I wrote once in an article in my blog titled “You’ve lost the weight but how clean are you on the inside?” that exterior indications-though very convincing and at times correct-don’t necessary depict proper health, as disease may manifest itself in various ways.

One strong indication of disease is always stench, as a result, if you suffer from bad breath or as is Medically diagnosed, halitosis, this is a sign that you need to make some drastic dietetic changes or undergo a cleanse to curb this unpleasant occurrence.

Using toothpastes (especially the controversial and hazardous fluorinated ones), mints and chewing-gums to curb bad breath, like any artificial drug for any disease, doesn’t cure this ailment but only masks its symptoms temporarily-only for it to come back in full force. This explains why we as humans become addicted to all sorts of unnatural and oft time hazardous substances ranging from pain killers to alcohol.

The necessary and very effective measures one should take in eliminating bad breath are the following (you can trust this author who even upon waking up doesn’t have the so-called ‘morning breath’, falsely and commonly accepted as being natural…nothing my friends could be further from the truth!)

1. Make a change in your diet; for as is known in every culture known to man; “You are what you eat!” Hippocrates- the Father of Medicine once said: “Let your foods be your medicine and your medicines your food”, well ‘what should I eat?’ the uninformed might ask: Plain and simple: alkaline forming/mucus binding foods also known as, you guessed it right (if you’ve read my other articles elsewhere) Fruits and Vegetables.

One common indication of disease besides stench is always mucus and this is introduced into the body by only one means, what you consume, therefore all measures should be taken to eat the foods that not only nourish you but have the added ability and benefit of being able to bind and eradicate the excessive mucus.

I am not trying to be a pro-vegan or vegetarian (heck I’ve smelled bad breath and strong body odor on the most blindly fanatical of both kinds of people before) but, from experiments and being a nature lover, all vegetarian animals-free of human captivity or at least allowed to eat their natural diets (for examples the grazing cattle who consume only grass) DO NOT have any bad breath.

For a good example of a suggested daily menu plan, look for my article on ‘How to get rid of Acne in 10 days’ on this site as space is a constricting factor at this time.

2. Practice basic natural oral hygiene. As I indicated in the core e-book of my site, practitioners of Yoga such as the hard-core ones in India, Africa and even here in the USA know of such ancient techniques of cleansing the body that-though not as necessary for the beginner-are very, very effective for eliminating bad breath.

Type “kunjar kriya” up in Google and read what this process is. Being an advanced technique that must be practiced under supervision, a simple and less repugnant (if you think) process will be:

-Brushing the teeth with a toothbrush and pure all natural un-iodized Sea-salt or using an African Chewing stick or even a firm toothbrush exclusively. I always get compliments on my dentition and smile and besides my mother’s genes (if I may be so vain) using one of these methods has proven to me to be the safer and more effective methods of dental hygiene as outlined in chapter 11 of the text mentioned elsewhere in this article.

-Massage the gums with your clean index fingers. This essential practice strengthens the gums and cleans out impurities from its pores.

-After this; join the index, middle and ring fingers and massage the back of the tongue thoroughly for the same purpose.

-When you are done with these two procedures, scrape the tongue thoroughly with a tongue scraper designed exclusively for this or a blunt bread-knife. Intermittently, between all the steps above, you should rinse the mouth with warm saline water and ensure to gargle with this solution upon completion.

As you may have observed from the steps above (and in most of my articles) alleviating the symptom of a discomfort such as bad breath is mostly a two-part procedure: A drastic change in the diet (internal) and natural cleansing procedures/exercises (external). To complete the three limbs of Naturopathy, your positive and open-minded approach in reading this article takes care of the positive thinking aspect.

It never ceases to amaze me how the population so naively accepts mere fads, hyped products and so called drugs to eradicate the myriad of our modern day ailments, but take it from a guy who suffered (note the PAST tense) from asthma, acne, bad breath and depression for a long length of time, most if not all common diseases of this age can and will be things of the past if some basic all-natural methods such as the steps above for bad breath are applied.

Bad breath is associated with a dry mouth, so taking steps to not have such a dry mouth can reduce the smell.
- Make sure that you drink sufficient quantities of water so that you’re not generally dehydrated.
- Dieting or missing can reduce saliva and dry the mouth, so be sure to eat at regular intervals.
- Chew on special sugar-free gum, to cause salivation.
- Don’t drink excessive alcohol as that dries the mouth.
- Smoking dries the mouth, and is also bad for a number of other well known reasons.

Bad breath also has a component that comes from lack of hygiene.
- Teeth should be brushed after every meal Be sure to be thorough and remove all the food particles.
- While you’re brushing your teeth, brush also the roof of your mouth and your tongue, using regular toothpaste, as this will help to clean adverse compounds.
- You should also floss between the teeth at least once a day, to dislodge any entrapped particles.

What you eat can cause troubles for various reasons.
- Eat a low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid too much meat and protein, as the protein is fuel for the bacteria which cause bad breath.
- Avoid particular smelly foods, such as garlic and onions. When these get to the stomach, the smell transfers to the bloodstream, and the air you breath out picks up the smell from the lungs.

Visit your dentist to discuss the matter. Bad breath may be caused by dental problems, including gum disease (periodontal disease), and your dentist will be able to advise, and may save you more pain and expense in the long run. You should visit your dentist regularly, at least once every six months, for a regular checkup and cleaning. This will dig out the stubborn food particles that your brushing and flossing have missed.

You can use a mouthwash for temporary relief of the bad breath smell. Be aware, however, that many mouthwashes have alcohol content, which is detrimental. If you seek temporary relief by sucking a breath mint, like Altoids, you should also note that the high sugar content is a disadvantage.