Extinguish Fiery Pain - Burning Mouth Syndrome Newsletters

Extinguish Fiery Pain
Posted February 21, 2009 3:24 PM
Posted in BMS, burning mouth syndrome, milk of magnesia
By Liz Neporent

It starts out first thing in the morning as a fiery sensation in the mouth, lips and tongue and gets worse as the day goes on. No amount of water, mints or medicine seems to dull the pain. This strange condition, known as Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS), affects more than four million Americans, most of them menopausal women. No one knows what causes BMS but now Alan R. Hirsch M.D. of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation of Chicago thinks he has a solution.

Hirsch says that gargling with milk of magnesia has helped more than 60 percent of his patients experienced significant relief from BMS symptoms. The reason according to Hirsch? "Coating the tongue with milk of magnesia may stimulate large touch receptors and taste receptors and both of these act to inhibit pain nerve fibers from firing."

Hirsch's patients, who were part of a study, gargled with a concoction of two teaspoons of Milk of Magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) stirred into in one-half cup of water two times per day. He also instructed them to avoid coffee, tea, chocolate and yogurt, foods which often make matters worse. He cautions, however, that gargling won't help everyone who suffers from BMS and if you have chronic symptoms you need to see a doctor immediately.