What are Collar Up Infections? including where they come from and symptoms of these infections.
These refer to any infection of microorganisms above the “collar”, or from your collar bone up. This includes dental infections, both obvious and hidden, sinuses, tonsils, adenoids, ears, lymph nodes, salivary glands, and so on.
Above the collar infections can impact the body negatively in several ways including:
1. Localized immune activation and tissue destruction due to inflammation. Collar Up infections are associated with dental abscesses and oral pain, swollen lymph nodes, post nasal drip, itching inner ears, sinus irritation, persistent cough, dry eyes and/or mouth. Swelling and pain are common with acute infections, but you may not even recognize the presence of a chronic, low-grade Collar Up infection smoldering under the surface, due to the common nature of the symptoms.
2. Systemic (whole body) effects. The infection and the inflammatory chemicals associated with it end up essentially “draining” into the rest of the body through mucus, saliva, and other fluids. The stomach acid is intended to kill the majority of pathogens that enter the digestive tract through the mouth. However, millions of people have low levels of stomach acid, especially older individuals or those on heartburn medications.
When those unfriendly germs like bad species of bacteria, fungi, and viruses make it past the stomach into the small and large intestines, they can wreak havoc and cause problems like GI inflammation and digestive issues. These pathogens can also cause trouble in the heart, lungs, and breast tissue, as they enter the lymphatic system and blood stream [1].
These bad bugs cause their damage over time, as they seep into the tissues day by day. One bacteria isn’t going to cause damage or overwhelm the immune system, but a chronic Collar Up infection dripping down day in and day out introducing those same pathogens could help them colonize or cause inflammatory symptoms downstream.
These pathogenic organisms harm the immune system and cause systemic inflammation, then the oxidative stress from the inflammation and immune activation harms the cells of the body.
These inflammatory toxins, as well as antibiotics, shut down the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell that allows you to have energy to exercise. [2] The mitochondria may additionally switch from “powerhouse” mode to “immune signaling” mode, resulting in fatigue and reduced performance capacity.
Let’s take a look at the most common direct and indirect symptoms of Collar Up infections to make sure you don’t miss out on the warning signs.
Symptoms of Collar Up infections (direct and indirect):
Direct:
- Known infections of the ears, sinuses, nose, mouth, tonsils, lymph nodes, and so on
- Gingivitis, receding gums, root canals, cavities, jaw pain
- Unexplained congestion in ears, sinuses, etc.
- Swollen lymph nodes in neck (even when not “feeling sick”)
- Post nasal drip
- Waking up with a sore throat frequently
- Itching ears
- Sinus irritation, excessive sneezing
- Dry Mouth and eyes
Indirect:
- Delayed injury and illness recovery
- More easily susceptible to sports injuries
- Frequently catching colds and feeling “under the weather”
- Cardiovascular weakness
- Reduced exercise tolerance
- Weak or stiff muscles
- Arthritis in joints
- Digestive problems
- Brain fog, difficulty focusing and thinking
- Lack of motivation, depression
- Associated conditions: heart disease, cancer]
Where do Collar Up Infections come from?
Collar Up infections can originate anywhere in the head or neck and are most commonly caused by serious or repeated physical injury to an area. This can be a physical trauma like being hit during contact sports, having a tooth improperly extracted, or from a oxidative stress caused by a toxic environment–such as breathing in/inhaling mycotoxins in a moldy home–that constantly overwhelms the immune defenses in the head and neck.
Initially, the immune system is usually compromised for one reason or another, including nutritional deficiencies or excesses, poor diet, overtraining, chronic dehydration, life stress inducing hormonal changes, poor lymphatic flow, physical trauma like a head, mouth, or jaw injury from contact sports [3], surgery, or an improper dental procedure, and overuse of antibiotics leading to antibiotic-resistant strains of pathogens. Apparently, athletes use almost twice the amount of antibiotic doses as the general public! [2].
Contact sports athletes, listen up, because you’re the most likely to experience dental trauma due to your sport. Dental trauma can be the onset of the slippery slope to a chronic Collar Up infection.
The Dental Connection with Collar Up Infections
The mouth is the most common site for above the collar infections and performance-harming inflammation—mostly because the mouth is a favorable environment for organisms to grow. The junction between the gums and teeth, as well as abscesses in teeth, provide an escape route for bacteria and other organisms to find their way into the lymphatic system and bloodstream [1]. This causes widespread systemic inflammation in the body as your immune system tries to get the bugs in your blood under control. Pathogenic organisms cause harm locally and systemically in the body by these means. Many times, long-term dental infections do not cause pain, yet are still causing damage to the body. 3D scan testing is required to identify these hidden dental infections.
To tie things back to the systemic effects of Collar Up infections, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture principles state that each tooth site on your jaw bone is associated with a meridian that belongs to various organs in the body. For example, the wisdom teeth are associated with the heart and small intestine meridians.
Because of the nervous system link (meridian) between the wisdom teeth and the heart and small intestine, a person who has had their wisdom teeth improperly removed may have a higher likelihood of experiencing cardiovascular or certain digestive issues. All teeth are linked to meridians that affect organs, see the graphic below.
Additionally, poor diet alters the oral microbiome making it more susceptible to infection and inflammation, compounded by invasive dental practices by well meaning but under-informed dentists. When gingivitis, infection of a root canal or extraction site (cavitation) occur or an abscess forms under a tooth, chewing can push bacteria into the lymphatic system and blood stream.
Who would have known the poor dental health could be impacting your cardiovascular health, and in turn, negatively affecting your athletic performance? Time to get brushing!
Examples of pathogens implicated in “Collar Up” infections
● Epstein-Barr Virus which is also commonly known as Mono or “kissing disease” is known to affect the lymphatic system and cause swollen lymph nodes and extreme, enduring fatigue
● Mycoplasma can also impact the lymphatic system. Less common symptoms include earaches, eye pain, muscle aches, joint stiffness, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and difficulty breathing
● Bartonella has been suggested as a possible destructive pathogen found in infected dental cavities, that may leak into the bloodstream and cause systemic inflammation. Stiff, sore neck is a common symptom.
● Antibiotic resistant Staph (MARCoNS) infections can live in biofilms in the sinus cavity, causing constant inflammation and irritation. This infection often happens in tandem with environmental mold exposure in the home or workplace
● Biotoxin-producing fungus and bacteria found in “Sick Building Syndrome”. Buildings that are water damaged or consistently above 50% relative humidity can experience an increase in health harming microorganisms. Some of these organisms can colonize in the body, while others inhibit the immune system, allowing pathogens already in the body to overgrow. One in two buildings in the United States and Canada has characteristics of Sick Building Syndrome, including excess dampness and toxic organism overgrowth
● H. pylori, the stomach ulcer-inducing bacteria, is associated with periodontal disease in the mouth and concurrent digestive issues. Long-term, H. pylori can cause gastric cancer.
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