Dairy Truth

Can you maintain this most important change in your life for
just seven days?

That is your challenge and goal, for during that seven day
period of abstaining from all milk and dairy, one gallon of
mucus will be expelled from your kidneys, spleen, pancreas,
and other internal organs. If you still eat cheese, ice
cream, milk chocolate, and yogurt, your one-week experience
will be as if an internal fog has been dispersed from inside
of you.

Most people successfully weaning themselves from all milk
and dairy products immediately observe dramatic physical and
emotional changes. Better sleep, more energy, fewer mood
swings, more sexual energy. Just seven days to a new you.

Take the challenge. Your body will thank you. So will those
who care most about you.

If you are daring enough, or doubting enough to think that
your new feelings are mere coincidence, plan a pizza party
with ice cream for dessert after your seven day milk-fast.
Remember the good and bad feelings, for in 15 hours after
your dairy feast, the famine of bad feelings returns.

Say “Notmilk!” to every “Got Milk?” ad.

Used by permission. http://www.notmilk.com

by Dr. Harold Katz

There are certain categories of food that will cause bad breath. You know some of them, but do you know them all? Some of our favorite foods can create a breeding ground for volatile sulfur compounds - the root of all bad breath problems. Learn all about each of the food categories, how they cause bad breath, and what you can do to stop the bad breath culprits in their path!

Did you know that there are specific foods that may lead to bad breath? This is because of volatile sulfur compounds - the culprit in causing bad breath!

For example, if food sits out too long it will spoil. That spoiling action is due to anaerobic bacteria breaking down proteins in that particular food. In milk, the odor of sour milk is caused by relatives of the bugs that create bad breath when they break down proteins in the milk (and basically in all dairy foods). A reaction takes place where ‘the bad breath bugs’ extract sulfur compounds from the amino acids in these proteins. Specifically, the amino acid Cysteine is converted to Hydrogen Sulfide (which has a rotten egg smell) and Methionine becomes Methyl Mercaptan (which smells like a cross between old socks and garlic). The same analogy applies to meat if it sits out too long.

Everyone knows that onions and garlic will create bad breath. But do you know why? It’s because the odorous molecules in onions and garlic are actually sulfur compounds themselves called Mercaptans. Sulfur is nature’s way of creating odors. You’re all familiar with the skunk. Its odor is created by a defense and/or attack mechanism. Skunk odor is made up of skatoles, which are naturally occurring sulfur compounds. In a similar fashion, bacteria in your mouth creates the volatile sulfur compounds of bad breath and taste disorders.

There are 4 food categories that will result in an increase of sulfur production because these categories have a stimulating affect on the bacteria that cause bad breath:

1. Drying Agents

2. Dense Protein Foods

3. Sugars

4. Acidic Foods

Let’s look closely at each of these food categories and how they stimulate bad breath!

DRYING AGENTS

The most common drying agent in food is alcohol. Alcohol of course, is the basis of all “adult” beverages such as beer, wine, and hard liquor. It is also used, unfortunately, in many mouthwashes you find in the grocery stores, which only makes a bad breath problem worse.

Alcohol, known chemically as a desiccant, is used quite often in laboratories to “dry out” hard to reach areas in test tubes and beakers. The same end result takes place in the oral cavity.

Although cigarettes are not really food, smoking is probably the quickest way to dry out your mouth, with alcohol being the second. If you smoke, you are bound to have bad breath!

DENSE PROTEIN FOODS

Dairy foods are notorious for creating bad breath. An article that appeared in the “Los Angeles Times” once noted that over 50% of the population in Southern California was “lactose intolerant”. With regards to bad breath, many of these people (numbering in the tens of millions) end up with more dense proteins available as bad breath fuel for the bacteria than those who have no problem with dairy foods like milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. The end result is a buildup of amino acids, which are easily converted into volatile sulfur compounds by the anaerobic bacteria found within the surface of your tongue and throat.

To a lesser extent, people have the same problem with other types of food that are considered to be dense in protein such as beef, chicken, and fish.

Another problem, thankfully rare, has to do with people who have an inability to break down certain proteins found in beans. This condition is called TMA (Trimethylaminuria) and is sometimes known as the “Fish Odor Syndrome,” because the odor produced is similar to decaying fish. The odor consists of sulfur compounds, plus nitrogen compounds (amines). People with this condition must abstain from beans and other types of food that are dense in protein.

SUGARS

Wouldn’t it be great if we could get rid of bad breath by chewing on M&Ms? Or what if the cure for bad breath were Hershey Kisses?

That’s what the makers of Altoids would have you believe. Altoids, and other products of the same ilk, are trying to fool the public into believing that a strong “good” taste in your mouth is equivalent to the “freshness” of your breath. This is so anti-scientific it’s absurd! If you think about it for a minute, it really doesn’t make any sense.

By using concentrated mint flavorings, your taste buds pick up mint as a taste. However, Altoids contains two types of sugar which again, are a fuel for the bacteria to reproduce and create more sulfur compounds - thus bad breath. In addition, the frightening part is that other bacteria can take the sugars and produce glycan strands, which in turn end up causing thick layers of plaque on the enamel of your teeth and around your gums. This leads to tooth decay and gum disease - and you guessed it - worse breath than you started with!

Since you can’t smell your own breath, you just go merrily along with that great strong mint taste in your mouth, while others close to you are backing away - backing away from your increased bad breath, decayed teeth, and gross, swollen, bleeding gums!

Stay away from candies, mints, and chewing gum if they contain sugar! Instead, let me recommend an alternative created by TheraBreath called the TheraBreath Oxygenating Chewing Gum (http://www.therabreath.com/products.asp?CAT=5). It releases Oxygen molecules directly into your mouth and also contains the antibacterial agent, Zinc Gluconate. This agent is found in many cold medications. In addition it contains Xylitol, which is a natural sweetening agent with an anti-decay compound.

ACIDIC FOODS

Foods with a high acidic content are a problem as well. pH is a term used to describe the acidity of an environment. The oral cavity has a normal pH of 6.5 (7 is considered neutral). Some of the foods you should watch out for are coffee and many citrus juices. Both decaffeinated and regular coffee contain acids. However, tea is okay. Among the citrus juices the ones with the highest acidic content include tomato juice, orange juice, pineapple juice, and grapefruit juice.

We know that acids make the bacteria reproduce much faster. In order to decrease the production of odorous sulfur compounds, the acid environment needs to be neutralized.

What can you learn from all this? Avoiding foods that contribute to, if not cause, bad breath is vital if you want to have clean fresh breath. While this is a difficult task, being aware of these bad breath causing elements is the first step in developing confidence in your breath. In addition, it is important to use oral care products that are free of alcohol, sugar, and that also have a high pH level.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Harold Katz is the worldwide expert on the topics of bad breath, halitosis, and dry mouth. Searching for a bad breath solution? To receive your FREE copy of his easy-to-read “Bad Breath Bible” visit: http://www.TheraBreath.com/web/art/L-FTCBB.asp

Millions of dollars are spent each year fighting allergies. Doctors’ office visits, over-the-counter remedies, prescription drugs, painful injections, and lost time-off from work are all affecting millions of people each year. But there may be a simple curre to eliminating allergies that cost nothing! Yes, the cure may be free!

In July 1994, Dr. Nathaniel Mead, M.D. wrote in Natural Health:

“At least 50% of all children in the United States are allergic to cow’s milk, many undiagnosed. Dairy products are the leading cause of food allergy…Many cases of asthma and sinus infections are reported to be relieved and even eliminated by cutting out dairy.”

A simple cure to eliminate allergies is to simply eliminate all dairy! This includes the obvious milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, and cream, but also includes one of the toughest dairy habits to break: ice cream! One dairy product that you have to be diligent to eliminate would be casein. Casein is the predominant phosphoprotein found in fresh milk. In addition to being consumed in milk, casein is used in the manufacture of adhesives, binders, protective coatings, plastics (such as for knife handles and knitting needles), fabrics, food additives and many other products. It’s not wonder that this protein can cause havoc in our bodies! It is not only used as a thickener in other foods, it is also used to make adhesives and plastics. Just think what those milk proteins are doing in our bodies.

And Dr. Mead is not alone in the belief that dairy products are the root cause of allergies in people. Dr. Julie Klotter, MD wrote in the Townsend Medical Letter in May 1995:

“In reality, cow’s milk, especially processed cow’s milk, has been linked to a variety of health problems, including: mucous production…and allergies.”

And lastly, the Israel Journal of Medical Sciences 1983; 19(9):806-809 reports:

“Dairy products may play a major role in the development of allergies, asthma, sleep difficulties, and migraine headaches.”

So this Spring, when the grasses and trees all start to bloom, instead of reaching for those antihistamines, decongestants, and other more-powerful and dangerous drugs, try this simple cure: eliminate all dairy for 30 days. Thirty days may seem like an eternity when it comes to the magnetic draw of cheese or ice cream, but imagine thirty days of clear breathing, restful sleep, and higher energy levels.