Breath Freshening Tips to Fight Halitosis (Bad Breath)

When you talk to people do you blow them away with your great ideas? or with your bad breath? Bad breath, or halitosis, can be a source of public embarrassment and private shame.

Don’t let halitosis stop you from getting the job you want (it can happen – an acquaintance of mine refused to hire someone because his breath was that bad!); or stop you from getting a date with the co-worker you really like; or erode your confidence in social settings.

Your breath, like body odor, is not an insignificant detail. It can leave a lasting impression on others and overshadow your positive traits so that your bad breath is all people remember about you. And that just stinks (I know, I know…corny, but give a guy a break will ya!).

Halitosis is caused by bacteria in the mouth which reside in dental plaque. It can also be caused by undigested foods that ferment in the gasttrointestinal tract, producing bad breath in the mouth as well as unpleasant body odor.

You may use mouthwash habitually and brush your teeth regularly but to no avail. Conventional mouthwashes are loaded with alcohol which can dry the mouth and actually exacerbate the problem. How? Saliva contains water and enzymes which help to wash away the odor-causing bacteria. A dry mouth ensures that the bacteria remain.

So, despite daily use of mouthwash (which can also be expensive), the bad breath remains (chronic halitosis). This may be a sign of or lead to gingivitis (inflammation of the gums, usually indicated by swollen, bleeding gums) or worse, periodontitis, which can lead to tooth deacy and loss of teeth.

But there are effective, cheaper ways of tackling halitosis:

– Use hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash and rinse. Use full strength or you can dilute it with water (ratio of H2O2 to H2O – 1:1).

– Use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) as an oral wash – 1 teaspoon of baking soda completely dissolved in 4 ounces of water. Rinse and gargle with it.

– Eat a few sprigs of parsley before going out. This is a GREAT breath freshener that acts on the mouth and the digestive tract and actually produces a long-lasting pleasant scent. Parsley has a wonderful herbal scent and, of course, contains chlorophyll which is an internal deodorant. Note: be sure to rinse your mouth with water after thoroughly chewing and swallowing the parsley or people will think you were grazing in the fields.

– Drink liquid chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is the green pigment in plants (and is chemically similar in composition to human blood except for one difference – the central atom in chlorophyll is magnesium and in human blood the central atom is iron). Chlorophyll is nature’s deodorizer and is wonderfully effective. It helps remove mouth odors, body odors, odors in your urine and fecal matter, and even neutralizes environmental pollutants that we breathe in and intake on a daily basis! You can find liquid chlorophyll in your local health food store.

– Incorporate more raw food into your diet. A steady, or even daily, intake of raw foods, like fresh fruits and fresh vegetables (preferably organic, of course) help to significantly reduce body odors, including bad breath. Raw foods, when eaten with devitalized cooked foods, can also help neutralize the adverse effects of cooked and processed foods (checkout www.rawthenticsoul.com for delicious raw food recipes, raw food preparation tips, and instructional videos).

– Brush your teeth regularly – in the morning, of course, and before going to bed. Also, after meals, especially if you’ve had dessert.

– Avoid sugary foods and starchy foods (they leave sugar residues in the mouth and can go undigested in your digestive tract). Why? The bacteria in your mouth feed off the sugars and when they are well-fed they remain in the mouth and produce acidic wastes that lead to tooth and gum decay and bad breath. But if you do eat sugary foods and starches be sure to – brush your teeth immediately after your meal; or rinse with baking soda or hydrogen peroxide. These measure will eliminate the sugars and the bacteria.

– Stop smoking cigarettes and stop drinking alcohol; or, at least, drastically reduce your intake of tobacco and alcohol; or, counter the effects of tobacco and alcohol by implementing the tips in this article.

So implement these practices and go out there and knock ’em dead with your ideas and your wit – not with your breath.

Be well.