Halitosis

Halitosis is a foul smell emanating from the mouth. Many people across the world suffer from this problem which often causes them embarrassment. Companies manufacturing dental products often use this problem in their advertisements.

Though poor dental hygiene happens to be its prime cause, halitosis is also an indication of digestive disorders such as chronic constipation and indigestion. Growth of micro organisms in or around oral cavity often becomes cause of halitosis. So gum diseases, dental diseases, dental caries can cause bad breath. If salivary glands in mouth fail to produce sufficient saliva due to some disease, the dead cells in mouth get decomposed and produce foul odour in breath. Diseases of respiratory tract such as sinusitis, pneumonia, bronchitis etc can too cause halitosis. Liver diseases, diabetes, acid reflux can also become its causes. Smoking and alcohol are also responsible for causing it.

According to Ayurveda, poor digestion causes the accumulation of toxins in the body, producing blockages and stagnation within the minute channels of the body. These toxins have offensive odour which then appears in breath. If the disorder is due to infection within the mouth, treatment consists of removing the infection and restoring dental health. In the case of digestive disorders, herbs that promote digestion are administered and toxins are cleansed from the body. Diet and lifestyle adjustments are also advised to maintain health and achieve a permanent cure.

• Trying to avoid cause of halitosis (such as poor oral hygiene, indigestion etc) plays key role while dealing with the problem of halitosis. So the life style and food of the person should be such that minimize such causes and do not lead to indigestion or respiratory diseases etc.
• Avoiding smoking and alcohol automatically prevents the problem if it happens to be because of them.
• Doing gargling, brushing teeth regularly, using mouth wash etc help if the problem is due to faulty oral hygiene.
• Paying attention to food timings, regular exercises etc ensure good digestion and prove useful in this context if halitosis happens to be due to poor digestion.
• Using tongue cleaner regularly is important to avoid halitosis.
• Doing Yoga and Pranayam help in reducing halitosis as well as curing diseases of digestive tract and respiratory tract.