Mindful Myo, Functional Orofacial Health

05/27/2026

One simple exercise we often use in TMD rehab is the palate scrape

It looks basic, but it tells you a lot.
Can the tongue move along the palate without the jaw clenching, bracing, jutting forward or shifting side to side?

That’s the bit most people miss.
The tongue is a complex muscular structure involved in swallowing, breathing, speech, oral posture and jaw function. We use it thousands of times a day, yet it’s still overlooked in many areas of healthcare.

The tongue also plays an important role in jaw resting position and how the jaw organises itself during function. In many TMD patients, the jaw is already overworking.

If the tongue is restricted, poorly positioned, or the patient uses the jaw to help the tongue move, the jaw muscles often continue compensating unnecessarily.

A palate scrape is not a magic fix.
It’s a simple way to assess and retrain tongue control, improve awareness and reduce unnecessary jaw compensation as part of a broader rehab plan.

The tongue is rarely the whole answer, but in TMD, it is often one of the missing pieces.

04/13/2026

03/04/2026

03/05/2025

Is it ADHD or poor sleep? Follow Dr. Soroush Zaghi to view a very informative short video discussing this! @ soroushzaghimd

Addressing airway issues and improving sleep can transform your child’s focus, behavior, and quality of life!

Signs like mouth breathing, crowded teeth, tongue posture issues, and worn-down teeth can all indicate airway problems that impact sleep, growth, and overall health.

By screening for these red flags, providers can help identify concerns early, refer for proper intervention, and support optimal development. Prevention starts with awareness—because healthy breathing means a healthier future.



References:
• Gozal, D., O'Brien, L. M., & Row, B. W. (2008).
Consequences of sleep-disordered breathing in children:
What is the evidence? Pediatrics, 122(3), 661-668. https:// doi.org/10.1542/peds.2008-1182
• Bonnin, M., Guilleminault, C., & Powell, N. (2019). The impact of sleep-disordered breathing on children's neurocognitive development. Sleep Medicine, 58, 45-50.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.03.021
• Sedky, K., Bennett, D. S., & Carvalho, K. S. (2014).
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep disordered breathing in pediatric populations: A meta-analysis. Sleep Medicine, 15(2), 168-175. https://doi.org/10.1016/
j.sleep.2013.08.786
• Youssef, N. A., Ege, M., Angly, S. S., Strauss, J. L., & Marx, C. E. (2011). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep-disordered breathing in children. The Scientific World Journal, 11, 2531-2538. https://doi.org/10.1100/2011/276895

12/20/2024

08/09/2024

04/12/2024

Today is World Breathing Day 2024!

The way you breathe affects every system, organ, and cell in your body. It boosts or reduces your immunity, supports the movement of your joints right from your core, and can help regulate conditions from high blood pressure to back pain, and PMS to chronic fatigue.

The breath provides a powerful and direct gateway to your nervous system. It impacts diabetes control and seizures in epilepsy.

When your mind is racing, it’s hard work to stay focused. Day-to-day life gets out of balance. Relationships are strained. You find yourself reacting to people and situations, instead of responding.

At night, you lie awake, tired and wired, re-running the day. It’s no wonder you wake up feeling stressed and low.

But just by changing your breathing, you can change your body chemistry, taking back control over your emotions. You can improve symptoms of panic disorder, PTSD, depression and anxiety. You can boost your memory, balance your mood, concentrate like a pro, and get the kind of deep sleep that sees you waking up ready to take on the world.

EXERCISE FOR WHEN STRESS STRIKES — MIND RECOVERY ON TAP

When you’re feeling stressed, slow down your breath. This will stimulate the vagus nerve and slow your heart. Your body will then signal to your brain that it can chill out. Just 90 seconds can make all the difference! It’s basically recovery on tap, via the breath.

- Breathe in slowly and silently through your nose for four seconds.
- In, 2, 3, 4.
- Allow a slow exhalation through your nose for six seconds.
- Out, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- Repeat until you feel calm.

04/12/2024

World Breathing Day today! 🌎🫁

If you’re not doing breathing exercises daily, now is the time to start.

Personally, understanding how my body breathes has helped in so many aspects of life, in particular concentration and application during times of stress.

The scientific literature backs up what I felt during the process.

Increasing your lung capacity is one of the most powerful and effective ways to improve your health.

Your lungs not only exchange vital gases to all the cells in the body, they also relay information to the immune system. By slowing and increasing the amount of surface area that air has to your lungs, you increase the amount of time that your immune system gets to ‘look’ at the air around you.

Then your immune system can respond as needed.

Simply put, breathing is a fast tool to calm your nervous system. In order to do so, you need to have a handle of the muscles that control breathing.

While breathing is complex, the first step is to understand your diaphragm. Breathing properly allows the calm, which activates your vagus nerve, the cranial nerve that triggers the relaxation response.

In a 2017 study, highly anxious people were assigned to take a course in diaphragmatic breathing relaxation

After eight weeks, they reported feeling less anxious compared to a group that didn’t receive the training. They also showed physical signs of reduced anxiety: lower heart rate, slower breathing, and lower skin conductivity.

The truth is your lungs can do more than you think they can. You just need to connect to their ability.

Try this exercise daily to increase lung capacity:

1) Take a deep breath in expanding your diaphragm and taking as much air in as possible.
2) When you reach your peak, pause for 2 seconds, then breathe in further
3) Pause again, and breathe in further
4) Pause again (don’t think about it) and breathe in further again.

Now the exhale:

1) Exhale all the way to the bottom when your lungs feel empty
2) Pause for 2 seconds, then exhale again
3) Pause again, exhale further
4) Pause again (don’t think about it) exhale again.

Take a deep breath in again and repeat 10 times.

Did your lungs do more than you expected them to?

03/20/2024