Atkins Diet Bad Breath

People following the famous Atkins diet often encounter an unexpected and unpleasant side effect - Atkins diet bad breath. It's not their imagination that the diet causes an unpleasant odor on the breath, and it's very difficult to get rid of the problem while remaining on the diet. That's because this particular type of bad breath is not caused by the usual things.

Most cases of bad breath are caused by the production of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) in the mouth. Anaerobic oral bacteria live in our mouths by the billions. They derive nutrition from food particles, sloughed off skin cells and other body proteins. When certain species predominate - species that produce VSC as a byproduct of metabolism - an unpleasant odor on the breath results. In the case of Atkins diet bad breath, the odor is not coming from the mouth and it isn't produced by the metabolism of bacteria. It's produced by the person's own metabolism.

The Atkins diet is based on severely restricting carbohydrates in the diet - especially in the early stages, dieters are allowed virtually no carbohydrates at all. Since carbohydrates are the usual source of energy in the body, their restriction forces the body to look for other sources of energy. It turns to stored fat - fat cells that most dieters have in plenty. When the human metabolism starts to break down fat cells for energy, a process called ketosis, ketones are produced as a byproduct and this is the agent of Atkins diet bad breath. Ketones are expelled in the urine and in the breath. In the breath, they are detected as a distinctly unpleasant odor - bad breath.

It's difficult to resolve the problem of Atkins diet bad breath as long as you stay on the diet: as long as your metabolism has no carbohydrates to break down, ketones will be produced by the breakdown of fat. Indeed, ketosis is the aim of the Atkins diet in the first place. In later stages of the diet, enough carbohydrates may be added to alleviate the problem; however, some dieters will have to settle for more carbohydrates and slower weight loss if they cannot tolerate the halitosis.

Breath freshening products may provide some relief and won't compromise the diet as long as they do not contain carbohydrates. For this particular problem, the products such as lozenges and breath strips that have a strong odor, usually mint, to mask bad breath are the best choices. Many people, however, will find it difficult to continue their use over the long term. For persistent Atkins diet bad breath, the best solution may be to find a different diet.

Bad Breath Pregnancy

When we're reading about causes of bad breath pregnancy is not often listed, however many pregnant women do complain about having halitosis or about experiencing a persistent unpleasant or metallic taste in the mouth. Bad breath during pregnancy may result from hormonal changes or deteriorating dental health.

Sudden bad breath is always a sign that something has changed and it should prompt a self-assessment of recent changes in life style, diet or health. It may well be a sign that a visit to the dentist or doctor is in order. If you are pregnant and you suddenly develop bad breath pregnancy may be the indirect cause; however, it could also be a sign of health problems or the onset of gum disease. If careful and persistent oral care practices don't clear up the problem, see you doctor rather than assuming that it will go away on its own once the pregnancy is over.

It's well known that pregnant women have increased calcium needs and are at greater risk of tooth decay if these calcium needs are not met. When the diet is deficient in calcium, the mineral is taken from the teeth to provide for the developing baby. Tooth decay and gum disease often go hand in hand - when this process starts in the mouth, it can contribute to sudden bad breath. Pregnant women should always be under a doctor’s care and have regular dental checkups to catch problems early. Bad breath pregnancy difficulties are problematic to treat because of the difficulty with taking medications or undergoing medical procedures during this delicate time.

An unpleasant taste in the mouth may not mean that there is also bad breath. The taste can often be dealt with over the short term with lozenges or breath mints (choose sugar free if possible to reduce the chances of tooth decay). When there is true bad breath pregnancy does limit the measures you can safely take, though mouthwashes, which are not swallowed, are generally safe to use. Always read the label instructions carefully, and consult your doctor if you are in doubt or if you experience unexplained sudden bad breath.

Bad Breath Tonsils

Many people don't realize that when you have bad breath tonsils may have something to do with it. Your tonsils, located in the back of the mouth at the top of the throat, are not only a frequent site of infection, they can also accumulate debris and harbor bacteria. Tonsils and tonsillar crypts provide a moist sheltered airless environment where many species of bacteria do well. Although most of the bacteria that live in the mouth and throat are harmless, and many are even beneficial, invasion by the wrong kind of bacteria can cause problems.

A first step in bad breath prevention is to keep the tissues in your mouth and throat healthy, including your tonsils. Seek medical attention immediately if you suspect you have tonsillitis and have sinus problems assessed as well. See your dentist at least once a year and practice good dental hygiene between dental cleanings. Regular medical checkups are a good way to keep a close eye on your general health and avoid bad breath tonsils and other health problems as you get older.

To deal with bad breath tonsils, first rule out bacterial infection. The organism to worry about is streptococcus, the cause of strept throat. This is an acute infection that usually clears up fairly quickly and is routinely treated with antibiotics. Because there is destruction of healthy tissue in the throat, strept throat often results in a foul odor on the breath. The odor problem resolves with the infection, fortunately, so if this is what's causing your halitosis, treatment for the strept will also be effective bad breath prevention.

If the breath problem is more of a chronic issue, bad breath prevention may be more difficult. The odor may be coming from tonsiloliths, small accumulations of dead cells and other debris that lodge and grow around the tonsils. Tonsiloliths are often associated with sinusitis or post nasal drip, where there is a constant flow of sinus drainage down the back of the throat. Dead cells and other tiny particles get caught up in the tonsil area forming tiny aggregates like stones - the aggregates grow larger as they catch more and more debris. Your tonsils become bad breath tonsils when oral bacteria start proliferating in and on the tonsiloliths, deriving nutrients from the proteins and other molecules there.

When it comes to bad breath prevention, tonsiloliths can be difficult to get rid of. Each individual tonsilolith is eventually dislodged and swallowed, carrying away its load of odor producing bacteria - but another tonsilolith soon takes its place. The best approach to bad breath tonsils caused by tonsiloliths is to gargle regularly with a good breath freshening product designed to reduce bacterial growth in the mouth.

Bad Breath Halitosis

It’s been written that someone called bad breath halitosis many years ago in a deliberate attempt to create a medical term for a common problem. At the time, bad breath was regarded as more of a personal hygiene issue than a medical problem. The name stuck but it was still a long time before anyone really started taking breath odor seriously from a medical perspective, and today, halitosis is not the proper medical term - physicians say "fetor oris," "ozostomia," or "stomatodysodia."

But whatever you want to call it, a bad breath problem is still a social challenge for anyone unfortunate enough to suffer from it. Fortunately, medicine and science have been paying more attention in recent years, and even though its root causes are still not completely understood, there are now some real research-based methods to combat bad breath halitosis. The best of these are based on the knowledge that the odor is almost always being produced by oral bacteria living in the mouth.

Since sometime in the 1940s, medicine has been combating bacteria, like the ones that cause bad breath halitosis and many more serious infections, with antibiotics - drugs that kill bacteria. There are problems with antibiotics however: sometimes they don't reach the site of infection; sometimes bacteria develop resistance to them, and often they fail to kill off all of the bacteria they're being aimed at. When some bacteria remain, they begin to multiply anew as soon as the antibiotic is withdrawn. In cases where antibiotics and antiseptics are used to treat a persistent bad breath problem, the odor usually recurs because bacteria return to their former levels after treatment is discontinued.

The point is that, in order to permanently treat a bad breath problem, you need to treat the root cause. It might be a medical problem like sinusitis or gum disease. It might be something systemic, a situation that would require diagnosis by a medical doctor. It might be a dietary deficiency of some kind. If you want to be free of bad breath halitosis, get a complete medical checkup and a dental examination. Assess your lifestyle and dietary habits and try to improve things, even if it just means taking a vitamin supplement. And while you are working on the problem, use one of the trusted brand name breath products aimed at cutting down the population of odor-producing bacteria living in your mouth and causing bad breath, halitosis, fetor oris, or whatever you choose to call it.

Natural Cure for Bad Breath

Is there a natural cure for bad breath that works? There may well be, but it probably won't be as simple as taking a pill or gargling with a solution of some kind. The first step to finding a cure for halitosis that doesn't require the use of drugs and chemicals is to take a close look at your lifestyle. It's a fact that diet and habits such as alcohol consumption can contribute to bad breath. Is there anything you can change to make your mouth a happier place?

A diet for a healthy body is also a good diet for treating bad breath. It's not hard to get dietary advice these days - we hear about what makes up a healthy diet almost daily. In a nutshell, try to get lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, and plant sources of protein. You may want to take a vitamin supplement - vitamins B and C, and the mineral zinc are all important for good oral health. Avoid foods that are high in fat, sugar, and additives. Acidic foods can be a problem, including tea and coffee. For some individuals, food allergies and intolerances can contribute to bad breath - dairy products and meat are particularly known for this. If you suspect certain foods are causing problems for you, try eliminating them to see if it makes a difference. A healthy diet that's right for you may be the only natural cure for bad breath that you need.

Another lifestyle factor that shouldn't be overlooked in treating bad breath is oral hygiene and professional oral care. Brush your teeth after each meal and floss daily to remove food particles from between the teeth. See your dentist immediately if you notice any problems with your teeth or gums, and at a minimum, have an oral checkup once each year. Problems that are caught early are much more easily treated with a natural cure for bad breath or a simple behavioral change. Some medical problems are thought to contribute to bad breath as well, so consider consulting your family physician if you think you have a chronic bad breath problem. Conditions that may be involved include sinus and throat infections or chronic sinusitis, digestive disorders, or certain prescription drugs that are taken regularly.

Beyond lifestyle changes, you can choose a natural remedy for bad breath from a large collection of folk and herbal lore. You could try brushing with baking soda, fennel extract, or tea tree oil (but don't swallow these). Chew parsley or mint, whole cloves, cinnamon bark, anise, cardamom, hazelnuts, basil, wintergreen, sage, or other aromatic herbs. Some herbs not only have a pleasant odor but they also have antibacterial properties. Try taking alfalfa tablets, activated charcoal, apple cider vinegar, chlorophyll tablets, spirulina for treating bad breath, or gargle with salt water, myrrh, or an herbal tea.

Remember, however, that many of these ways of treating bad breath only provide temporary relief. Many of them have strong pleasant odors and can mask bad breath odor for a time, but few have any really effective antibacterial action. A true natural cure for bad breath will get rid of some of the odor producing bacteria that thrive in the mouth, and hopefully help to establish a more normal population of bacteria in the mouth. While it's hard to find a commercial product that is both natural and effective, a few do come close. Look for products that don't contain chlorhexidine or other antibacterial chemicals, but attack the bacteria by some other mechanism, such as physically removing them or exposing them to oxygen.