Lutein For Healthy Eyes

By Dr. W. Gifford Jones

June 25, 2000

Have you ever watched your friends draw away from you? Then wondered whether you have bad breath? Often people who suffer from "Halitosis" are the last to know. So before you find yourself down to your last friend, there is help for this condition.

Bad breath can affect anyone. There's a memorable scene in the movie "Gone with the Wind.' The one where Clark Gable swept Vivian Leigh into his arms and carries her up a long flight of stairs. Gable had thoughts of seduction. But Vivian Leigh might have been thinking, "If only Gable didn't have halitosis." Gable, one of the great lovers, suffered from this problem.

We have a family joke about halitosis. The scene is always the same. Two people, face to face, singing a love song. Spontaneously we all wonder how awful it must be if one has halitosis.

Dr. Barry Cash is a dentist who operates the Fresh Breath Center in Toronto. He says, "There's a way to control halitosis, but it's not a cure. It's like having diabetes. You can only control it."

Bad breath occurs when sulphur-containing amino acids (the building blocks of protein) are broken down by bacteria that thrive in an oxygen-free environment. This produces a mix of malodorous gases.

The protein that bacteria work on comes from food particles wedged between teeth and dead cells which line the mouth.

Dr. Cash uses a "Hallimeter" to determine where the odours are concentrated. Later, after treatment, the Hallimeter can measure the effectiveness of the therapy.

The first step to conquering halitosis begins with a change of lifestyle. Even Gable couldn't expect a romantic evening after dining on onions and garlic. Or if his breath always had the smell of stale tobacco and alcohol.

The next step is to improve mouth hygiene. Some people have decayed teeth that must be repaired. Others suffer from infected gums. Or they continually have decomposing food lodged between their teeth.

There's no substitute for brushing the teeth after every meal. But if you don't floss or use stimudents you've only done half the job. You can brush the teeth a hundred times without removing food trapped between teeth. Try the "Blueberry Test" if you don't believe me. Eat blueberries and brush your teeth 10 times. Then use stimudents or floss and see how many blueberry parts you see in the sink.

The use of an antiseptic mouth wash also helps to fight offensive breath. It also aids in killing germs in hard to reach places between teeth.

Brush the tongue. It contains deep furrows where debris collects and gases hover.

If you snore see an ear nose and throat specialist. Breathing through the mouth during the night usually results in morning halitosis. There may be an obstruction that can be removed.

The majority of cases of halitosis can be pin-pointed to the mouth. But long-term smokers may suffer from chronic bronchitis and bronchiectasis. This trouble results in copious amounts of foulªsmelling sputum.

Some medical diseases can cause halitosis. A fishy or mousey odour is present in advanced stages of liver disease. And untreated diabetes produces a sweet, fishy odour.

The smell of garlic is usually due to eating it. But the Journal of the American Medical Association says the too frequent use of selenium can cause bad breath. Selenium sulfide is used to treat dandruff. This chemical is also present in some lipsticks.

Controlling your emotions may decrease halitosis. Dr. Walter C. Alvarez, of the Mayo Clinic was one of the great clinicians of this century.

He relates that one of his patients experienced bad breath when driving down a narrow steep road in the California mountains. But within minutes of returning to level land her breath became sweet again.

Another of his patients consulted him because of a cramped leg which she thought was paralysed. Her breath was so bad he had to air out his office after she left.

The next day he saw the woman again. But this time the leg was better, her fear was gone and so was her foul breath.

Chances are that all of us will have bad breath at one time or another. Remember that one billionth of an ounce of onion can be detected by our sense of smell. So when your dog suddenly refuses to sit by your side it's time to think "halitosis".

W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com

My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:

Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1

Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones

Canada Free Press, CFP Editor Judi McLeod