[Looksmax] In-depth Mewing/Orthotropics guide (High IQ users only)

[Idec]

Posture/Physiotherapy
Dr. Mike Mew, as an orthodontist deeply invested in understanding the intricate links between posture and facial development, found invaluable insights in physiotherapy. His mother and sister, both physiotherapists, played a pivotal role in this exploration. Rosie, his sister, introduced him to the work of McKenzie, a renowned New Zealand physiotherapist.
His studies on modern sedentary lifestyles revealed common postural issues like anterior pelvic tilt, slumped shoulders, and forward head posture.

He developed a  technique called the McKenzie chin tuck, aimed at rectifying forward head posture by increasing neck mobility and length.



When Dr. Mike Mew tried this technique, he noticed that tucking my chin helped the position of the back third of his tongue, whereas extending my neck inhibited the position of the back third. However, Rosie cautioned against overusing neck muscles with these exercises. At around this time another physiotherapist friend sent Dr. Mike Mew an article which showed a  neural relationship between the deep postural muscles of the neck and the back third of the  tongue. 
And it occurred to Mike that while most bones in the body are supported by muscles, the front of the neck lacks muscular support due to the need for an open airway. This gap, he realised, could be filled by the tongue when correctly positioned on the roof of the mouth, supporting the head from falling forwards.



This revelation was a breakthrough. It underscored the role of the tongue's back third not only in supporting forward maxillary growth and maintaining subconscious tongue placement but also in aiding neck alignment.

This supported the natural posture theory, where the tongue belongs on the palate rather than resting in the lower jaw. Thomas Myers' work in "Anatomy Trains'' further illuminated this connection between the tongue and overall body alignment. He challenged  the traditional view of muscle isolation, proposing that muscles usually work in unison across the body.
 


His concept of the “deep frontline", a fascial sheath extending  from the tongue to the big toe, suggested that aligning the body correctly could impact  facial growth.



This holistic view aligns with observations of our ancestors, who naturally exhibited well-aligned teeth and robust posture without orthodontic interventions or structured exercise.

This ancestral lifestyle involved low-level, long-duration physical activity, unlike today's high-intensity, short-duration workouts. This  consistent, natural movement contributed to their well-toned physiques.



A key factor contributing to their robust physical condition was posture. In our modern lifestyle, common postural habits like hunching forward can  lead to an imbalance in muscle development. This forward slouch tends to overwork the back muscles while leaving the front muscles underdeveloped. 

Such imbalances not only cave in the chest,  potentially constricting the airway, but also fail to engage the chest muscles adequately,  disrupting the equilibrium of bodily tension. Similarly, their abdominal strength  was a byproduct of balanced posture. Without the anterior pelvic tilt that's often seen today, their abs and back muscles cooperatively supported their spine. This  synergy prevented the protrusion of the abdomen, commonly seen as a beer belly or baby bump,  ensuring a flatter, more toned stomach.

The way our ancestors ate also played a crucial role.  Their diet consisted of tougher, chewier foods, demanding more extensive chewing. This not only worked the jaw muscles thoroughly but also promoted natural jaw alignment  and overall healthier body posture.

Vocal Therapy

Angela Cain is a vocal coach who developed the Voice Gym technique, Angela showed Dr. Mike Mew the significance of the back third of the tongue. This part of the tongue, when activated, helps maintain its position on the roof of the mouth subconsciously.

 

The front of the tongue uses conscious movement  to allow for speech however the back 3rd is unconscious, allowing for swallowing without thinking about it. Similarly the lungs and back 3rd of the tongue are  made of the same tissue called endodermal tissue which performs subconscious actions in the lungs for continuous breathing.

Dr. Mike Mew was particularly intrigued by exercises related to the back of the tongue, like the "cheesy swallow", which helps patients identify  the back 3rd of the tongue and places the whole tongue to be on the roof of the mouth, allowing the alignment of the front and back teeth. The back third of the tongue not only helps in aligning the back of the teeth and maintaining their  width, but also reminds the front of the tongue to stay on the roof of the mouth, by engaging the subconscious. 

Dr. Mike Mew then improved on this technique by remembering what his father had told him about negative pressure in the mouth. This was a concept that was widely debated by his grandfather Gorden Mew in the 1920’s about where  the tongue should sit in the mouth and that you should create a vacuum in your mouth so  that the tongue naturally stays glued to the palate.

Dr. Mike Mew then combined the cheesy swallow and  swallowing multiple times to create a vacuum in his mouth and found that he was effortlessly  keeping my tongue upwards, even while sleeping. he showed this exercise to a patient and  she pointed out that activating the back third of the tongue raises the skin under her  mouth, removing her double chin. This suggests an upward movement of the hyoid bone. This finding was significant as it indicated the potential for the back 3rd to reduce sleep apnea and snoring by elevating the airways.  

Myofunctional therapy

Myofunctional therapy is a series of exercises designed to strengthen the muscles of the face, mouth, and tongue. These exercises target  issues with speaking, eating, and breathing. 

While most myofunctional therapists like Barbara Greene, Joy Moeller, and Sandra Coulson align with the tropic premise. One notable divergence was in the approach to achieving a proper lip seal. While some, like Daniel Garliner, advocated for  strengthening lip muscles, Dr. Mike Mew’s perspective is that this can lead to unnecessary strain and causes the muscle to overdevelop. A natural lip seal should occur with minimal effort, provided the teeth are in light contact creating natural hollowed cheeks.

One of the largest contributions on the significance of Myofunctional therapy is with a study conducted by experts Joe and Mark Moeller. Which led to a meta-analysis at Stanford University showing how these methods had a significant reduction in apnea-hypopnea index by about 50% in adults and 62% in children demonstrating the power of a simple, non-invasive exercise to gain significant health benefits for people. 


https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4402674

One critical aspect of facial development impacted  by poor oral posture is the maxilla, or upper jaw. An underdeveloped maxilla can lead to a narrowed  airway, exacerbating breathing problems. Given the paramount importance of breathing to overall  health, addressing these issues is crucial. Studies have shown that severe sleep apnea can  triple the risk of mortality from all causes.