Bad Breath

Lately, I've noticed a lot of bad breath. And just yesterday, it was my own! From what I know about it, mine could easily be a direct result of the detox I started 3 days ago. When the body is detoxifying, temporary halitosis can be one of the results. But thinking about it, it's not an issue that I've seen addressed much in the holistic blogosphere. So here goes. Bad breath can be caused by imbalanced bacteria on your tongue, in your mouth, or in your digestive tract. It can also be caused by inflamed sinuses, liver disease, or other health issues.

Most holistic health care professionals agree that the majority of cases are due to intestinal problems (Trivieri 991). So, the first step for battling bad breath is to help your body digest.

- Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
- Try to eat raw foods as much as possible.
- Limit sugar, dairy, yeast, alcohol, and refined grains.
- Get adequate fiber (oat bran, rice bran, psyllium).
- Take a probiotic and/or digestive enzymes.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Add lemon juice to a glass of water twice a day.

Once your system is effectively digesting your food, your bad breath should get better.

It is important to avoid alcohol based mouth washes since the alcohol kills off both good and bad bacteria.

Order Fennel seeds and other spices from Mountain Rose Herbs. Click above.

There are other ways to alleviate bad breath.

- Chew fennel seeds, cloves, coriander, cardamom, and/or anise. The oils in these spices will freshen breath (and taste delicious).
- Drink peppermint tea (and add a bit of any of the above spices).
- Clean your tongue regularly (tongue scrapers are recommended).
- Chew parsley, basil, or cilantro (chlorophyll rich herbs).
- Take homeopathic supplements (Arnica, Merc sol., Nux vom., Kali phos., Chelidonium)
- Professional intestinal cleansing.
- Herbal rinses (sage tea or black tea as the base, peppermint oil, anise oil, spearmint oil, raw honey).

So, now you can breathe easy. ;)