies show that we often do not wash our hands correctly, or AT ALL.

food poising from dirty hands sickens some 24 million people a year. If you're in the hospital for surgery, chemo, radiation, trauma, or to visit the doctor, you often have a weakened immune system and are at heightened risk for infections. Learn more about how often others fail, and how you can better protect yourself.

This is a nutritious breakfast smoothie you can put in your travel mug and enjoy on your commute!  Its got fruit, yogurt, flax, ginseng and almonds.  Yum!

As a surgical nurse for many years a common patient complaint is “constipation,” an extremely common side effect of pain medications.

Hopefully Popeye’s power will do the trick with lots of fiber, and most importantly: great taste!

Spring’s freshest berries make this smoothie drink irresistible!!

“Subjectivity” is the main issue when asked the question: Are you having any pain”? Now researchers can see where and how pain acts in your brain.

Treat yourself to this yummi-licious blend of mango, pineapple,banana and honey.

Problems with dental care? Quest, the magazine for the MDA Foundation, had a great article by Bill Greenberg with tips and ideas on how to maintain good oral health in people with neuromuscular disease, muscular distrophy, trismus and other disabilities. Tips include special toothbrushes, finding a dentist, and treating trismus.

TMJ pain is unpredictable and can strike at anytime, and anywhere. Knowing a few tricks to relieve your pain is essential to your comfort and life’s enjoyment.

I was recently contacted by a friend of mine, who's Mom was suffering from severe dry mouth as a result of chemo and radiation therapy. She had tried all the usual remedies and could find nothing that gave her true relief for more then a few moments.  But I had something for her to try...

As a patient with Lupus and Sjogren's syndrome, I am always looking for a relief to some of the symptoms.  I recently went for my routine 6 month check up with my rheumatologist.

Dry Mouth is a major issue for me, so when visiting my doctor I mentioned it to him, and he gave me a prescription for Salagen (pilocarpine) 5 mg. Normal dosing is one 10 mg. pill 3 times-a-day.

ml., cc., oz.,lb., gm.,qt.,pt.,C., Tbsp., or a pinch?  All are symbols, weights and measurements we use to cook and combined ingredients.  When I was a kid we measured in pounds (lb) ounces (oz) and cups (C).  With our changing globalized society we are now seeing more and adapting to the international, or metric measuring system.

This smoothy is always a big hit for a breakfast on the go, with a whole frozen banana and wheat germ to help jump start your day!

Soup anyone?  :)  My favorite any time of year! The more adventuresome the better. This recipe is from Martha Stewart's Living Magazine Aug. 2011. It is a really easy chop and blend recipe with no cooking required. So full of goodness and flavor...  click ahead for full recipe.

Internal derangement is a Temporomandibular Joint disorder which manifests it's self in the abnormal position of the TMJ disk. It is 3-5 times more common in women, then men. You can find the details of this interesting Essay by The Boston University School of Medicine, on Medscape Nurse News.

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After his surgery, Graham created an awesome list of Recovery Tips on his blog, including both pre-surgery to-do's and after the surgery advice. 

A new double-blind study at University of Groningen showed no increased effectiveness of Dexamethasone to improve TMJ arthrocentesis.

When it comes to visiting our Doctors and Emergency Rooms some patients overly down-play their symptoms.  Rod Moser, PA, PhD has a great piece on WebMD on how to be more accurate and precise when explaining our symptoms for an improved diagnosis and treatment.

Your surgery should be as important to your Surgeon as it is to you!  Plastic surgeon Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez has some great recommendations for discussing recovery and preparing for the surgery on his blog.  Read more to see some of his insights. 

Over their lifetime, over three quarters of people can have TMJ problems, but only 5-10% actually need therapy.  These and other interesting facts on TMJ disorder are reviewed in a great overview article in the NY Times by Jane Brody.

Hannah, the spunky central character in the edgy new HBO series “Girls,” is a creative and endearingly naive 24-year-old bumbling fearlessly through post-college life. 

A new study shows that the HPV vaccine may reduce the risk of HPV-related disease.

Preliminary Results Released from Seven Year Study on TMJ disorder (TMJD) by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). The study, Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment (OPPERA), collected excellent data on the risks for TMJD.

A new study estimates that oral and throat cancers have increased by 325% from 1998 to 2004, even as smoking has decreased. 

Doctors connect the increase to HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer, and which a new vaccine has stirred controversy.

“It’s very clear that this is becoming a major epidemic,” said Dr. Kevin J. Cullen.

Tips for cleaning and refreshing the XEROS sponge mouthpieces.  Useful for cleaning after wearing the mouthpieces all night, or to restart using them again after a break. 

Tips to clean the XEROS Dry Mouth Pump bottle and tubing.