 Bad
Breath is very closely related to post nasal drip, excess mucus, sinus problems,
your tonsils, and tonsiloliths.
If you recall from my book 'The Bad Breath Bible', remember that the
bacteria which cause bad breath and sour/bitter/metallic tastes are anaerobic
(live without oxygen). Their goal in life is to break down the proteins in foods
that we eat. However, under certain conditions, they will also start to break
down the proteins found in mucus and phlegm.
Therefore, those people who suffer
from post nasal drip, sinus problems, and other such ailments are more prone to
bad breath and lousy tastes because the bacteria use the mucus as a
food source and start to extract sulfur compounds from the amino acids that make
up the proteins found in all this excess mucus.
Scientifically, the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath "love" the amino
acids Cysteine and Methionine, which are the building blocks of the proteins
that are found in mucus (and phlegm) and in dairy foods, too. In fact, many
people notice that when they drink too much milk or eat too much cheese they end
up with more mucous or phlegm in their throat. This is a natural reaction for
many people and unfortunately, ends up causing more bad breath and lousy taste.
If you still have your tonsils, you may be harboring a higher number of the
bacteria which can lead to an "interesting" and very often misunderstood
phenomenon, called TONSILOLITHS. Literally translated, they are "tonsil
stones" produced by the conglomeration of mucus draining down the back of the
throat and the volatile sulfur compounds created by the bacteria which easily
end up in the "nooks and crannies" of the tonsils, every time one swallows. I
can't tell you how many stories I've heard from my patients who asked their
dentist what these objects were, and more often than not the answer was 'food
particles'. This couldn't be further from the truth!
If you suffer from excess mucus, sinus congestion and
post nasal drip there are essentially only a few different routes that you can
take:
- Use medication and or drugs to dry up the
sinuses and prevent mucus buildup - all the while being careful to avoid a dry
mouth, a likely side-effect of virtually all antihistamines. Dry mouth is the
most common initiator of bad breath because it mimics an anaerobic
environment, perfect for the "bugs" to pump out Volatile Sulfur Compounds.
You should be careful about using
any antihistamine too frequently - many are habit forming!
- Many patients will find relief by using the
SinuPulse Elite® (an amazingly effective
Nasal-Sinus Irrigator to flush
the sinuses.
Medication and Drugs
MAY help Prevent Post-Nasal Drip, But At What Cost?
There are dozens of different
over-the counter nasal decongestants and antihistamines you can use to help
relieve congestion and dry up excess mucus, and some of them are very good at
what they claim… but mostly they are TOO GOOD! They create an extremely
dry mouth, which exacerbates bad breath. And even in cases where the dry
mouth side effect is minimal, when you stop taking that medication the problem
comes back, and almost always with a vengeance! This is because in some cases,
your body will actually develop a resistance to any antihistamines or nasal
decongestants, especially nasal sprays because many sprays are habit forming.
Suffice it to say, this should NOT be an option that you pursue.
Use a Nasal-Irrigator
such as the SinuPulse Elite® to Flush Your Sinuses free from Excess Mucus
 Nasal Irrigation is probably the most
effective method of eliminating post-nasal drip and helping to control sinus
infections. The SinuPulse Elite® Advanced Nasal Sinus Irrigator is an FDA registered
device. The unique pulsating
irrigation of the SinuPulse Elite® Advanced Nasal Sinus Irrigator helps to restore ciliary function and relieve post
nasal drip. A short period of regular use can stimulate the cilia (the tiny
hair-like fibers in the nasal sinus passages) to restore their natural
protective "sweeping & cleansing" action.
When you feel a sinus condition come on, or feel that you have persistent
post-nasal drip and excess mucus, consistent daily use for 10 days should result
in a clearing of the condition.
Stop Bad Breath Associated with Post-Nasal Drip,
Excess Mucus, and Sinus Problems
For people who don't really have
sinus problems, just "off and on" or seasonal post-nasal drip, then an
alternative (and better) solution might be to minimize the amount of excess
mucus in the back of the throat and more importantly to make sure you neutralize
the odor caused by this excess mucus.
You see, the proteins in mucus make an excellent food source for the anaerobic
bacteria that cause bad breath. The bacteria feed off the amino acids,
Methionine and Cysteine, and create extremely odorous and lousy-tasting Volatile
Sulfur Compounds as by-products, which are the odors and lousy tastes found in
the medical condition halitosis, which YOU (or maybe everyone around you) more
commonly knows as bad breath.
When I first started treating my
own daughter's breath problem 10 years ago, I never dreamed that I would end up
helping so many people all over the world who had the same problem, which my
fellow dentists ignored or misdiagnosed for far too long. It was only a few
years into our clinical therapy that I realized that "Every case of bad breath
is different and that there is no such thing as one formula to treat every case
of halitosis."
We've been here for the last 10 years to help our patients prevent bad breath,
sinus congestion, and lousy tastes, and we'll be here for many more years to
come. If there is anythingwe can do to help, please don't hesitate to contact us
- that's why we're here!
Warmest Regards,
Harold Katz, DDS
© Copyright
2004 Health Solutions Medical Products Corp.
© Copyright 2005 Dr. Harold Katz, LLC.
All international rights reserved.
Health Solutions Medical Products
Corp.
P.O. Box 4278
Culver City, CA 90231-4278
U.S.A.
Tel 800.305.4095 (Within
the US)
Tel. 310.837.3191 (Outside
the US)
Fax. 310.837.1065
E-mail sales@pharmacy-solutions.com
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