Compendium Supplement Bite Tech July/August 2009 : Page 3
Balanoff the source of stress.1 However, stress’s interference outlives its usefulness and becomes detrimental when chronic. Cortisol, the “stress hormone,” is essentially the trigger for adrenaline. Cortisol belongs to a class of hormones called glucocorticoids, which affect al- most every organ and tissue in the body.1 Scientists believe cortisol has hundreds of positive effects in the body but its most impor- tant job is to help the body re- spond properly to stress. Cortisol helps maintain blood pressure and cardiovascular function and is essential to normal functioning but needs to remain in proper bal- ance.1 At excessively high levels, particularly for long periods, the whole endocrine system is affect- ed negatively. High cortisol levels limit peripheral vision, decrease metabolism, cause fatigue, reduce muscle-building, and suppress the immune system.1 The results of tests showing, among other benefits, a significant increase in endurance as well as a marked reduction in cortisol during stress, indicate that a properly designed oral appli- ance can interrupt the fight-or-flight signal by preventing the completion of the clenching mechanism. SCIENTISTS ARE REVIEWING KNOWN PHENOMENA AND APPLYING DOUBLE BLIND STUDIES WITH REMARKABLE RESULTS. THEIR CONCLUSIONS ARE FORGING A NEW BRANCH OF SCIENCE: CRANIOFACIAL NEUROMETABOLIC PHYSIOLOGY. needs an oral appliance that prevents teeth from occluding or clenching under stress and halts the body’s precondi- tioned flight-or-fight reflex. Researchers have studied a unique oral device that unlocks the body’s true potential and delivers performance enhance- ment without drugs. A simple wedge was the solution. Properly placed in the mouth, it enhances athletic performance in multiple ways and reduces stress. The wedge is a multicompos- ite (elastomer, polymer) bio- engineered intraoral device that relieves pressure on the tempo- romandibular joint that occurs each time the jaw clenches dur- ing stress. The wedge relieves this pressure by causing the lower jaw to be moved into the “opti- mal safety power position.” The desired movement of the jaw is achieved by positioning a “re- verse wedge” bite plate over both sets of rear molars. Subse- quently, when the teeth are clenched—exerting pressure— the twin wedges provide the necessary pivot points that induce the mandible (lower jaw) to move downward in a slight arc. This supplemental issue of Compendium includes a num- CURRENT TECHNOLOGY Various companies throughout the years have sought to de- liver the “power position” through mouthguards; however, no studies to substantiate their claims have appeared in peer- reviewed journals. The products employed uniform-thick- ness bite plates that essentially locked or fixed the position of the jaw. All were bulky, uncomfortable, and hard to re- tain, and none proved successful. What was needed was a device that would effectively “short circuit” the HPA process by preventing the comple- tion of the clenching mechanism, thereby interrupting the fight-or-flight signal. This then clears the channels for en- hanced performance and prevents the negative effects of stress from overloading the system. In simple terms, a person REFERENCE: 1. Stress system malfunction could lead to serious, life threatening disease. National Institute of Child Health and Human De- velopment Web site. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/ stress.cfm. Accessed April 6, 2009. Compendium—Volume 30 (Special Issue 2) 3 ber of reports on the various effects of these devices, in- cluding a literature review of research focusing on stress control, cortisol production, and a mechanism to interrupt a complex neuropathway that is being massively overworked in modern society. DISCLOSURE The author is an employee of Bite Tech Inc.
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