Medical Questions » Mouth and Throat Questions » Question No. 1300
| Question: | I am really self-conscious over having bad breath, and breath fresheners don' t work. Have you got any suggestions? |
| Answer: | Unless you have rotten teeth or gums, bad breath rarely has anything to do with your mouth, which is why breath fresheners don' t help. The most common underlying reason is that your stomach isn' t digesting food properly. You may not, for instance, be producing enough hydrochloric acid (HCl), the substance that digests food in the stomach. Food will then be left fermenting in your stomach, which is what makes your breath smell.
You can buy HCl in capsules, usually in the form of betaine hydrochoride. Take 300mg with each meal. As stress interferes with the body' s HCl production, chill out over meals: chew your food well, and relax when you sit down to eat. |
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