A Breath of Fresh Air

In the past month I have experienced a wild turn of events. It is something that is best described as a Miracle.

To give you a bit of background, my life has been marked by sickness and major surgeries since childhood. Normal daily activities have been hard to keep up with. To say that pregnancy was hard on me would be an understatement. I have been carted from specialist to specialist most of my life. Most recently, I had been experiencing jaw & facial pain. It had gotten so bad that I was mostly living off of smoothies.

I went to a specialist for TMJ--Dr. Farrand Robson in Tacoma. He told me that TMJ was the least of my worries. Instead, the greater issue is that I have been "choking on my tongue" for pretty much my whole life.

He went on to explain that because I had too many teeth pulled in elementary school the natural boundaries for my tongue changed. As a result my tongue is going too far back in my mouth and depriving me of oxygen. He said that this accounts for my low blood-pressure, high heart-rate, cold/blue hands and feet, and "asthma".

That same day he fitted me for a retainer. This helps pull my tongue forward. I thought the doctor was crazy until he put this thing in my mouth...AND I BREATHED like I have never breathed before. I got really dizzy from all the oxygen! After a few minutes of wearing the retainer my hands started feeling weird. I looked down and they were turning pink and were warming up!! I went home and slept like I have NEVER slept before!

My doctor said that a lot of my other health problems will probably fade away because my body will not have to put so much effort into breathing. We are hopeful, but also realize this will take time.

This will be a three to four month process with the doctor, fitting and adjusting the retainer (AKA orthotic) as my mouth and body adjust to the changes.This process will cost $16,000, which is not covered by insurance. My doctor is writing a letter to let the insurance company know that this is medically necessary for me. I am also going to make an appeal for them to pay.

Dr. Robson's office has a payment plan, but it is too steep for us. We know that God definitely brought me this far and gave me an amazing new joy-- experiencing oxygen!! We know that He will provide for this somehow.

Please pray for provision, and please pray for us as we go through this 4-month adjustment.

With and Without

 Here is a series of pictures that show the difference between when I am wearing the orthotic in my mouth and when I have taken it out for a while. (I have to take it out while I am eating)

The following pictures were taken without 
the orthotic in my mouth.

Before: This is what my hands used to look like a lot of the time.  This picture was  taken after a meal.

Before: Notice the white on the tips of my fingers. They are white because my capillaries are clenching and not allowing blood to come in.  

Before: Note the blue color, also the white sections.

Before: Another look at my hands without the orthotics.

The following pictures were taken with 

the orthotic in my mouth.

After: Blood is starting to refill my hands now that I have the orthotic back in. Notice the different color in my fingertips.

After: Blood is returning to my hands. This is another look at the  pinking up process.

After: This is after I had been wearing the orthotic for a while and my hands had fully warmed up. 

After: My new normal! A lot less blue!

Commonly Asked Questions

The following questions are in regards to my orthotic and the Oral Systemic Balance


How is this different from the mouth guard you can buy at the grocery store, or custom ones made by your dentist?
I tried the grocery store mouth guard and the custom mouth guard from my dentist before going to see Dr. Robson. Neither of these helped me, in fact they made me worse.

While, my orthotic does fit over my teeth in a similar way, however, the design of it is completely different. The other mouth guards just prevent your teeth from grinding on one another. This orthotic actually redirects my tongue and jaw so that I get more air.

My orthotic is worn all day and all night. The only time I take it out is to eat. I have grown accustomed to the proper amounts of oxygen. It is very noticeable when I take it out, my hands start turning blue, and my chest starts pulling back in. My body also starts to produce adrenaline to adjust to the decrease in air.

Why does it cost so much?
The orthotic itself does not cost $16,000, it is the entire process. This process is called Oral Systemic Balance. This is the estimated cost of my recovery process based on the best plan Dr. Robson has to get me well. The process can not be completed in just one sitting. As my body changes and responds to the increased level of oxygen, the orthotic needs to be changed and modified.

When I go to the office I am not just having a brief meeting with Dr. Robson. There are several technicians who work to adjust my orthotic. I also see an RN who is monitoring my body functions and changes. I receive complete care while in their office. Most of my appointments have lasted about 2 hours or more.


Have you continued to see improvement?
In the first week I noticed better sleeping, tone and color of my skin and more energy.

Within the month I stopped taking all my medications. 

Before I received my orthotic I had a large indentation in my chest. Since I have been wearing the orthotic my chest has pulled forward dramatically. The amount of air that I am getting in each breath has increased significantly.

Before this, if I did too many activities (fun or otherwise) it was always followed by some kind of sickness that lasted for a week. After getting the retainer/ orthotic I was able to go on a week long mission trip with my family, and I did not get sick when I returned.

I have had many more amazing experiences -- like what it's like to sing and breathe at the same time!

Our quality of life has improved dramatically. I am told that this is just the beginning.

Is this a common problem? 
As I understand it, this is an extremely common problem. There are lots of testimonies with dramatic results for all kinds of symptoms. There has been amazing results for those with Fibromyalgia, Autism, ADD and ADHD, Bulimia, Anorexia and many drug and alcohol addictions, depression, chronic fatigue, sleep apnea and the list goes on.

Side Note: I did not have any of the above conditions. 

How can I find out more about it?
Further information can be found at www.oralsystembiology.com.

A fellow patient and blogger share's her story at: http://myhealthtestimony.blogspot.com/.


There are numerous discussion threads that mention Doctor Farrand Robson
and Oral Systemic Balance(OSB).

Article by Dr. Robson

Article: Miracles in Medicine