Bad Breath Gone Forever

Taking care of your body by engaging in a training program is a very smart way of looking after yourself and investing in a healthy future. But training to improve functional ability and/or appearance is just one part of the puzzle.

Equally important is looking after your insides and making sure that your body is provided with all the healthy nutrition that it requires. Something as simple as having bad breath may be more than an indication to use stronger toothpaste and can actually be your body’s way of letting you know that it is not functioning at it’s best.

Pam Allardice is a very hard worker within the health industry and offers some great insight into the troubles associated with bad breath. She highlights the fact that bad breath is often a gut-related condition that is associated with a bacterial imbalance.

When the bad bacteria in your intestinal tract get out of balance with the good bacteria it can cause a digestive problem, resulting in acid reflux, yeast overgrowth, or fermentation in the stomach. All of these trigger bad-smelling by-products which rise up as bad breath.

Pam offers these great suggestions to take care of any unwanted breath issues.

• Try a course of probiotics that contain a range of beneficial bacteria, including Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifido bacteria.
• A chlorophyll supplement can help to counter yeast overgrowth and keep the intestinal tract clean and healthy.
• Don’t skip meals; when you don’t eat for a long period of time, your mouth can get very dry and becomes a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
• Because dehydration produces bad breath, it’s important to drink at least eight 250 ml glasses of water a day. Avoid alcohol, as it dries out the mouth and can cause more odours.
• Watch out for foods and beverages that have strong odours, such as onions, garlic, and coffee. Sugary foods can also be a problem, since sugar feeds the bacteria that grow in the mouth. Foods with antibacterial properties that reduce bad breath include green tea and cranberries, which seem to make bacteria less adhesive.
• Use a toothpaste that contains tea tree oil, a natural disinfectant. Chewing on liquorice-flavoured anise seeds is a handy emergency measure, and helps kill the bacteria that grow on the tongue.
• Keep sugarless chewing gum in your pocket or bag. Chewing a stick after meals will stimulate saliva flow and clear away food debris.
• To keep a toothbrush free from bacteria, store it, head down, in a lidded plastic tumbler of hydrogen peroxide. Rinse the brush well before using.

So remember to listen (or smell) to your body and try some of Pam’s tips next time your breath gets a bit on the nose!!!