…That moment when you are leaning in close to someone, eyes closed and lips parted…and suddenly, the thought that enters your head… “eek, my breath…what if it’s bad?” Or the person who is edging closer to you breathes on you and suddenly the urge to kiss them is not so appealing. Have you ever had this happen to you?
Bad breath. Talk about a passion killer.
Often brushing teeth alone is not enough to keep your breath fresh. If there is bacteria in your mouth or gut, then brushing alone won’t mask the smell. But fear no more, the answer is at hand!
Follow these 3 easy steps for a cleaner, fresher and healthier mouth…and never doubt your kiss-ability again!
Floss: You need to get rid of those bits of food that are stuck in between your teeth. Even the smallest bit of food left unattended to will cause a big impact–and not in a good way! Flossing morning and night is best.
Rinse: If your floss has an odour it means there is bacteria breeding merrily away in between your gnashers. It’s time to ditch the Listerine and invest in some hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). H2O2, simply put, is just water with an extra oxygen molecule and while concentrated H2O2 is dangerous, at 3%concentration it is actually very safe to use and very cheap to buy. You can find it in the ‘beauty’ aisle of your supermarket or pharmacy (make sure it’s the 3% one).
Rinse your mouth with 2 capfuls. It will froth up on contact with bugs, so swill it about and then spit it out and rinse with water.
Now repeat this if needed–floss, smell and rinse until you floss and there is no odour.
Brush–as normal.
You can simply maintain your fresh smelling mouth by rinsing with H2O2 a couple of times per week or whenever you floss and smell an odour. As an added bonus, some H2O2 will also be absorbed by your body through your mouth and will have a positive effect on the bacteria in your gut.
Now your breath is clean let’s make sure your pucker is perfect. Follow these steps to prevent dry lips.
Dry Lips
In Chinese medicine, your throat and mouth are considered as part of your stomach organ. Your lips are the interface between the external environment and your internal stomach environment. When your stomach dysfunctions one of the obvious symptoms is lips drying, and in cases where dehydration is also occurring, they tend to peel and crack. Of course if the external environment is really dry, everybody’s lips are dry. If however you are the only person you know with dry lips, it’s probably your tummy causing it.
So, what makes your stomach dysfunction?
There are four common reasons: Emotional anxiety; plant foods that your stomach cannot digest; immune reaction to specific plant foods (cereal grains are a contender here); and/or inappropriate populations of bacteria in your stomach.
As a first step coat your lips with good hydrating creams or oils. Then consider the following:
Dehydration: To overcome dehydration, drink adequate water and take Hydralyte if you are feeling continually thirsty. Making sure you stay hydrated allows your body to flush through the toxins and unwanted nasties that lurk about in your gut.
Add some Himalayan salt crystals: These beautiful pink coloured grains are great for giving your gut some gentle TLC and your food some flavour! It is completely different to sodium or sea salt. Himalayan salt is packed full of minerals–make sure you buy the pink salt.
Emotional anxiety: Emotional anxiety causes the tummy and oesophagus muscles to tighten and reduces the ability of the tummy to ‘move about’ which it does naturally. Deep tummy massage can assist here to release some of this tension.
To stop anxiety it’s best advised that you consult someone who can take you through a brain fuel trial as the cause is more often than not running out of brain glucose. You can also learn specific yoga techniques to remove ‘hot-spots’ in your brain that cause looping thoughts. Psychotherapy and counselling can reset the relationship between your expectations/wants/needs and the beliefs/definitions/rules you have which are also common causes of anxiety. Contact us today if you require support to overcome anxiety or join one of our workshops.
Take note of foods: Start to notice how your gut feel after you eat certain foods. Grains and some plants will cause digestive issues in some people–look for bloating, gas or general discomfort. As a first step try and reduce the variety of plants you consume at one time; this will give your gut a break. Also note many people have a delayed response to plants, so linking certain foods with digestive issues can be tricky. We specialise in helping people conduct their own Personal Food Trials so contact us or check out our workshops to find out more.
Check your tummy: If you press directly on your tummy (press left-side of centre from your belly button) and it feels slightly painful you can try using apple cider vinegar or bicarb soda. These friendly ingredients can assist to regularly balance stomach pH. Mix a teaspoon of bicarb soda in a glass of water notice if you feel better in the stomach. If your tummy still doesn’t feel totally relaxed, later in the day try a cap-full or two of apple cider vinegar and see if this does the trick. You can use a combination also; simply mix the two together in water.
Gut Liver Immune Cleanse: If you need a more intense solution you can undertake a Gut Liver Immune Cleanse to take the strain off your immune system and gut. Many people cannot tolerate plants and grains and these can be the underlying cause for many chronic health issues, including autoimmune diseases and cancers. Undertaking a Gut Liver Immune Cleanse will help you identify if your body is struggling to digest plants and grains.
Now you know how to keep your breath fresh and lips soft, there’ll be no need to doubt your kiss-ability again!