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DISORDERS
(Their description, characteristics or symptoms,
causes, and complementary or alternative treatments)
Disorder: BAD BREATH (HALITOSIS)
Description:
Bad breath, or halitosis, is an unpleasant odor emanating from the mouth, usually caused by some health problem in the mouth, teeth, gums, throat or gastrointestinal tract. Other problems may be smoking, liver disease and poor protein digestion. The mouth is one window into the body. If there is a bad odor, it is a general sign that there is some underlying cause and imbalance that needs to be treated.Symptoms: Bad odor coming from the mouth that is usually not detectable by the person himself or herself. Astute health practitioners smell the breath and examine carefully the tongue and mouth of all patients.
Incidence:
Causes: Halitosis is typically caused by poor dental hygiene. However, other factors may be involved, including gum disease, tooth decay, heavy metal buildup, nose or throat infection, improper diet, constipation, smoking, diabetes, foreign bacteria in the mouth, indigestion, inadequate protein digestion, liver malfunction, postnasal drip, stress, and too much unfriendly bacteria in the colon.
Treatments: Good dental hygiene is important, and some dietary changes are suggested.
Nutrients:
Supplement Dosage Comments
|
Oat bran or psyllium husks or rice bran |
1 to 3 servings daily |
For needed fiber. Fiber removes toxins from the colon that can result in bad breath. |
|
Chlorophyll (alfalfa liquid, wheatgrass and barley juice are good sources |
1 tbsp. In juice twice daily. Chlorophyll can also be used as a mouth rinse – add 1 tbsp. to l/2 glass of water. |
"Green drinks" are one of the best ways to combat bad breath. |
|
Vitamin C |
2000-6000 mg. daily |
Important in healing mouth and gum disease and in preventing bleeding gums. Also rids the body of excess mucus and toxins that can cause bad breath. |
|
Acidophilus |
As directed on label. Take on an empty stomach |
Needed to replenish "friendly" bacteria in the colon. Insufficient "friendly" bacteria and an overabundance of harmful bacteria can cause bad breath. |
|
Garlic |
2 capsules 4 times daily with meals and at bedtime. |
Acts as a natural antibiotic, destroying foreign bacteria in both the mouth and colon. Use an odorless form |
|
Zinc |
30 mg. 3 times daily. Do not exceed 100 mg. daily |
Has an antibacterial effect and neutralizes sulfur compounds, a common cause of mouth odor. |
Herbs:
 | Alfalfa supplies chlorophyll, which cleanses the bloodstream and colon, where bad breath often begins. Take 500 to 1000 mg. in tablet form or 1 tablespoon of liquid in juice or water three times daily. |
| Gum disease is a major factor in bad breath. If infection is present, place alcohol-free goldenseal extract on a small piece of cotton and place the cotton over infected gums or mouth sores. Do this for two hours per day for three days. It should quickly heal the infected parts. |
| Use myrrh to brush our teeth and rinse your mouth. |
| Chewing a sprig of parsley after meals is an excellent treatment for bad breath. Parsley is rich in chlorophyll, the active ingredient in many popular breath mints. |
Recommendations:
| Go on a five-day raw food diet. Eat at least 50 percent of your food raw every day. |
| Avoid spicy foods, whose odors can linger. Foods like anchovies, blue cheese, garlic, onions, pastrami, pepperoni, Roquefort cheese, salami, and tuna leave oils in the mouth that can release odor for up to 24 hours, no matter how much you brush or gargle. |
| Beer, coffee, whiskey and wine leave residues that stick to the softy, sticky plaque on teeth and get into the digestive system and can cause bad breath. |
| Avoid foods that get stuck between the teeth easily or that cause tooth decay, such as meat and sweets, especially sticky sweets. |
| Brush your teeth and tongue after every meal. |
| Keep your toothbrush clean and replace it every month, as well as after any infectious illness, to prevent bacteria buildup. |
| Use dental floss and a chlorophyll mouthwash daily. |
| Use Stim-U-Den wooden toothpicks, available in most drugstores, after every meal to massage between the teeth. This is important for the prevention of gum disease. |
| Most commercial mouthwashes contain nothing more than flavoring, dye and alcohol. While they may kill the bacteria that cause bad breath, the bacteria soon return in greater force. Mouthwashes can also irritate the gums, tongue, and mucous membranes in the mouth. |
| Bad breath may be a sign of an underlying health problem. Consult your health care provider for a thorough checkup if the suggestions in this section do not improve the condition. |
Considerations:
See also Periodontal Disease.
Vitamin For Life Recommended Regimen and cost:
|
Product No 59618- |
Description |
Comments |
Cost |
|
888-15 |
Acidophilus with Pectin Hardshell |
As directed on label. Take on an empty stomach |
$6.95/100 |
|
889-15 |
Alfalfa 500 mg. Tabs. |
As directed on label. |
$2.25/100 |
|
970-12 |
C 1000 mg. with Rose Hips Tablets |
3 tabs daily in divided doses |
$3.99/60 |
|
978-15 |
Garlic 400 mg. odor free tabs. |
2 tablets 4 times daily at meals and bedtime |
$4.68/100 |
|
265-15 |
Zinc gluconate (chelated) 25 mg. tablets |
1 tablet 3 times daily |
$2.97/100 |
Sources:
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd Edition
By James F. Balch, M.D. & Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C.
Alternative Medicine, The Definitive GuideCompiled by the Burton Goldberg Group
