Dental & Gum Health: Some Recommendations

I noticed a new product the other day for gum disease and it made me think about dental health in general.

First, the new herbal/essential oil mouthwash is called Peri-Gum, developed by a US naturopath originally for his son who was suffering from advanced gum disease. In recent trials, it showed that gum disease scores dropped 20% and plaque levels 16%. It’s had some excellent write-ups – see here: http://www.peri-gum.com/Testimonials.htm  and a 29ml bottle will last about 3 months. 

The other products I like for killing nasties in the mouth eg bacteria or yeast, is Higher Nature Grapefruit Seed Extract or Biocare’s Oxypro. It’s a good idea to pop your toothbrush in some water overnight with a few drops of either of these added. So often a chronic mouth problem is down to constantly re-infecting yourself with nasties that grow happily on your brush.

Mouth health is really important as periodontal disease has been linked to many other conditions in the body, including heart disease. As well as oral hygiene, it’s important to make sure that your levels of oral health nutrients are good. For example, we know that Vitamin C deficiency is the cause of scorbutic gingivitis, that Vitamin D deficiency is linked to softening bone (of the jaw etc), Riboflavin deficiency is most often the cause of cracks at the corners of the mouth, that Calcium deficiency/malabsorption leads to bone density loss (and softening of teeth) and, finally, that having a Zinc deficiency means you’re unlikely to solve a chronic gum infection. No brainer, then, that if you want to look after your oral health, you need to make sure you have the right nutrients in your diet and/or supplement programme. CoQ10 is also important for bleeding gums, and protects the heart.

Vitamin K2 is also said to be a wonder for reducing oral health problems such as cavities, excess plaque and soft teeth. K2 is known to help metabolise calcium properly and should be a part of any diet or supplement with a hope of preventing osteoporosis. Thorne Research do a liquid version which is absorbable and can be swished around the mouth.

Day to day, remember to use the Aloe Dent range of toothpastes and mouthwashes, which is rich in CoQ10 and some of the essential oils also found in the Peri-Gum. Aloe Dent also make a vegan dental floss which is made purely from vegetable waxes.

For those of you who hate needles and the local anaesthetic at the dentist, there is something else you should know about. With thanks to John Scott at Foods Matter (www.foodsmatter.com) who wrote about this in the really useful FM forums, you can now get your dentist to use a cryogenic mouthpiece called GumEase G100, ‘which is made from soft, latex-free biocompatible PVC and filled with a saline solution. After being chilled in a temperature-controlled freezer to minus 7 degrees C, the device is placed around the gums, where it feels very comfortable and produces surprisingly powerful pain relief. Up to three devices can be applied in succession, for 4 minutes each, until the required amount of anesthesia is achieved. In tests, the average patient experienced 100% pain relief in 2 to 3 minutes, and this lasted for up to twenty minutes.

The device is suitable for use with most procedures, including fillings, crowns, extractions and root canals, as well as brace application and adjustment.

As this is a disposable item, so far as the dentist is concerned, the patient can take their gumEase devices home with them and, after re-freezing them in a household freezer, can apply them post-operatively if any pain occurs after their procedure.

Most dentists are still unaware of the existence of the gumEase, so you will need to speak with your practitioner well in advance of your appointment to check whether this type of anesthesia is routinely offered to patients and, if not, suggest that the dentist obtain a supply to try them. As the device could save dentists both time and money, s/he will probably be grateful for the suggestion!’

Supplies of the GumEase can be obtained in the UK from George Harrell at gharrell@cryodevices.com (£69.77, including shipping, for 10).

Interestingly, John also writes that ‘patients who have migraine and tension-type headaches who have tried this device have reported that, in addition to delivering effective dental anesthesia, the device has also provided relief from their headaches. In fact, such has been the success of the device in this respect that a trial is about to begin to test this new application.’

You should be able to get all the stuff I’ve mentioned, except the GumEase, from either Nutricentre or Goodness Direct. Click here for a link to these companies: http://www.purehealthclinic.co.uk/html/links.html

Acupuncture Now Free On The NHS For Back Pain

For the first time ever, an alternative therapy is officially recognized by the NHS and will be offered free for back pain sufferers! Acupuncture has been known for decades to relieve lower back pain and now NICE, the official body which determines what drugs and therapies should be offered to patients, has come out and agreed. Clinical and public health director Peter Littlejohns says: “As with many interventions the underlying process of how acupuncture works is still not completely clear, but I think the evidence still shows that on balance patients do better.” A bit lukewarm maybe, but actions speak louder than his words and now any patient who has been suffering lower back pain persistently for at least six weeks will be offered acupuncture as part of their NHS treatment.

Interestingly, the NHS spends around £1.6bn a year treating lower back pain, including on tests and some treatments that have very little benefit.  It’s estimated that offering acupuncture will add only £77,000 to the total. Pleased as I am, I worry now that they will ignore the thousands of well-trained and experienced acupuncturists already in private practice in favour of training nurses and GPs in weekend acupuncture courses as has happened in the past. That would be a huge shame and rather miss the point (if you’ll pardon the pun). We’ll see. Source: The Times, May 27, 2009.

On a similar theme, and to much furore from pharmaceutical drug manufacturers I’m told, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHPRA) has approved Nelson’s Arnica 30c homeopathic tablets as a successful remedy for treating sprains and bruises. I don’t believe it – making real headway at long last! Source: WDDTY May 09.

What’s Your De-stress CD?

 

I felt quite stressed after a busy day the other day and so I lay on the floor and listened to some of my favourite music. It reminded me of when I used to teach stress seminars and one of things we did was try to follow a strand of music through a song – it really concentrates the mind a bit like meditation. Anyway, have a think what your favourite music is. It doesn’t have to be soothing – my favourite is Leftism by Left Field – real dance stuff! Just something that makes your soul sing. Thought about it? Get it out and listen to it more.

Understanding The Healing Crisis

I came across this rather good explanation of healing crises from Nutri Link the other day. As a naturopath, most of your therapy is designed to reverse your body back to health and eliminate any congestion stopping you from doing that. In natural medicine, people generally feel worse before they get better and this is seen as a good, if not very pleasant, sign. Here is their take on explaining what happens…

 

• In the process of bringing your body back to good health you may experience some temporary pain or discomfort. Symptoms of cold, flu, dizziness, nausea and fatigue may occur. Do not be alarmed. These symptoms do not mean your treatments are not working, but quite the contrary. The discomfort is often a very positive sign that the healing process is taking place.
• A healing crisis is any of a wide range of symptoms that may occur during the course of healing. Typically, the onset of these symptoms is very rapid. You may experience some symptoms immediately after a treatment, or up to 2 to 3 days later. The worst of the symptoms may last as little as a few hours or as long as several days. The longer the symptoms last, the stronger the healing crisis. But it is also characterised that when the symptoms have passed, you will feel better than prior to the crisis.
• Most patients do not understand the healing crisis because of their experience with conventional medicine. Where the focus of conventional medicine is on eliminating discomfort and curing disease, holistic medicine seeks to address the underlying cause of pain and illness. It aims to balance the body’s energy flow so that the body can restore itself to a healthy state.
• Disease is a long, gradual process that occurs over time with stages of progressively ill health preceding it. It moves from less serious physical complaints to more serious ones, and then moves inward to deeper levels. Sometimes minor ailments are driven deeper into the body and become more serious with drug therapy, which suppresses the symptoms, but weakens the immune system. For example, you may first experience a skin problem, which seems to clear up. Later, the disease may progress inwardly to become asthma. Some time after that, you may even develop depression.
• Increasing a person’s health reverses the disease process, almost like putting a video of your disease on rewind. You must move through previous states of health and that is when old symptoms crop up, occurring in reverse order of their original appearance. The person with the skin problem may re-experience some depression, followed by some asthmatic episodes, and later on, the skin problem may re-occur.
• The aching body, headaches, nausea and fatigue often felt during a healing crisis are primarily the effects of detoxification. In the healing process, the body is working to eliminate its storage of toxins; materials that have been collected in the colon, the tissues and in individual cells. In a sense, the body becomes more toxic temporarily until the toxins are excreted.
• Once you understand that some discomfort is normal, and that symptoms can be a positive sign that healing is taking place, there are a number of things you can do to help your body during a healing crisis. First, try to follow your prescribed program correctly. Taking medications, such as antihistamines, aspirin or other painkillers unless really needed, can delay the healing process and may actually prolong the discomfort.
• Sufficient rest is very important since your body is under a great deal of stress during the healing process. Similarly, your diet should consist of light, easy-to-digest meals and heavy, hard-to-digest foods should be avoided. Plenty of hot water should be taken throughout the day.
• Exercise is often helpful especially if the crisis presents itself on an emotional level. Because many toxins leave the body through the skin, light brushing of the skin with a natural bristle brush can help stimulate blood and lymph flow. Soaking in a warm bath with Epsom salts may also be helpful.
• Reducing environmental stresses can help a healing crisis pass more quickly. Take a good look at your daily stress level. Your diet, smoking habits, alcohol intake and other lifestyle elements may need to be changed.
• Attitude can be one of the most beneficial factors in coping with healing crisis. A positive attitude will allow you to relax and to recognise that the symptoms are temporary and your treatment is on target.
• Keep the lines of communication open with your practitioner. Report your symptoms and allow your Health Care Practitioner to help you if your symptoms are too much to cope with. Adjustments in the degree or frequency of treatments may be possible to lessen your discomfort.
• The road to good health is an exciting and rewarding journey, but like any worthwhile endeavour, it has some challenges. The healing crisis is an opportunity for you to understand the process your body is going through to reach a state of health. Despite symptoms, you should experience more areas of improvement than discomfort. These brief episodes of symptoms should be considered signs of progress and an indication that you’re on the road to good health.

 

Couldn’t have put it better myself! 

‘Our’ Nigel And His Saddleworth & Lees Natural Health Centre

 Just a quick note to let you know that Nigel Dunbar, our massage therapist and foot doctor from the Uppermill clinic is now well up and running at his High Street, Lees Natural Health Centre (above Slender World). Therapies there include chiropody, podiatry, massage, sports injury clinic, Hopi ear candles, reflexology, acupuncture, counselling and homeopathy. Dave and Emma from our old clinic are doing the counselling and homeopathy as before.  Contact them for appointments on 01457 878691. We wish them all well and miss working with them.

New Quicker Self Treatment Instructions for NAET

For those of you doing NAET home treatments, you’ll be delighted to know that you can now do it a lot faster. NAET US have discovered it works fine in half the time. Do your gate points whilst holding the allergen for a full minute on each point, put it away for 10 minutes, then do this again twice more, making a total of three times instead of the previous six. Please ask for an up to date copy of the NAET Self-Treatment Instructions if you need one. (But only if you have been asked to do self treatments and have completed your basic allergens, otherwise it won’t work.)

Sting Tips

For a wasp sting, dab on vinegar. For a bee sting, dab on bicarb of soda. Both will take the sting out!

Chronic Sinus Problems – Try Humming!

Remarkably studies have shown that humming for an hour a day can eliminate sinus troubles in just 4 days! The theory is that some non-allergic sinusitis is actually caused by a fungus – the Mayo Clinic found 96% of patients had fungi in the nasal mucus and an immune reaction to it in nasal tissues. It’s thought that the humming works by stimulating the natural production of nitric oxide, which is a natural anti-fungal and it kills it! Well, that’s a new one on me. That said, really useful – if I can’t find an allergic answer to this common problem, I will now be treating it anti-fungally – and musically! (WDDTY April 08)

Hate Needles at the Dentist?

Well you’re in luck then. You could give hypnotherapy a go, of course which is your simplest solution to get rid of the phobia for good. Failing that, a new frozen gum shield is now available that numbs the area and produces a surprisingly powerful pain relief after any work too. In tests the average person had 100% pain relief in 2-3 minutes, lasting up to 20 minutes. The GumEase G100 is a cryotherapy and is not yet widely available, but you can ask your dentist in advance of an appointment to get it for you by contacting cryodevices.com.