Bad breath, an indication of internal disease

Written by Oladapo Ashiru
Professor of Anatomy/Consultant Reproductive Endocrinologist
Phone: 234-8023195521
~Punch, Nigeria. Thursday, July 7, 2016

Oladapo Ashiru

One of the common conditions found worldwide affecting individuals is halitosis also known as bad breath. It is a social nuisance and indicates clear and imminent danger. Fold your two hands into a cup and breathe into it to smell if there is bad odour. If there is, then there is a problem.

If you look at your tongue in the mirror and it has a thick, whitish coating, this also confirms it. The sad part is that colleagues, friends and relations are usually embarrassed to tell the person concerned that they have such problems.

They are just not able to go that far thinking that such comments can hurt the person. In such situations, they will hope that one day, the individual will find out one way or the other.

This condition has been linked to problems with the teeth, gums or throat. However, halitosis has been strongly associated with the body's ability to eliminate waste. Health experts have identified that improper and poorly functioning digestive system can cause mouth odour, which often results from accumulation of toxins in the kidneys or liver.


Chemical toxins that have built up within the body slow down the immune system and alter the natural course of elimination. Detoxification is the core treatment for halitosis. This is a great way to get your breath back on track and have a healthy body.

For the purpose of clarity, the fact as revealed through Modern Mayr Medicine is that when we eat food without proper chewing, for example such African food like pounded yam, and Eba, we call 'swallow', they are swallowed without proper chewing as if when they get to the stomach they will be further ground.



The unfortunate thing is that there are no teeth in the stomach. Consequently, there will be no proper digestion of the food content. The stomach, of course, must empty its content into the small intestine within three to four hours.

As a result of this, the semi solid swallow are now pushed into the small intestine. Since the small intestine canal is very narrow, the product will find it difficult to pass through with ease. In effect, this content can remain in the intestinal passage for up to three to 20days unlike the 18-24hours in a good eating process.

The result of such slow movement of undigested food substance is fermentation and decay as described by Dr. Mayr. This is the commonest cause of intestinal auto intoxification that will produce bad gas, flatulence and toxins.

Halitosis is the manifestation of such gas being emitted through the mouth cavity, while body odour is the manifestation of such toxins being emitted through the skin.

These toxins are either the fermented product of lactose including alcohol such as methanol, butanol and propanol. The fermentation products of proteins are biogenic amines such as histamine, cadaverin, and skatol.

The long-term consequences of continuous accumulation of these products are many, ranging from initial bad breath to "pot belly" followed by hypertension, diabetes, ugliness, cancer and premature aging and death.

Such an individual must go to a good medical detox spa or clinic that is well equipped with different detoxification therapies that cleanse the body. There is also the need to follow it up with regular oral hygiene including the teeth, the gum and the tongue.

While bad breath is not desirable, it is not the only problem detox will eliminate. When toxins are eliminated from the body, the overall health improves greatly.

Another condition that affects individuals is body odour, which is widely associated with sweating. However, body odour is not caused by sweat, as it is actually odourless.

Sweat only brings out what is already inside the body. Therefore, if there are toxins in the body, it emits bad odour through the surface of the skin.

The body has two different types of sweat gland that help in eliminating toxins through the skin. They are the exocrine and apocrine glands.

Toxins enter our body by the food we eat or the environment, therefore we need to prevent and eliminate toxins in the body. Elimination of certain types of food like alcohol, coffee, cigarette, dairy products, and red meat has helped in preventing body odour. Studies have revealed that sweat produced by the apocrine gland is high in protein.

This calls for detoxification and lifestyle modification. Detoxification has proved to be the core treatment for body odour and halitosis, therefore , we recommend expertise management and detox therapies, which involve health education; nutrition education, hydrotherapy, foot detox, rehydration, colon irrigation, sauna and steam bath for healthy breath and skin.

In addition to the above therapy, good oral and personal hygiene is also beneficial in preventing of halitosis and body odour.