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Last year, I wrote a post about burning mouth syndrome. I am reposting it today because a reader commented that there is an informational questionnaire that many of you may be interested in. Here’s the link. By sharing your experiences, perhaps the sponsors can find a common thread among women who suffer from burning mouth syndrome and an effective treatment.
In my last post, I mentioned that menopause has been linked to altered sensitivity in the roof of the mouth and a decreased ability to detect sweet taste. Interestingly, I heard from a friend that she recently started experiencing a burning sensation in her mouth and that her doctors have been attributing it to menopause. Say what?!
Seems that the Queen Bee of Menopause, the Sister of Love and Destruction, the Lady of Light and Dark, estrogen herself, is wreaking havoc on more than the tastebuds.
I was intrigued so I did a search. I found over 500 articles in the National Library of Medicine Database, PubMed, and also located this article in the journal American Family Physician.
Although burning mouth syndrome primarily appears to primarily affect women after menopause, some 10% to 40% of women in menopause can suffer from its effects. These may may include burning in the tongue or oral mucus membranes, dry mouth and taste alterations.
The causes of burning mouth syndrome range from depression and anxiety to underlying illness, high glucose levels and of course, hormones. Researchers have also identified alterations in the cranial sacral nerves that serve taste and pain sensations as possible culprits.
Currently, unproven treatments include benzodiazapines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and capsaicin. However, I’m wondering whether or not craniosacral therapy might offer an alternative to women who don’t want to go the drug route. Mind you, there are lots of naysayers out there who claim that CST is quakery but having used it successfully for pain, I am a huge fan.
A fellow blogger also directed me to this extensive site on burning mouth syndrome. I can’t vouch for its content but it is definitely worth checking out for backgrounding purposes. Do you suffer from Burning Mouth Syndrome? What are you doing to treat your symptoms? Inquiring minds want to know!
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Hi Liz –
Thanks for referencing the questionnaire on Everyday Health.
I am behind in compiling the data from the 15 folks who responded as my mother broke her hip on 11/21. Hope to finish up my report by the first of the year. The majority answering were menopausal women; a significant number had a dental issue around the time of their BMS onset.
Mary, who helped create the questionnaire, has been in touch with Tom (whose site you reference at the end of your write-up …the correct address is: http://burningmouthsyndrome.boomja.com/Burning-Mouth-Syndrome-Blogs-22393.html) By the way, your original Surn Baby Burn site is the first resource referenced.
So – why the reposting? And haven’t any folks found this new site?
Karen
I reposted on your behalf, hoping to drive some traffic to the questionnaire. I’ve not heard back regarding whether readers have participated though. Thanks for checking back!