Posted on TiMS. One womans's experience.

One of the main goals of the NUCCA/AO doctors is to improve drainage of blood and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). I’ve been seeing an AO chiro for about five months. There had been some small improvements. Ten days ago I started using the technique below from Dr. David Williams, DDS, (http://essentialms.ca/), and things have started to improve quickly.

I still “wall-walk”, but it’s smoother and faster, and using the stairs is much easier. Also, bladder issues are noticeably better.

Give it a try and post your results. I could tell a difference within a day.

Take a facial tissue (like Kleenex or Puffs) and roll it into a cigar shape so it’s about 4 inches long by ½ inch thick. Place it between your upper and lower teeth so that your molars don’t touch. Recline (don’t sit straight up) and wear it for 20-30 minutes three times a day. Wear it like a bite guard.

That’s it, that’s the whole thing. Three tissues, 90 minutes, costs nothing and I’m walking better. Sounds impossible, looks pretty stupid, but it’s working for me.

The vastly over-simplified concept behind it is to relax the muscles of the jaw. Dr. Williams has research on his site that shows that MS patients exert much more pressure between their jaws than does the average person. Those tight muscles can compress the structures that drain blood (CCSVI) and CSF (AO/NUCCA). On a related note, the CCSVI Alliance (http://www.ccsvi.org/) has recently expanded their topics to include the flow of CSF as well as blood.

I thought I noticed a little improvement the first time I tried it, so I did it three times a day for two days. When I went to my AO chiropractor, she was amazed at how much the cranial bones now moved (who knew that was a good thing?), and wanted to learn as much as she could from Dr. Williams.

I would never have said that I had TMJ or any jaw problems, but I’ve got a whole box of tissues and I can’t wait to see what else happens. I’ve had real problems walking for more than seven years, so my muscles are weak and physical therapy will have to be done.
My AO chiro noticed that there was a slight improvement after only wearing it one time for 30 minutes.

I contacted Dr. Williams because I didn't know how often or how long to use it. He told me that I could wear it up to 10 hours a day. THEN he told me about the tissue thing, and that worked much better. He said I could use both the Aqualizer and the tissue method, so I presume they do different things.
a month ago, the AO said she had never seen pterygoids (muscles connecting the jaws) so locked up. Also, the cranial bones did not move. I got the Aqualizer in the mail just before an appt with her so I wore it there. She said there was already some improvement with just 30 minutes use! Fast forward about 3 weeks later, and I started using the tissue method with occasional use of the Aqualizer.

It's now 12 days after using the tissues for 30 minutes three times a day. The AO said the cranial bones are now moving normally and the spasms in the pterygoids have resolved.

Today I took a short walk with a walker and was told that my gait looked almost completely normal. I didn't get far because my muscles are so weak from lack of use, but for a little while, I walked smoothly and at a normal speed.

Last night, I was able to take six steps without holding on to anything! I haven't been able to do that in at least seven years. The only thing that is different is that 13 days ago I started doing the tissue thing 3 times a day for 30 minutes each time.
Don't sleep with the tissue, only with the Aqualizer if it's comfortable for you. Otherwise, you can just wear it during the day. For the tissue method, roll it and rest it between your upper and lower teeth. All that matters is that your molars don't touch, even if they didn't anyway. Do this 20-30 minutes 3 times a day. When using the tissue, just recline, don't lie down.

This is only my guess, so it's worth what you paid for it. I think the reason the tissue roll works WHEN YOU ARE SEATED BUT NOT UPRIGHT is that it causes the muscles in your jaws and head to resettle into a new location. That would explain why my chiro said that both the pterygoids and the cranial bones moved.

For years, I’ve made four bathroom trips every night and occasionally, I got there too late. For a few weeks in February, I rarely made it there in time. I started using tissues as recommended by Dr. Williams. The last four nights, every trip was successful, not even close to having an accident.

I’m moving a little faster these days, but I think the change is that something else is working better. I don’t know whether it’s a muscle that is stronger or a better neurological signal. But, wow, life is a lot more comfortable and convenient.

After Wednesday being such a fabulous day, I tried an experiment. For three days, I only used the tissue method 3 times a day for 30 minutes each. Although I was still doing better than before the Aqualizer/tissue days, I was much stiffer and slower. Walking without holding on was once again impossible.

This morning, I have used the tissue method for 30 minutes and then the Aqualizer for about 90 minutes so far, and I'm already moving much more smoothly.

Dr. Williams did say to use both the Aqualizer and the tissues, and, at least in my case, that seems to be the best. So it's back to the Aqualizer, too, for up to 10 hours a day (or overnight if it's comfortable for you to do that).

doing the tissue thing 3 times a day for 30 minutes each time.
My strength seems to come and go, mostly go, unfortunately. But this morning, even though it doesn't feel like walking unassisted is such a good thing, I'm still moving much faster and more smoothly.

For information on the Aqualizer, I just did a search and found the following:

http://www.aqualizer.com/ They also have a page that tells you where you can buy them that includes some international sites.

I bought one Aqualizer from Dental Depot (link below - about $35US with shipping) and tried it for a while. My dentist recommended another, much more expensive, appliance made that would take weeks to deliver, but he said I could use an Aqualizer even with the new appliance. I assumed that the original Aqualizer wouldn’t last long so I ordered six more since there was a price break. (http://www.dentaldepot.com/category/AQU ... _HEADACHES)

It’s been a few weeks and the Aqualizer by itself gave me some noticeable improvements. So did the tissue trick. Using them both during the day gave much better results. My dentist said I could use the Aqualizer for up to 10 hours during the day because it was uncomfortable to sleep with it, although using it at night might be more convenient.

The original one is still in fine shape, but I’m glad I ordered more because my AO/NUCCA chiropractor has agreed with me that I’ve gotten so much improvement that it makes sense to keep doing the Aqualizer/tissue method. We’ll see if does enough good to save me from spending $2,000-10,000 for a custom appliance.