Oral Systemic Balance - Dental Miracle?
Last September I began Oral Systemic Balance treatment at Dr. Farrand Robson’s clinic in Tacoma, Washington. This groundbreaking treatment has put me on a slow and steady path of healing. I believe it addresses the root cause of many chronic health conditions including TMJ, sleep apnea, insomnia and anxiety disorders.
I was referred to Dr. Robson in February of 2007 by a Bowen Work therapist named Cathy Kruse. At that time my body so severely stressed that I was unable to tolerate Bowen Work. I related my health history to Cathy and told her how I had struggled with an adrenaline like state for 35 years that was exhausting and seemed to contribute to my condition. All the therapies that had helped me in the past were ones that succeeded in calming or dampening the sympathetic nervous system. But despite these therapies my condition continued to worsen. Cathy said that Dr. Robson had developed a treatment that addressed adrenaline.
My initial appointment with Dr. Robson was very unsettling. I was in a state of complete exhaustion and could just barely manage the one and a half hour drive alone to Tacoma from my home on Bainbridge Island. After taking x-rays, impressions of my teeth and a heart rate variability test that measures the sympathetic nervous system Dr. Robson talked to me a length. His manner was abrasive and condescending and he spent large amounts of time trying to raise an awareness of adrenaline something that I already understood quite well. He told me that I had a very large tongue and a small mouth and that basically I was “choking” to breathe and this was the causing the adrenaline. Since I never had the awareness that I had trouble breathing I was highly skeptical of his diagnosis. Furthermore the office seemed a bit cultish with all the staff wearing oral appliances and seemingly embracing the idea that Oral Systemic Balance was the answer for most mental and physical disorders. The big shock came after my interview with Dr. Robson when a staff person told me that the cost of the treatment was $25,000! When I asked why it was so much she replied: “Because we get good results”. When I returned home and told my husband about my experience he was incredulous. He never noticed that I had trouble breathing and the cost seemed very exorbitant. I dismissed the experienced and headed off the Tahoe for treatment for three months with Dr. Whitcomb.
Even in my best times at Tahoe my adrenaline state never really settled down completely and my insomnia persisted. Although I definitely got relief from some of my fibro symptoms I knew at the end of my stay that I still had major health problems. When I returned home from Tahoe and my health began to decline I was in a panic more than ever to resolve things. I started thinking about Dr. Robson and wondered if in fact he was right in his diagnosis. On the Internet I found two articles Robson had written about the link between chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and TMJ syndrome and described in some detail his treatment. Intellectually his theory made a lot of sense to me. I called Cathy Kruse and asked her about Dr. Robson. She said he was legitimate and that medical miracles were happening at his office everyday. Cathy asked me if I had been a thumb sucker and I said yes a very serious one until the age of nine. Thumb sucking is a way that children can accommodate better breathing and sleep because it moves the tongue out of the way opening up the air passage. I tried sucking my thumb and discovered to my amazement that I got twice as much air with my thumb in my mouth. This was a real turning point for me. I consulted my naturopath and holistic medical doctor who they both said they had heard Dr. Robson speak but were turned off by his personality and the cost of his treatment so they had not explored it further. My family doctor referred me to a TMJ dentist whom he respected and this dentist knew a lot about Robson and Oral Systemic Balance. Basically he told me that Dr. Robson was a genius, totally dedicated to his work and that I would most likely benefit from the treatment.
When I began Oral Systemic Balance treatment on September 17, 2007 my health was in the worst state ever or what I call “the black hole”. I had trouble walking or standing for any length of time. When I walked to the top of the stairs I felt light headed and weak. I had constant abdominal pain. My muscles hurt all over and were sore to the touch and my sleep was very disturbed with 15-20 awakenings each night. Dr. Robson fitted me with a “night time” oral appliance that consists of acrylic upper and lower shelves that fit over the teeth and are connected by hardware made out of titanium with a hinge that brings the lower jaw forward. Within 24 hours of wearing the appliance I noticed a substantial improvement in my health. My abdominal pain went away and never returned and my muscles hurt less. Dr. Robson said because of my initial response to the appliance his diagnosis was correct and that I would do very well with the treatment.
I have appointments at Dr. Robson’s office every three to four weeks and work with one of his assistants named Preston whom I like very much. My appliance is adjusted and contours changed at each appointment. The changes to the appliances are made very gradually so that the body can assimilate them. Basically each adjustment has brought my tongue a little farther forward and allowed me to breath better. My posture as measured in x-rays and photographs came up within the first month. People who have restricted breathing problems often have a forward head position to help them breath better. This may be the cause of upper cervical spinal stenos is in fibro patients. At the beginning of my treatment I noticed that I got more air in my belly, then I started getting expansion in my ribs, then in my back and finally in my upper chest. I really had no experience of what it is like to breathe fully. The difference is amazing and it takes no effort on my part.
The oral appliances take a little bit of time to get used to but are pretty comfortable to wear. When adjustments are made the hardware can cause sore places inside the mouth but these toughen up within a week. I actually have two appliances: one that was most recently adjusted and a “backup” appliance, which is the one I wore before the last appointment. Eventually I will have two appliances that work well for me and I may only have to wear one at night. The average treatment length for Oral Systemic Balance is around five months but mine has lasted much longer. Preston says he has worked with other patients like me whose nervous system are “stubborn” and take longer to let go. Sometimes after an adjustment is made I feel very tired and lethargic for a few days or longer. When the lethargy passes I am always at a better place than I was before.
My symptoms have gone away very gradually. At the beginning I basically noticed a lessening of stress on my body. By November my muscles were not sensitive to touch or pressure. By Christmas time I could walk to the top of the stairs without feeling light headed. The feelings of adrenaline or “fight or flight” went away gradually and were completely gone by March. The mucous in my throat went away sometime last winter. My sleep did not really start to improve until April and is still not perfect. (Instead of waking up on average 15 times I night I now wake up on average 5 times.) By May I had regained enough muscle function to where I could do more activities - work in the garden, take short walks and play the piano for a half hour. My muscle function is still not normal and I still cannot exert myself in any rigorous way or do regular exercise. I continue to pursue adjunct therapies to see if I can resolve this.
Dr. Robson and his staff are confident that I will completely heal but “time will tell”. One thing that I do feel confident about is that I will maintain the improvements I have made as long as I wear my appliance. The only times I experienced setbacks were when my appliance broke and was not working correctly. Oral Systemic Balance is not a quick fix. It is a big commitment of time, money and patience but I believe that it can help the majority of chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia sufferers. I understand now why the cost is so high. Each of my appointments lasts on average 3 hours and is very labor intensive as they make minute changes to my appliances. My appliances have actually been totally redesigned and fabricated at least six times. I paid for the entire the cost of treatment up front for which I received a discount and I have received about $3000 back from my insurance company. (I get a reimbursement from my insurance each time I have an appointment.) In the long run I think patients will save money on medical bills by doing OSB because they will not have to spend money treating the ongoing complications of their condition or exploring other therapies. Eventually when the efficacy of OSB is proven through tests (Dr. Robson is currently doing this), medical insurance should cover most of the cost of this treatment so it is available to all.
Dr. Robson has a training center in Tacoma, Washington where he is constantly training other dentists in this work. He oversees the other OSB dentist and his patented appliances, which are fabricated in Tacoma. There are over 30 OSB certified dentists in the country. Some of them have very informative websites, which you can find if you search “Oral Systemic Balance” on the Internet. You can also call Dr. Robson’s office at (800)977-1945 to get more information and to see if there is an OSB dentist in your area.
http://fibrofriends.typepad.com/fibro_friends/2008/07/oral-systemic-b.html
