Hi:

Has anyone read this article? The makers of this TMJ product have an
RSI cream. TMJ is a subset of RSI.

San Mateo County Times


Pain cream connects with the jaw bone
San Mateo company brings relief to jaw pain sufferers
By Laura Cunningham
STAFF WRITER


Thursday, June 24, 2004 - SAN MATEO -- More than 10 million Americans
suffer from a serious condition that limits speech, generates lower
jaw and neck pain and often requires surgery.

Now, however, a San Mateo-based company named NaBob/Rx has developed
Theraflex-TMJ, an herbal-based topical cream that's used to ease
muscle pain in the joint connecting the lower jaw and skull,
specifically the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

The compound is rubbed on the skin like any other lotion. It absorbs
quickly and has a potent wintergreen aroma.

Though it is not a cure-all, a recent Tufts University study showed
that patients who used Theraflex-TMJ experienced 60 percent less pain
after two weeks. The findings were published in the Journal of
Craniomandibular Practice.

"We found it was effective in reducing TMJ-related pain," said Dr.
Noshir R. Mehta, who worked on the study. Mehta is a professor,
chairman of general dentistry and director of the Craniofacial Pain
Center at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in the Boston
area.

"We're proud of the study," said Dr. Robert Gross, one of the
product's three co-founders, who lives in San Mateo.

"We know it works. If we can help 10 million people, we want to do
it," added Gross, a longtime researcher who has studied alternative
medicine in this country and abroad.

But the little company faces some big hurdles trying to get the
product to the masses.

John Reid, a partner at NaBob/Rx, said the process of developing a
new product and getting it out there is lengthy -- and expensive. The
Tufts study alone cost $50,000.

"We've tried to get this into stores. We've given Walgreens copies of
the study's abstract, but when you look at retail, you're looking at
shelf space -- and you actually have to buy shelf space," Reid
said. "You can see why every time we find a dime on the ground, we
feel like we've won the lottery."

Theraflex-TMJ is not a prescription medicine and doesn't need
approval from the Food and Drug Administration; it would be sold over
the counter if it ever made into drug stores. The company doesn't
know when that might happen. For now, the product is being sold over
the company's Web site for $24.95.

Commonly, people with TMJ disorder experience symptoms such as speech
complications, limited facial mobility, lock jaw, pain, and swelling
in the face and neck.

Because 90 percent of people seeking treatment for TMJ disorders are
women of child-bearing age, 47 of the 52 subjects who participated in
the Tufts study were female.

"You can use a little bit and it goes a long way," said M.J. Sands, a
biofeedback technician from Boston who specializes in home pain
management and muscle testing of the face and neck at Tufts
University School of Dental Medicine. Sands uses the product herself
and has recommended that doctors administer it to their patients.

"I use a little bit on my shoulders, neck and back," said
Sands. "We've used it for arthritis in the fingers and on the jaw
joint for patients. It gets tremendous results." She said the relief
is immediate.

Dr. Silvia Lobo, assistant professor at the Craniofacial Pain Center
at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, also worked on the
study. In terms of treating TMJ disorders with herbal components,
Lobo said, Theraflex-TMJ "is the first of its kind."

TMJ disorders can be so serious, an association was formed to help
patients cope with the trauma.

"We don't understand all of the ramifications of TMJ," said Terrie
Cowley, president and co-founder of the TMJ Association, a nonprofit
based in Milwaukee, Wis.

She said she had not heard of Theraflex-TMJ.

"If you think a miracle cream is going to help our patients," Cowley
said, "I would like to see it."

For more information about Theraflex-TMJ contact NaBob/Rx at (888)
367-2879 or visit http://www.nabobrx.com/

Staff writer Laura Cunningham can be reached at (650) 348-4329 or at
lcunningham@... .