Be more mouth-aware
Herbal oral hygiene products out-perform conventional pastes and mouthwashes
Have you ever wondered why the box your toothpaste comes in says ‘do not eat this product’? Has it ever occurred to you there could be toxins in the stuff you use to clean your teeth every day? Probably not! But this very tiny writing is why I recommend everyone to use herbal toothpaste, natural herb oils to prevent plaque, plus herbal solutions instead of mouthwash.
The first ‘baddie’ is Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS or SLES) – toothpaste’s foaming agent. In brief, as well as causing mouth and gum problems, it can enter the bloodstream and contribute to visual degeneration and cataracts. Nobody needs foam in their toothpaste THAT much. The second villain is Triclosan – added as an antibacterial disinfectant to ‘Total Care’ toothpastes. According to cosmetics expert Linda Anousta, “The more it’s used, the more chances bacteria have to evolve resistance. Mutation of bacteria can lead to superbugs being created”. (www.anousta.co.uk).
Then there’s fluoride. Yes! The very same chemical touted as wonderful for preventing cavities in children and promoting good, strong teeth. It’s even added to the water in some UK cities. That is, says health writer Rachelle Strauss, about as effective in promoting strong teeth, as “swallowing hair dye to colour your hair”. Worse, fluoride has many other health implications because synthetic fluorides are a known poison. Overexposure can lead to hypothyroidism, increased incidence of osteosarcoma and, according to studies in China, diminished IQ in children. There’s more! There are thousands of studies, Strauss maintains, linking fluoride with dental fluorosis which “causes yellowing, white spots, pitting, mottling and weakening of the teeth”.
Enough scary stuff. The solutions are – find a toothpaste without SLS or SLES and discard any that have Triclosan and fluoride. I like Himalaya Herbals’ Ayurvedic dental cream and, although fluoride appears on the ingredients, the manufacturer’s website reveals this is a natural fluorspar which helps prevent dental caries. Among the nine ingredients are neem, known for its antibacterial properties and tumburu from the ‘toothache tree’! Check the website for information (www.himalayahealth.com); find the product in local pharmacies or e-mail [email protected] for stockists.
There’s also Aloe Dent Regular and Sensitive – both, as you’d expect, derived from aloe vera and also including anti-bacterials echinacea and tea tree. Find it in Cyprus healthfood stores.
For an excellent mouthwash, a quick swoosh and swallow of a weak solution of either Olive Leaf Extract or Green Tea Concentrate marketed by a company new to me, BioNatural; both of these will do the job far better than any old-fashioned alcohol solution, as olive leaf extract and green tea have long been known to inhibit the growth and spread of bacteria. Find the range in local pharmacies or call 77777727.
New from American Herb and Spice – OregaDent, a special formulation of P73 oregano oil, oriental cinnamon oil, pain root oil and edible clove bud oil. Pop a drop or two on your toothbrush and make it part of your regular dental hygiene routine to kill oral bacteria, prevent gum disease and also plaque formation. You can also use the wonderful standard P73 oil of oregano in the same way. A colleague in the UK to whom I recommended this regime says her dentist is amazed at how well it counters the formation of plaque. (Both from Tigon UK – 0044 1664 485001 or www.oliveleaf.co.uk).
Finally less is best – you don’t need a whole brush full of toothpaste: half a centimetre does the job!
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Should I worry about Vitamin C contamination?
I heard recently that most forms of synthetic Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) are made in China and that American stocks have been found to be contaminated. I take 1,000mg daily of a UK brand: is contamination something I should worry about?
Mrs NP Paralimni
I read this too on an osteoporosis website (www.osteopenia3.com). Personally I wouldn’t take a synthetic form of Vitamin C for many reasons, contamination being only one. Vitamin C plays such an important part in protecting the immune system, why take an artificial form, when you can get the real thing from fruits and berries?
Nobel prize winner Dr Szent Georgy, an early researcher into VitC, found it to be of immense value in reversing illness and eradicating symptoms like joint pain, swelling and weakness. But the substance tested was crude natural vitamin C; when he experimented with a synthetic type, results were inconclusive. Georgy concluded that only original, natural or unprocessed vitamin C extract, complete with various synergistic components – like the flavonoids – was effective for rebuilding human health. Modern research shows that natural vitamin C is different both electrically and in its light spectrum.
I recommend Purely-C, a totally natural-source vitamin C supplement with bioflavonoids. While other supplemental bioflavonoids may be extracted with solvents like hexane and alcohol, those in Purely-C are from the complete food and no chemicals are used. Its natural Vit C comes from wild strawberry leaves, red sour grape powder, mountain berries, acerola cherry and rose hip powder.
Each Purely-C capsule contains approx 70g of natural crude Vitamin C, which is equal to about 700g of synthetic Vitamin C (available mail-order from Tigon – main article).
Nikki’s column appears every four weeks. Please address your questions to [email protected] PO Box 21144, Nicosia. Tel: 22 818585
