Heartburn or GERD can Kill

Heartburn is a common annoyance. The busy lifestyle, quick meals, fatty or spicy foods all contribute to the occasional need of a chewable pain reliever. The acceptance of heartburn as an inconvenient, but natural, part of the daily grind can blind you to the warning that a severe heartburn symptom can bring.

Heartburn as a Disorder

Heartburn can be a symptom as well as a disorder. Simple heartburn or GERD can be controlled and dealt with. However, heartburn can signal the presence of a much more serious problem. If it’s heartburn, you will have a burning sensation in the chest usually after eating. There may be a spread of the burning to the throat, sometimes accompanied by a bad taste, difficulty in swallowing, belching, coughing, hoarseness and/or wheezing.

It can become worse by lying down or bending over or by eating. Relief can come from an antacid. While the more severe heartburn symptoms may be mistaken for a heart attack, simple heartburn is usually not made worse by exercise. If there is any concern that the pain may signal a heart attack, get help quickly.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Dealing With Bad Breath And Fixing It

By Jason Mikes

Occasionally, we have all experienced the embarrassment of having bad breath in public. You may think that poor oral hygiene is the cause of bad breath, but that is not always the case. Poor dental hygiene can play a part in halitosis, but it is not the main reason for bad breath. In reality, halitosis has a lot more to do with the tongue then with teeth.

If you think about it, teeth don't have nearly as many places for bacteria to hide. On the other hand, the tongue and cheeks have a number of crevices and fissures in which food residue can hide. Bacteria live on residual pieces of food, maybe even microscopic, that are in your mouth. As bacteria process this food they emit gasses that are offensive when smelled through the mouth. This is what we call halitosis. It is the waste product of bacteria.

Bacteria in the mouth thrive on food residue in your mouth. Brushing regularly may help the temporary condition of halitosis, but it does not kill bacteria, the cause of bad breath. Brushing simply rubs some bacteria away, but doesn't kill them. It will help you understand how to get halitosis under control if you understand what they are.

The bacteria that live in your mouth are anaerobic, that means they live and thrive in moist, oxygen free environment like your mouth and deep in your cheeks and gums. Bad breath causing bacteria live well in your mouth.

Exposure to oxygen is the best way to kill anaerobic bacteria. Bacteriologists will agree that exposure to oxygen kills anaerobic bacteria. The best thing to do is to find a toothpaste or mouthwash that generates oxygen killing mouth bacteria. That is your best answer to dealing with halitosis.

Once you learn and understand the causes of bad breath, you are on the road to learning to cure your own halitosis. Don't mistake bad breath for the smell of foods on your breath. Halitosis is distinct and somewhat putrid. It is, after all, the result of putrefication of food particles as they are consumed and processed by bacteria. Get rid of the bacteria with an oxygenated mouthwash and you will get rid of their putrid by-product known as halitosis.

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