Can Apple Cider Vinegar Treat Bad Breath?

Bad breath can cause many problems more than you can ever imagine. This problem is a common one which may stem from a lot of causes. But whatever the cause is, the truth is still the same: bad breath can embarrass you, can cause anxiety and frustration for you and can humiliate you in front of other people. Some potential causes of halitosis can include health conditions and diseases of the oral cavity. Foods can also cause halitosis such as those containing garlic and onions. Treatment of bad breath is usually dependent on its cause. There are many products available nowadays that claim to help with bad breath such as toothpastes, mouthwashes, flosses and regular dental care.

The Wonders of Apple Cider Vinegar

One of the ancient remedies for bad breath is apple cider vinegar. This is a folk remedy that has been around for quite sometime now and goes way back to 3000 BC. This vinegar has been used to treat a number of health conditions such as weight gain, diabetes, high cholesterol and constipation. Though all these healing effects can be confirmed, these have not been truly evaluated by doctors.

Apple cider vinegar is created by crushing fresh apples, removing the juice into barrels and making them stay there to be fermented by bacteria and yeast. Bacteria in acetic acid are placed to the liquid so that alcohol can be converted into vinegar. This rich, brownish fluid has a sharp pungent odor. Nutrients are still present in apple cider vinegar after all these natural processes.

Apple cider has many benefits such as the control of elevated glucose levels, lowering of abnormal cholesterol levels, the reduction of body fat and excess weight, and others. It can also be used to treat diarrhea and constipation.  It may also be used to treat acne and body odor. Recently, apple cider vinegar has been used to bad breath.

So, how do you use apple cider vinegar to treat bad breath? Here is how you do it. First, take one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before you eat. You may also dissolve apple cider vinegar in a glass of water. In this way, apple cider vinegar can help with the body’s digestion after a meal and can treat bad breath.

After each meal, you can also take one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. If you cannot stand the sour taste, you can mix just one tablespoon of this vinegar with a glass of water containing 8 oz. You can also opt to add apple cider vinegar to the food that you eat. This can actually help you with your digestion. People who have bad breath often lack the enzymes and stomach acids that are able to digest food. Thus, apple cider vinegar can actually act as a stomach acid that can break down food and get rid of your bad breath.

Apple cider vinegar can also be used as a mouthwash. To use it as a gargle, add half a tablespoon to a cup of cold water. You can gargle this solution for about ten seconds and use this as a mouthwash so that you can get rid of bad breath.

Can Vitamin Deficiency Cause Body Odor?

All of us had body odor at some point in our lives. Body odor can make you lose self-confidence, can limit your social interactions and can cause you embarrassment and humiliation. But why does body odor occur? This unpleasant smell can actually be due to the acidic compounds given off by bacteria when they come in contact and react with sweat that forms in the skin. The smell comes from acids which are a result of proteins being broken down by bacteria in the skin.

Body odor usually presents itself when there are things that are not dealt with when a person reaches puberty. Those who are prone to develop body odors are those who are obese, those with medical conditions such as diabetes and those who are fond of eating spicy food. Those who sweat too much, a condition known as hyperhidrosis, are also susceptible to develop body odors.

There are two types of acids that are present in body odor. Propionic acid is the type that is common in sweat and is produced by propionibacteria which break amino acids into propionic acids. Propionic acid has a vinegar-like smell because it is very similar to acetic acid, the component of vinegar that gives its strong smell and sour taste. The other acid is isovaleric acid which is a result of the actions of Staphylococcus epidermidis on the surface of the skin. The odor is similar to cheese.

Body odor usually develops because there are around three to four millions of sweat glands in the body. These sweat glands bring about sweat which is then acted upon by bacteria to give out a foul-smelling body odor. Sweat glands are located on all areas of the skin as well as on the armpits. They may also be located in the ear, the genitals, the eyelids and breasts. In the breast, these sweat gland secrete droplets of fat on to the breast milk. They help form earwax in the ear. The type of sweat glands that is causing body odor is the apocrine gland. The apocrine gland is abundant in the armpits, groin and on the nipples. These scent glands secrete pheromones, aromatic substances that make a person sexually attractive to another person. Apocrine glands are mainly responsible for producing body odor because the sweat that they produce is high in protein which is easily broken down by bacteria.

Body Odor and Nutrient Deficiencies

If you think that body odor is about poor hygiene, it is not. It can be due to nutrient deficiencies. Not getting vitamins enough can cause people give out body odor. These various vitamin and mineral deficiencies may be in the form of vitamin B 12, magnesium or zinc.

Zinc is important in the body because it helps break down carbohydrates into energy and helps cleanse the body against toxins and waste products. If you have zinc deficiency, your body cannot detoxify properly and may bring about body odor. You can get zinc from pork, chicken, oysters, beef, grains, legumes and nuts.

Magnesium can affect your intestinal flora and its deficiency can cause body odor. If you consume foods rich in magnesium, it will help the body deodorize more effectively. magnesium can be found in foods such as nuts, dark chocolate and bran.

Vitamin B2 or riboflavin deficiency can bring about a fishy odor in the body, a condition known as trimethylaminuria. This vitamin can help enhance enzyme activity in patients with this disorder. Vitamin B can be found in cruciferous vegetables and seafood.

Cinnamon as a Cure for Bad Breath

Bad breath is a common problem encountered by many around the globe. It is caused by bacteria which thrives in the oral cavity by consuming leftover food particles and it can become a real problem, especially if you have an office meeting but you ran out of mints. Bad breath or halitosis needs to be understood and fought with conventional ways, as well as traditional ways. Dental care products aren’t always effective and sometimes their overuse will actually do more harm than good. This is when common herbs and spices, like cinnamon can come in handy by effectively destroying bacteria without causing any kind of side effects whatsoever.

Cause of Bad Breath

Bad breath is caused by replicating bacteria that emits foul smelling gases when consuming the nutrients found in food particles that are stuck in our teeth or on our tongues after meals or a snack. Diet and lifestyle will also have a serious impact on the amount of bacteria and the intensity of the odor. For example, those are not properly hydrated will have a worse breath than those who are. Bad hydration will lead to a reduced amount of saliva that is present in the mouth and a dry mouth will smell foul as there is nothing to trap the gas emanated by the bacteria. Our saliva plays a crucial role in capturing the foul smells and in washing down some of the bacteria.

Diet is another common problem due to many types of foods or beverages that will lead to a bad breath after being consumed. Onions and garlic are the most well known products that lead to a foul smell, at least temporarily. Same with alcohol as it dries and dehydrates the mouth, thus reducing content of saliva and allowing the bacteria’s gases to escape.

Dental Hygiene with Cinnamon

While conventional products like toothpaste and mouth wash are vital, they are not always foolproof and can’t be used excessively. This when natural spices and other products that are common in the kitchen, can come handy and eliminate the bacteria and the foul odor. Cinnamon is already well known due to researchers that have proven it to be an effective bacteria killer. This spice will cleanse the mouth from bacteria and take care of the root of the problem, especially when combined with other products with similar properties.

For instanced, cinnamon can be best combined with honey and lemon juice to create a natural mouth wash that will eliminate the bacteria and freshen the smell immediately. Honey, like cinnamon, has anti bacterial properties that allows it to destroy these microscopic creatures that cause a bad breath. Lemon can be added as this citrus fruit will significantly improve and freshen the odor, thus eliminating any foul smell.

Making a natural mouth wash based on cinnamon is risk free and easy as it is a highly common and inexpensive ingredient. It can be applied regularly and the user can be certain that the population of bacteria will be controlled.