| The latest dieting craze has no doubt been | | | | prescribed for high blood pressure or |
| the low carb high protein diets. Those of you | | | | depression) |
| on Atkins, South Beach etc will no doubt have | | | | |
| noticed a number of changes since you took up | | | | 2. Antihistamines |
| the diet. And no I'm not talking about the | | | | |
| remarkable weight loss I am talking about | | | | 3. Adult Beverages |
| your bad breath. Now it may not have been | | | | |
| noticeable to you but I suggest you ask your | | | | 4. Mouthwashes with alcohol in them |
| friends or relatives whether there has been a | | | | |
| detioration and you may be surprised by the | | | | When your mouth is dryer, you have less |
| answer. In fact you may even find your | | | | Saliva. Saliva naturally contains Oxygen, |
| friends moving away from you when you speak | | | | which keeps your mouth healthy and fresh. |
| which is always a sure sign of bad breath. | | | | These bacteria are anaerobic, which simply |
| | | | means that they will thrive and make more |
| So what's the cause of all this bad air? Well | | | | sulfur in the presence of little or no |
| depending on which medical speak you speak | | | | oxygen. Thus if you have less Saliva, you |
| with there are a number, yet similar, reasons | | | | have less oxygen, thereby creating an |
| for the problem. One of the reasons is | | | | anaerobic environment, perfect for the |
| directly related to the increase in protein | | | | bacteria to produce more of these odorous and |
| which most of the low carb diets advocate. | | | | sour/bitter compounds. |
| | | | |
| Basically, we all have a large number of | | | | Because of the increase in higher protein |
| useful bacteria living mainly on our tongue | | | | foods, on an Atkins type diet, especially |
| and at the back of our throat. These bacteria | | | | dairy products, the amount of Volatile Sulfur |
| are supposed to be there, because they assist | | | | Compounds increases dramatically and as such |
| humans in digestion by breaking down proteins | | | | your breath gets worse accordingly. The only |
| found in specific foods, mucous or phlegm, | | | | way to fight the problem is to try and supply |
| blood, and in diseased or "broken-down" oral | | | | oxygen to the bacteria causing the problem |
| tissue. | | | | and remove as much of the VSCs' as possible. |
| | | | This can be done in a number of ways: |
| When these "beneficial" bacteria come into | | | | |
| contact with these compounds, the odorous and | | | | · Drink loads of water. This will help |
| "lousy-tasting" volatile sulfur compounds | | | | ensure your tongue and throat are kept moist |
| (VSCs') are released from the back of the | | | | and supplying oxygen to the VSC producing |
| tongue and throat, as Hydrogen Sulphide, | | | | bacteria. |
| Methyl Mercaptan, and other odorous and bad | | | | |
| tasting compounds. | | | | · Always clean your tongue with a tongue |
| | | | cleaner before brushing your teeth last thing |
| Since the bacteria are meant to be in our | | | | at night and first thing in morning. You |
| mouth there is no way we can remove them | | | | should also try and do this after every meal |
| permanently. So, no amount of brushing or | | | | too. |
| tongue scraping will get rid of the VSCs'. | | | | |
| The only scientifically proven way of curing | | | | · Use a mouthwash which does not contain |
| your bad breath (Halitosis) is by attacking | | | | any alcohol as alcohol can dry your mouth and |
| the bacteria's ability to produce VSCs' and | | | | make the problem worse. You can also |
| by converting the VSC into non-odorous and | | | | dramatically improve matters by using an |
| non-tasting organic salts. | | | | oxygenating mouthwash. You can find one by |
| | | | doing a Google on "oxygenating mouthwash". |
| There are a number of ways in which the | | | | |
| problem is worsened and the most common way | | | | · Don't chew gum, which contains sugar, to |
| is with dry mouth. This generally occurs | | | | try and mask the bad breath. This can make |
| while you are asleep and hence the reason you | | | | matters worse. Use a sugar free gum instead. |
| sometimes wake up with "morning breath". | | | | |
| | | | The bottom line is that low carb diets will |
| Although some cases of dry mouth are | | | | cause bad breath, although for some it will |
| naturally occurring, most cases are caused by | | | | be a lot worse than others. However, help is |
| one of these factors: | | | | at hand so if you want to shed the weight and |
| | | | not shed any friends then make sure and heed |
| 1. Prescription Medications (usually | | | | the advice given above. |