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Bad breath/Halitosis
I have a real predicament in that I suffer from bad breath. My dad says it’s not that bad - but it is affecting my love life, and in the mornings it is really awful. I am using peppermint tablets and oil but the problem persists. Help.
I suggest you book a check-up with your GP to rule out any underlying medical cause of your persistent halitosis, which can be a sign of some systemic diseases including both diabetes and liver problems. This is not to alarm you - but once you know you are not dealing with a hitherto hidden complaint, you can expect more successful results with any natural remedies or dietary changes you try out.
Bad breath can also be caused by dental problems but again, if your oral hygiene is good and your dentist cannot help, you will need to dig deeper and consider giving your digestive system a boost. One simple and very effective step is to simply dissolve a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in warm water to drink 20 minutes after every meal. The taste is foul but this is an excellent way to create a more alkaline environment in the digestive tract, which will encourage the so-called “friendly” bacteria that aid digestion to flourish. It is also, by the way, an excellent if somewhat old- fashioned remedy for cystitis.
Get into the habit of taking digestive enzymes too. These are widely on sale in all good independent health stores and you need to be taking a supplement, which provides all three major groups of enzymes; amylase, protease and lipase to break down fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
You can even, somewhat cleverly, make your own digestive enzyme supplement by drying papaya seeds and then grinding them down to make a pepper to sprinkle over food. In folk medicine, papaya has long been used to help counter the gastrointestinal disturbances or problems, which may actually be the cause of the more obvious problem of your bad breath.