#54 Transform Your Health with a Happy Mouth!

Star Friedenberg delves into the crucial yet often overlooked topic of oral microbiome health, explaining how our mouth bacteria affect everything from digestion to brain function and cardiovascular health.

• More than 700 different species of bacteria live in your mouth, creating a unique microbiome as identifying as a fingerprint
• Digestion doesn't start in the gut but begins in the mouth, making oral health the foundation of overall wellness
• Poor oral health has been linked to heart disease, Alzheimer's, erectile dysfunction, infertility, and even cancer
• Gum disease increases risk of Alzheimer's by 70% and heart attack risk by 200%
• Most commercial toothpastes and mouthwashes contain harmful ingredients like fluoride, alcohol, and sugar
• Probiotic toothpastes can help restore beneficial bacteria and even rebuild tooth enamel
• Breathing through your nose rather than your mouth provides filtration and prevents dry mouth
• Mouth taping at night can help train proper breathing patterns and improve oral microbiome
• Using metal straws for coffee and staining beverages can help prevent tooth discoloration
• Green tea has been shown to effectively kill certain harmful mouth bacteria linked to cancer

Contact me for a free consultation or to learn more about our oral microbiome testing services. I'll also happily share my recommendations for natural toothpastes, mouthwashes, and other products that can help improve your oral health.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Oral Microbiome
• 8:12 Understanding Your Mouth's Ecosystem
• 17:29 Personal Experiences with Mouth Bacteria
• 30:12 Oral Hygiene Best Practices
• 44:12 Diseases Linked to Poor Oral Health
• 57:34 Heart Disease and Alzheimer's Connection
• 1:06:33 Fertility, COVID-19 and Cancer Links
• 1:15:53 Practical Tips for Improving Oral Health
• 1:21:29 Final Thoughts and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello, hello everybody, and welcome back to this wellness podcast. I am your host, star Friedenberg, and I am the creator of this podcast as well as the founder of the Star Freud Wellness Group, which involves running this podcast. It involves running a wellness clinic that's based in central London, in Monument, but can also offer sessions online, and what we're working with is offering treatments to everyone that's trying to work on their health and wellness, but from a natural point of view. So we're bridging the gap between conventional Western medicine as well as Eastern or framed as alternative medicine as well. We also have just launched the Staphroid Wellness Academy, so we're offering teaching into different modalities for people who just want to learn more about the basics in an isolated subject around their health and well-being, as well as practitioners or want to be practitioners, who'd like to learn how to become a practitioner themselves in a special, unique field which can help them on their journey and their path. Isn't it understanding? So I love it. So today's episode if I just sort of come back to why we're here today today's episode is revolved around your microbiome of your oral health, so your mouth, mouth health, if you will, tongue twister, and so this is a really, really great episode to tune in on, because this is not something that is popularly known yet or isn't like it's top fame in the spotlight as of yet, because this is something that's coming up as new research and again weighted evidence is being put on it going okay. Actually, we really do need to focus on this because this is really important.

Speaker 1: 1:56

A popular question that I often get because I work in gut health. So people always say your gut microbiome? And what is microbiome fundamentally? And all I say for layman's terms is a microbiome is a universe, a universe with lots of living organisms that live within it, and when we are talking about our own individual microbiome as per person, we have a unique set of bacteria or organisms that live within it. So no microbiome is identical, which is profound. But what is happening now is people are getting just sort of coming around to this term of, oh, the gut microbiome, but did you know that you have another universe living somewhere else and that will be in your mouth? So we call it the oral microbiome.

Speaker 1: 2:46

And this is really really important because, as I find myself repeating in the clinic, is that digestion doesn't start in the gut, it actually starts in your mouth. So this hidden universe that we don't even think about at all actually is really the starting point of digestion and really is the starting point of affecting our health and well-being. So when I do a lot of detoxification modalities and therapies in the clinic and we're resetting the body and I always like to frame it that I'm doing past resetting work, like we're resetting the body or affecting what has happened from the past, you know we're resetting it then. But if we're at that point of reset or break-even point and we're looking prospectively, so what is the future of your future health? We've got to start thinking about what are we putting into our mouths, and that's not just limited to food and beverages that we're putting in, but we also got to think about how are we maintaining the standards and the quality of our mouth health or our oral microbiome? Most people are not placing or maybe I should say is what I like to do in creators. Most people are not aware of understanding the value of how important it is to look after your mouth. And when I say that the consequence of your actions if you will and yes, as well as your genetics, so you need to do extra things to look after your mouth then actually can be a consequence or a cause of potential conditions arising, and I'm thinking cardiovascular issues, I'm thinking COVID, I'm thinking Alzheimer's, I'm thinking of gut health diseases as well, and when I say this, I think maybe you go, maybe I should have a little listen about this as well. And what's very interesting is that scientists have identified more than 700 different species of oral bacteria that live in the mouth and that makes up your oral microbiome. So, believe it or not, your unique combination of microbes might even be as identifying as a fingerprint. So that's maybe why in the films, they always do a mouth swab, isn't it when they're trying to find a suspect for maybe a murder or something similar. So, as an expert in this and understanding the importance of the microbiome as a whole in all of our different parts of our body, we should not underestimate the importance and significance of how the mouth microbiome plays in our overall health and well-being.

Speaker 1: 5:25

The reason why this podcast has come up today, or the subject has come up today for this podcast, is because, as I say, and you would have heard in my previous episodes, is that I attract the theme of the week, and this week has been quite interesting, that I've attracted clients that have some sense of mouth imbalance. So a couple of people that have been struggling with some severe mouth ulcers that they're literally all over the mouth tongue, preventing people from being able to eat. I had a lady with some genetic gum disease at some point that the teeth just fall out because the gums are so weak and frail and then of course, that has a negative knock-on consequences. You get into older age because you can't actually eat anything and then of course, there's no nutrition going into the body and at some point that's not going to be good and healthy as well and to a point you can't even have dentures or teeth put in or false teeth put in, because the gum quality is not strong enough. So this is quite important.

Speaker 1: 6:28

So I thought that's really good because what I do offer in the clinic and if you're interested, of course contact me after that's on the either a free consultation that's provided that we can do online or contact me on my work email address, because we offer tests in the clinic that will assess your mouth health, if you will, so your oral microbiome as well, so we can see the quality in how the bacterias are doing in there or if you have some evil bacterias in there that are doing different things, and I really love to use myself as a good example, because I have two I'm going to call them evil bacterias that are playing havoc in my mouth. So one, which will be the most quite obvious and standard one, which is about I have a bacteria that responds very well to sugar in my mouth and despite if someone with a different microbiome eating sugar, the one in my mouth likes to play havoc and likes to create cavities, so I would be someone more susceptible. So the higher or the bigger in sugar, the higher the sugar intake I have, then the higher risk that I will be someone with more cavities and then I'll have to do fillings. And if we know already that you know heavy metals, exposures and what they put in the fillings is not really good, not really healthy and not something you want anyway. But there is also research out there where I've seen with holistic dentists, as I'll frame it, is that you can actually grow your teeth back. So traditional Western dentists will say oh, if you lose your tooth, that's it, that's done, it's cracked, it's over, there's holes in your teeth. You know you have to fill them with a non-natural method, but actually there are methods out there. If you seek the right dentists, then you can learn that there are methods that you can use at home herbalism that you can help your tooth to repair and also regrow to repair and also regrow.

Speaker 1: 8:29

So I'm someone who needs to be extra mindful if I'm consuming sugars and how I respond immediately after with my teeth. So a couple of really great hacks would be to swirl some fresh water filtered in your mouth just to sort of get rid of any excess sugars. Of course, flossing, having some mints, breath fresheners. So there's this great product I discovered on Amazon, which is a natural mint, so it doesn't have any junk in it in terms of additives, preservatives, natural oils. So it's really good and actually does the job of helping your mouth feel fresh. So, again, if you're interested to know that, I will happily send that to you if you contact me, because I don't know the name of it off by heart so I can send you a little cheat sheet of my recommendations and so sort of. Coming back to that premise of there's a bacteria in my mouth that is very interested to create havoc and create cavities. I have to be extra mindful. So what this test has done has helped me go. Okay, cool, now I know when I do something I have to do extra little bits and bobs just to maintain my health, because the long-term game is to try and keep your teeth.

Speaker 1: 9:39

Another really, really big thing is because of today's society, about how teeth are. People are just like, oh, I'll just shave them down, I get dentures, I'll get replacements. You know there is no worry about teeth anymore. But what's very interesting that I learned from Chinese medicine is that each tooth relates to a different part of your body, a different organ, and so actually when something hurts, it might actually be as a result of a method of your body telling you actually there's some more deeper, serious, underlying problem that's going on. And so by removing teeth, or maybe filing down your teeth, or getting rid of your teeth and replacing them with artificial teeth actually has some health consequences. But because we're in a generation now where things are happening quite rapidly for aesthetic purposes, people are we're not there yet with understanding what are the long-term complications and impact. But if there was which I'd love research done to say, okay, these people have done X, y and Z, you know, of different body parts, let's see what happens to them in 30, 40, 50 years when we follow their journey of their health and wellbeing and see what actually happens when they become ill, what kind of condition may arise, et cetera. So again, there is a huge level of importance that people need to consider adding value to their teeth. People need to consider adding value to their teeth.

Speaker 1: 11:05

And so the other one, which was a huge, absolute, huge, huge, huge shock for me, is because lemon. Lemon is like the thing right, the thing for health and wellness, the thing that you need to have in the morning. You wake up in the morning you have some lemon water. You know have any lemon on your juice, a lemon on your food. You know to break down. You know the acids that might, you know, counteract if you're eating a fatty meal or you know it's really alkalizing. So you know the huge back thing back in the day it's not as popular now about. You know pH levels. Is your body in an alkaline state or an acidic state? So you know lemon is like famous for health, turns out I have a bacteria in my mouth that hates lemon. So if I have lemon I destroy the enamel of my teeth and I was just so like when I saw that paper.

Speaker 1: 11:52

It was kind of almost like reading that. You got your a school report back and you saw an F on your report and you just stood there for like five minutes just trying to like, absorb, like, is this real? Is this real? Like, what like? And I'm someone who's had. I love lemon.

Speaker 1: 12:08

Ironically, this love-hate relationship, isn't it? So I basically was just in that moment thinking like well, I've got like 10 lemons in the fridge, like I'm like literally squeezing lemon on anything and everything I eat, sleep and breathe lemon, and now I've just learned that I've been self-harming. Isn't that the worst, the worst, worst thing on your wellness journey? When you're going like, oh, I thought I was helping myself. This is embarrassing now, isn't it?

Speaker 1: 12:38

So again, this is why I love, love, love, love that we have these kinds of tests and things available, because I like to follow a client-centered approach where let's not guess, let's not like assume, because you know there's a huge fad or craze going on on social media that you're following and you go, okay, well, you know, like, dairy is a problem, gluten is a problem. I'm just going to try and eliminate it from my diet and see what happens. And it's like, no, like why don't you just do a test and you just don't have to think about it? It's like one of these most powerful health information tools available out there. Just, we have these things. You know technological advancement, we have this available now. So let's just get you to do this and you, then you can really nail the hammer on the head. And then no, you hammer the nail on the head, sorry, and you and you can go okay, cool, now I have a really good, focused direction and I don't have to guess. I just know how to look after myself now, because it's always the unassuming things. That is just how it works in health and wellness. You just think I could have never guessed that. I would have never thought about that, I wouldn't have known unless I did something like this. So, again, this is not something that's very popular in many clinics that is offered. So if you're interested to try that and explore more about your health, your health and wellbeing, then come here, right? So we're talking about.

Speaker 1: 13:57

I always say to people you know we're looking at our digestive system and you know the famous saying by Hippocrates you know, all disease starts in the gut, but, as I say, most people don't know that the gut starts at the mouth and the gut is some crazy, crazy long system actually, and in terms of feet we're talking. It's 25 foot long approximately, which equates to about plus or minus eight, eight to nine meters, depending on the person. Of course, if you have a really really long, tall person, that will be a little bit longer and versus a little bit shorter person than a little bit shorter. But it's a really really really long tube that runs from your mouth to the anus. So your mouth and your microbiome, your gut microbiome, are connected and so meaning one imbalance will then cause and affect the other, so cause and effect. So a healthy diet, proper hygiene and lifestyle habits will benefit both. This assessment because we want to make sure everything's okay, and so in my clinic we'll be performing not only a mouth, which we use spit, but we'll perform be performing a mouth, blood and stool test so we can just sort of nip it in the bud, if you will, and it kind of goes.

Speaker 1: 15:18

You know the value and importance of teeth, because it makes me think about the olden days where there wasn't an emphasis on hygiene and sanitation. You know, people were really sick and ill, and that is actually when people's mouth hygiene or hygiene was at its worst and as a result of poor mouth microbiome, you know, this was leading to people's teeth falling out, people unable to eat, and then that would have that negative knock-on consequence to their health and increase the risk of disease, as the mouth is the entry point to the rest of the body. So I think of the mouth as a pawn on the chessboard. If that is in a fragile possession, then it leaves the bigger players exposed. So this is what's scary now, because there's a lot of information available out there about actually poor mouth health actually can result in all of these serious diseases that are really really taking the spotlight.

Speaker 1: 16:13

And it's that classic thing like how did this happen to me? Like I follow a healthy lifestyle, I follow this, and most people now are starting to blame genetics. They're like there must be something in the family. You know that wasn't picked up before, before tests were available. It could actually just be your just basic lifestyle, things that needed to be improved, but you just didn't know, right? Um, and it makes me also think about how important and value that society is placing on mouth health, especially with insurance and medical insurance. So I know personally with axa, they cover up to 500 pounds a year on dental care and support, and I think that's really really great. And it tells me again, why are they? Yeah, you know all medical insurance will happily not pay out for anything, right? So it makes me go to myself why are they comfortable with forking that out a year per person? Because what are they thinking? And that's just for dentistry checkups, right, and there's separate funding for pots, if you will, for if you have an accident or an emergency or you know tooth is broken or something like that. So they go. Hmm, they must have thought about this and go okay. Well. Well, actually, as the society as a whole, if we have better teeth hygiene, better mouth health such a tongue twister that I'm going to slip up and say it wrong at some point in this conversation but actually it's really really important. And again, if society is happy and places value on it, then let's start to have a reframe in our mindset about it as well.

Speaker 1: 17:49

Recently, I got asked to write an article on the mouth microbiome, so it's quite handy. And again, another trigger to go okay, this is something that's obviously popular at the moment and people starting to learn more about it and just sort of touching base on, like the more formal or elaborated explanation of what is the microbiome and this is the answer I responded with rather than it's just a unique universe. So I said, a microbiome, in summary, is life. It is the collection of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microbes that live in a specific environment, such as the human body. I think of the analogy of comparing it to billions of humans living on earth and these microbes, aka the humans, have a function to perform during their lifetime. Referring back to the microbes, their purpose and functions play a crucial role in digestion, immunity and overall health.

Speaker 1: 18:55

The next question I get asked is how many microbiomes do we have? And so, of course, which you'll have picked up on from earlier, humans have multiple microbiomes and, of course, the most famous one and the most commonly known one at this time, with the growth of the gut health revolution, if you will, is the gut microbiome, and this is the largest one, and it lives and resides within the intestines. Then, of course, subject of today is the oral microbiome. So this is in the mouth. We have skin microbiome, which is on the skin, respiratory microbiome, which resides within the lungs and the airway. Then we have the urogenital microbiome, so urinary and reproductive tracts. And then we have the urogenital microbiome, so urinary and reproductive tracts, and then we have the nasal microbiome, so nose and sinuses as well.

Speaker 1: 19:50

And just on that matter, when I'm thinking about breathing, I always, always encourage people to breathe in through their nose, and then you can decide out through the nose or the mouth. But the importance of this is that we have hairs in our nose and that acts as a filter. So when we inhale through our nose, we're filtering through the pollution, exposures, bacterial bacteria, viruses, et cetera, whatever that, wherever you are, that you might be exposed or contaminated to, then there's at least a filter that's going on to reduce the risk of inhaling something that could have some negative consequence, whether that gets you sick, etc. And so if you're inhaling through the mouth, there is a lack of filter and, of course, a knock-on consequence to your oral microbiome as well. So whenever you're thinking about breathing and it may be a practice as well you might think, hmm, start to breathe through my nose and you might go.

Speaker 1: 20:51

Well, my nose is very blocked or something's happening, and then that might give you a new awareness of hmm, maybe I should think about doing something else about that. Why is my nose blocked? Why are my sinuses blocked? Do I have too much mucus causing food, or is my immune system compromised? And I need to start looking at that. So that might be some good tips.

Speaker 1: 21:12

And so another thing that I think of at night, which is really really good if you wake up with a dry mouth, as an example, you might be an open mouth sleeper. So really really good resources that are out there available are mouth strips, mouth tape that can help close your mouth off at night. That forces you to breathe through your nose, and then you have these wonderful things that I use, where there are these stickers that help to open up your nasal breathing. So, for example, I've had my nose broken twice, one through sports and one because the NHS lost my referral. So it's all about my nasal passages blocked and just quite literally, physiologically. So I just need to use this nasal device to help open up the flaps of my nose and then that can help me breathe in much better through the night. So then I can get some good airways, because oxygenation through the body good for everything in the body, because it's part of a vital process.

Speaker 1: 22:23

So there, so, just so you know, and when we talk about these microbiomes almost like different departments of a business, if you will all separate in its own right, but fundamentally they all interact with each other and they play a role in the health and wellness and health prevention of disease as well. So, in terms of this subject, we get asked is the mouth microbiome different from the gut microbiome? And the answer, of course, is yes. The mouth microbiome is different from the gut because, while we share some microbes between the two systems or the two microbiomes, they are distinct due to the difference in the environment. So we're talking about ph levels, we're talking about oxygen levels and function, and maybe one very classically obvious thing is that your mouth is open multiple times a day, so it's really getting like a full up front, maybe, like I say, the pawn of the chessboard exposure to the external world, whereas in the gut, you know, it's a very sheltered. So I would like to use the mouth as an open exposure, whereas the gut is in a closed exposure environment, so it will obviously have different things going on. And whereas the mouth is the starting point of where everything begins and where the gut microbiome is sort of towards the end process where the things are ending. And the gut microbiome is primarily anaerobic, so it has low oxygen, whereas the mouth is, or has, both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria where it's oxygen loving right. So the mouth microbiome consists of a diversity, diverse community of microbes which is living in the mouth, so that will include not just the mouth itself, but it will include the tongue, the teeth, the gums and saliva. It helps in digestion, protects against harmful bacteria and influences overall health, including the gut and the immune system. Research is also showing how it plays an important impact on inflammation and brain function as well.

Speaker 1: 24:33

And another thing that I want to bring up, just because it's popping up in my mind, is talking about your saliva. Your saliva maintains or has or consists of digestive enzymes, so enzymes in your saliva that actually help to break down food. So if your mouth lacks saliva, you find your mouth very dry. It's going to be really hard for you to want to your food and swallow and expect to get nutrition out of it or effective, optimal nutrition out of it. So we need to have optimal saliva in our mouth.

Speaker 1: 25:06

One trick that I always recommend to people is to, when you're eating, try eat one food group at a time. So I just think of the classic you're cutting your protein, you have a piece of salad on top, you have a piece of potato as well and you're mixing multiple food groups together which you need multiple different enzymes together. So if you want to create the best digestive outcome for yourself, it would be about eating one food group at a time, because in your mouth will go, okay, there's protein in my mouth, okay, I'm going to create the protein enzyme to digest the food. Oh, now she switched to carbs, so I'm going to create the carb enzyme to help digest the food, et cetera, et cetera. Right, so just being mindful of that, because that can be very, very helpful and a very good tip as well and always start with your protein first, maybe fiber first, but then protein fundamentally, because that can help satiate, you make you feel fuller.

Speaker 1: 26:02

So by the time you get to your carbs, you won't necessarily need as much. But of course, if I'm thinking in that same breath that protein, you know, can have fibers, it can be with the sinew of the skin, etc. You don't necessarily, or people do, I mean I do. Anyway, I get some stuck in my teeth and if you don't effectively floss and get rid of that out of your teeth that can rot. So even immediately after a meal I carry little flosser tools with me, toothpicks and flossers I forgot what it's called now, the one that's kind of shaped like a harp, if you will, with a long stick attached, so that can just carry around, pick, pick, pick and you just immediately reduce the risk of that getting trapped and rotting essentially in your mouth and then that can create a negative outcome in your microbiome, your mouth, oral microbiome, right, and in addition to being the initiation point of digestion, it's crucial for maintaining oral as well as systemic health. So let's go with an example here. It has become actually a really well studied microbiome to date, which is really really good. I'm really happy because you know research needs to be done now. So even though the microbiome of the mouth is complex, it's a complex ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, other microorganisms that are vital in maintaining oral and overall health. This community is essential, as I said, for digestion, immune defense and even cardiovascular health. I'm going to talk about that a little bit later when I talk about the risks of different diseases.

Speaker 1: 27:49

So an imbalance in the mouth can lead to various oral diseases and may contribute to systemic health problems. So who knew, not brushing your teeth could actually be really detrimental to your health? And one of the primary things, as I I say, is it's protecting against harmful bacteria. So you don't want any pathogenic organisms, you know, preventing them from overgrowing and causing infections which one would be like cavities, gum disease, oral thrush as well. And that's another thing where I think about this huge increase imbalance in people that have candida these days, because most people don't know is that we have candida in our body, but of course, when anything is at an imbalance then it becomes too much and then it starts to create havoc on the body. But we have naturally occurring candida in our mouth and our gut and, as women as well, in our vaginas. So that's where you can get those outcomes, such as thrush. So a well-balanced microbiome supports strong teeth, healthy gums, by regulating the acidity and producing antimicrobial compounds. But beyond that, studies suggest that an imbalanced oral microbiome might increase the risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, even Alzheimer's. So harmful bacteria from the mouth can enter into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation throughout the body, and that does lead to contributing it to chronic illness. Lead to contributing it to chronic illness.

Speaker 1: 29:28

So, again, maintaining a healthy mouth microbiome involves good oral hygiene practices, such as regular brushing and flossing. So you know, the ideal would be after every meal, if you can, but the practicalities is first thing in the morning and straight before bed. Ideal is a low, balanced, a balanced diet with low and that is low in sugar, as well as staying hydrated itself to keep the you know, the mouth um full of, to keep the mouth moist, right, um. And even we look at probiotic foods. Of course I can really help support and I always say, you always hear me say this subject to a blood test to know your allergies and intolerances. But probiotic foods like yogurt and fermented vegetables think of kefir, kimchi, kombucha, sauerkraut, you know these things can also help support beneficial bacteria. But of course, the blood test that we do in the clinic is really lovely because we're working on foods, dividing it into four categories. We're talking about your allergies, we're talking about your food sensitivity, slash, intolerances. We're talking about foods that are good to eat, or should I say are okay to eat, and then we also have a category for your super foods, so things you really really should incorporate into your diet to really increase.

Speaker 1: 30:45

So a couple of random ones for me is brussel sprouts and asparagus. Um, so you know, whether you knew that or not, I wouldn't have thought to eat those, because you know, brussel sprouts for me it's like, oh, that's a typical Christmas kind of food, but now actively. And even if we talk about asparagus, you know, asparagus gives you really foul urine, so it's like, oh, we don't want to eat that too often, but actually now I'm making that a weekly practice. So avoiding excessive antibiotic use as well will support that, because antibiotics kill everything. So we want to be careful. We also want to be mindful of alcohol, because that can also just literally wipe out the whole microbiome, um, so we want to be mindful of that and also being extra conscientious around mouthwash.

Speaker 1: 31:35

So I am not a fan of mouthwash. So if you are going to buy I'm going to say generic, off-the-shelf mouthwash, you need to try and buy alcohol free. But unfortunately there are there's evidence showing now that the mouthwash is actually high in sugar and, as a result, it's creating the outcome of people getting diabetes from mouthwash. I mean, can you believe that? So what I do actually is because I work with aromatherapy oils, essential oils is that I make my own mouthwash, if you will. That's alcohol free, that's sugar free, etc. And it's very nourishing, healing and cleansing where and antimicrobial. So if you want to know that recipe, let me know and I'll send you that as well.

Speaker 1: 32:26

Another thing I'm a huge fan of is apple cider vinegar diluted in water. You can also do coconut oil pulling, so in the morning you can take a teaspoon, depending how big your mouth is really, but a teaspoon or up to a tablespoon's worth of coconut oil, you scoop, it, put in your mouth and you pull. You know they can do five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour, really. Just you know the longer is technically better and try not to swallow any of it, because that will. It's an antimicrobial, very natural, and then that can help to support your teeth and mouth health as well.

Speaker 1: 33:09

And, as I said, it is as unique. Your microbiome is as unique as your fingerprint and that's why I say I recommend the test, because you don't know what your mouth will be doing to someone's else, or someone else's microbiome is doing versus yours, because of so many factors of just how you're born and just how you're living your life. So you need to be mindful of that. So I'm a huge, huge. Um, what can I say I don't follow the wave of what you know.

Speaker 1: 33:43

Fads are popping up and things that are popping up because, again, it's it's for the masses and doesn't necessarily mean it's right for you. So it's rather important to find out what is good for you, um, customized, so then you can have a focused approach and a correct approach as well, because so many, many things and I live by this, I've lived by these mistakes that I've made. I've been doing so many things before. Information was, you know, available or tests were available, was following things, and actually it was to my detriment, and so I don't want people to fall through those same mistakes that I have been doing, which we have done for a greater part of my life, and probably still things that I'm doing now that I think are good, but I'll probably discover in some future studies that actually, no, wasn't the right thing to be doing.

Speaker 1: 34:31

So a couple of tips to prevent cavities, gum disease, even systematic conditions like heart disease and diabetes. So thumbs up. So brush and floss daily, and I, like I said, I just go with what's realistic. So brush twice a day and floss wants to remove harmful bacteria. So One thing that people may or may not know don't use water after you brush your teeth, just spit it out and try to leave whatever it is the toothpaste that you're using.

Speaker 1: 35:04

And I'm going to really harp on about toothpaste. Toothpaste is toxic unless you get the good stuff. So I watched a documentary I don't remember how many years ago I watched, studied and exposed myself myself to so many things I can't quote from where resources are from but basically they were talking about fluoride and like its level of toxicity and bad things that fluorides can do. And in this documentary it was saying that you know, factories were producing so much byproduct of fluoride and so they didn't know how to get rid of it at no expense. And basically it was too expensive to get rid of it. And so someone came up with this genius idea to say let's get rid of the fluoride little bit by little bit in toothpaste. And that has sort of been imprinted in my mind going okay, well, if that's that's not supposed to be in our mouth, you know.

Speaker 1: 35:57

And then what's interesting is in Western medicine dentists are indoctrinated with. Fluoride is good for your teeth, you must have fluoride toothpaste and they will swear by it like they're swearing on the Bible. But if you come to the alternative community. We're like fluorideide is bad and they put a lot of other nonsense in it as well. So you need to be mindful of your toothpaste. So anything you get on the shelves is a no-go.

Speaker 1: 36:24

And also toothpaste. Good toothpaste is not as cheap, so I don't know generic toothpaste you'll get for about a pound or something lasts you a long time. So toothpaste is peanuts. Right, it's worth nothing. A good toothpaste could be something between six pounds and you go wow, that's a lot, because you're comparing apples to pears. But if you're talking about the quality and longevity of your mouth health, six pounds is not a lot.

Speaker 1: 36:51

What I personally do is I use two different types of toothpaste. So in the morning I will use a antimicrobial coconut black charcoal toothpaste, and you need to be mindful not to overuse that too, because I've gone through a period in my time where I was just brushing with charcoal and using charcoal mouthwash and I actually turned my teeth black for a period of time. So you need to be real careful. And so I use that in the morning because throughout the night, once our body goes through the detox processes and it's clearing and it's using up all our water in our body to really detox the body, all of the bad aspects will be coming out through our breath. So another really big tip that I tell everyone to do is never drink water first thing when you wake up. Again going against the fad, because I don't want you re-swallowing all of that junk that your body's trying to expel, because there's four detoxification pathways it's breathing, peeing, pooing and sweating. So we're expelling toxicity through our breath.

Speaker 1: 37:58

So you want to make sure that whatever has come up from let's call it the overnight night shift of the factory working in your body, you want to make sure you brush your teeth, clean your mouth first before you take your first sip of water. Because I just have this vision of like, okay, you're drinking half a litre, you're being so good you know me with lemon water, and then actually what you're doing is just swallowing back all of those toxins. It's kind of this thing for me, once I know I cannot unknow and just to do it, it's like it's torture. So you know, hopefully I've created that awareness for you as well. But you just want to make sure that you clean your teeth. So I clean, I brush in the morning, I scrape my tongue in the morning as well to get all of that icky icky off and then when you brush your teeth, you don't rinse your mouth with chlorinated water, right? You just leave it as is. So you can let that toothpaste do its thing and, you know, bring the healing. So if you want to drink water immediately after, I'd say, wait for at least 10 minutes or so before you do engage in putting anything into your mouth.

Speaker 1: 39:09

Another big thing at night I have special probiotic toothpaste Again, not a very popularly known thing, but you can get probiotic toothpaste. If you're in America, you can get customized probiotic toothpaste. So this is amazing and I work with this lab that helps create that for you. So again, if you want to learn more, please contact me and I'll send you the right information. And what I love is that we can work globally with people so we can send the test via America here as well. So if you whoever you are listening this from, then you can obviously help that.

Speaker 1: 39:45

So we I try to get people to do one of two things is to have a water flosser as well as natural floss and, depending on your level of sensitivity of your teeth, not everyone can do a water flosser, but that really gets blockages out and there's some footage of people actually removing some plaque buildup on their teeth that almost was taking the shape of their whole tooth and that was like boof, this whole thing fell off and you're like, wow, this thing is serious so much. So you have to be careful as well, because I did something very traumatic the other day where I by mistake pushed it on and I wasn't wearing my glasses and it actually shot into my eye and I was like, oh my gosh, I've probably just blinded myself, like I've got to lose an eye now. Um, and for up to nearly two weeks my eye was hurting and there was just nothing I could do about it. It was just basically a bruised eye. So maybe have some eye shields and just be careful how you use it.

Speaker 1: 40:42

But water floss has been, you know, in my knowledge since I was a child, because my dad would do it religiously every single day. So it's not this weird thing to me. Might be to you for now as you get these new habits in. But really, really, really powerful, powerful thing. And then just your classic flossing again dental floss, traditional dental floss, not healthy. So getting organic one with good essential peppermint oil can be really good, and again, you can get that off amazon, but again, I have all these hyperlinks. If you contact me I'll send you this cheat sheet so you can get that and floss, so that's really helpful.

Speaker 1: 41:20

Tongue scraper I don't like the generic plastic ones. I like the copper one preferentially, or the stainless steel, because there's something naturally occurring in that can help fight off bacteria, whereas plastic BPA exposures doesn't clean. Well, you know height. You're just increasing your risk as well, and this can, of course, using a tongue scraper is fundamentally. The bacteria that sits on your tongue is what's really causing you to have bad breath, so we can help eliminate as well. When I look at increasing your water intake plenty of of water minimum I always say per 30 kilograms or times 2.2 would be 66 pounds you want to drink one litre of water. So on average, I encourage people to drink anything between two to three litres of water a day with electrolytes, which will keep your mouth hydrated and helps to flush out bacteria as well. Eating increased probiotic foods, fermented foods um, I also think about miso as well. Miso as well, if you can consume that soy, because soy can be not good.

Speaker 1: 42:31

Chewing sugar-free gum I have mixed reviews about, but I will say it anyway because it does get asked. It does stimulate your saliva. So if people are under saliva, if you will, that will be quite helpful. It helps to maintain a healthy ph level and there's a lot of good gums out there. Generally speaking, but overall as a personal preference, I say to people to not chew gum because I know that and so I will recommend it to the rare people where their mouth is absolutely dry and they just, you know, can't do anything. They just feel absolutely parched, which is a very popular consequence of the thirst. And parched feeling will be people with diabetes.

Speaker 1: 43:16

But it's the idea that if you start to chew, it stimulates the saliva which is stimulating the digestive processes and, yeah, people then basically switch on like the keys of a car. They're switching on the digestive system and the body's like, okay, cool, something's in the mouth I need to swallow and we've got to get this going and that's going to start to increase the stomach acids etc. And by due or fact that nothing actually goes down, you've kind of prematurely turned the system on and then that can have a few negative knock-on consequences to the digestive system. So I don't recommend it only to the rare few that do need it because of different health reasons, and I actually saw a post yesterday, on day before, on Instagram about if you have unhealthy chewing gum because people do it for different reasons whether it's to be cool to chew, trying to avoid eating something because they're trying to watch their health, maybe to have better breath, because they're trying to watch their health, maybe to have better breath because they're going somewhere but then actually we're exposing ourself to this post said more than 3,000 microplastics as well, so it's just another way that you're exposing yourself and to the additives and junk within it. So, if you're going to do it, do it properly and get some really, really, really good gums. Or you can have these lovely peppermint natural essential oil mints that I've discovered that can do just a great job and it really does. You feel like my mouth is fresh, so I absolutely highly recommend that. So, yeah, just to be careful, yes, and sort of.

Speaker 1: 44:54

Going back to this probiotic toothpaste, I feel like I jumped there, but the probiotic toothpaste is really really amazing because it has a natural, you know, bacteria probiotics in to help strengthen the, the mouth, health, the microbiome, and also can help restore the enamel of the teeth. So the main ingredient in this one can help has 96% of the ingredient that is needed restoring enamel. So if you use it for a prolonged period of more than three months, then you will start to notice improved strength and benefits, which I've used it for some time now. I think it's really, really, really good. But in the case of you know, some people might choose to use that and maybe for a short period of time, to do it morning and evening, but I like to mix it up as well. So if you also want to know different toothpaste, I have lots of different other recommendations as well that are natural, a really great brand that you'll get in a lot of the alternative shops or wellness shops or wellness shops or health shops will be Kingfisher. But again, don't be thrown off by the price, because just think about how long toothpaste actually does last, right? And then I have a.

Speaker 1: 46:11

I make and sell natural concoctions of like I say I call it a mouthwash, but just natural oils that are put together, infused, that you can rinse your mouth out with. So I can recommend you the recipe, so you can make this at home, so you can share with everyone in the whole family, but just knowing in your heart that it's going to be really, really so. You don't expose yourself to potential diabetes or sugar imbalances or alcohol destroying your microbiome just in the sake of being societally conscious of having bad breath. So a hundred percent for that. So, yeah, I call this. Aside from that, if you want to use a different natural mouth rinse, so there's salt, water, coconut oil, pulling and the concoction or the herbalist concoction that I make as well so, like I say, avoid mouthwash with alcohol, sugary and acidic foods.

Speaker 1: 47:12

Also, another important one is the trying to see. I. I mean, this is subject to the individual, so please don't take this, as you know, fixed advice, because some people need to eat more regularly and some people need to eat more intermittently. Um, but the idea is, if you have frequent snacking, you're constantly switching your digestive system on and off, on and off, on and off, on and off, and it doesn't actually give a chance for your mouth bacteria to sort of settle and repair and do different functions, but instead it gives rise to harmful bacteria for more of it to grow.

Speaker 1: 47:50

Because if it's constantly and if we just use silly examples eating something processed and eating a sugary snack, and then you're having a coffee and a sugary snack and then you having a coffee and having this and that you need to just be mindful of that as well. And actually speaking about that, a really uh good example I learned from my mum because she adored coffee like but crazy. I think there was something not all real coffee, someone's chicory but she would drink, I think, between 10 to 14 cups a day and, of course, with age her teeth started to become a bit yellow and affected and she taught me this really nifty trick about drinking through a metal straw any straw, but metal will be the best, because that can be at least hygienic and then you're not exposing yourself to microplastics as well. So if you drink through a straw to any staining beverage and that will even I would expand into juices I think of beetroot juice, carrot juice, green juices, etc. Or even charcoal or something like that that you might be consuming you want to just try and avoid your teeth, because with prolonged exposure you can, of course, be at risk of making your teeth stained, and I will use a very, very good example of myself is that I went to Japan a couple of years ago and Japan and food is just unreal and lovely and delicious and you just can't help yourself, and so it can be pretty wild.

Speaker 1: 49:13

Now, when you start to research about this and you may, because maybe if you're struggling with a certain health condition imbalance, you might find that maybe this is an avenue you should start looking at, investing in, because you can potentially start to see connections that you wouldn't necessarily expect and sort of coming from saying earlier that I'll talk about different conditions, a couple of examples are high blood pressure wouldn't expect that Heart disease wouldn't expect that, even infertility, and the list goes on. As I mentioned, alzheimer's, but it's also RA, rheumatoid arthritis, even erectile dysfunction, and there's even some emerging research looking at how the oral microbiome works in relation with cancer. So we really need to unpack this because it's kind of crazy. No, like, I think so like, how can these tiny organisms in our mouths have such a big impact on our overall health? Right, like what? Yeah, it's just, it's profound. So again, we really, really want to look at how to improve this microbiome and it's even affecting things like getting pregnant.

Speaker 1: 50:30

So you know there's lots of classical stories with people and they go like oh well, you know, I'm off the pill, I'm doing this, I'm doing that, I can't get pregnant, the husband or partner again sperm count, everything looks okay. And it's like what? Why is this just not happening? Why is this not taking place? And there's even been a real strong link between oral disease as well as male infertility as well. So I remember that over 90% of men who were having trouble conceiving actually had some form of oral disease. So I don't know if that that's you listening out there, you know, just maybe have a little investigation into that. And the incredible thing is that when men receive treatment for their oral health issues, their chances of conceiving improve dramatically not even just a little dramatically and a 70% improvement in pregnancy rates as well. So that's pretty huge, especially in today's era.

Speaker 1: 51:30

Like you know, people used to pop up babies left, right and center before. Now it's like people paying so much money just to try and get pregnant. I mean, I was just talking to a friend about it a few days ago and saying that her sister, you know, has to pay 20,000 pounds a pop of doing IVF and the first didn't take, and also mentioned that it was quite abnormal because her sister actually had more eggs than the usual and out of all of them that didn't work. So it's kind of like something's going on here, right, you know. So it's not just limited to men and women, it's a combination.

Speaker 1: 52:04

So even if we're focusing back now onto women, you know, women with gum disease, uh, can take on average between two months longer to conceive, um, so again, like am I, am I making this? Like am I raising? And I call it the bunny ears. Like are you going huh, like wait, what is she saying here? Um, and again, it's also inferring, which I started in the beginning, it's working, um, on how interconnected all the different systems are within the body. You know, just because western science hasn't been able to really fill out, go, we understand the body from, you know, from a to z. That's why I'm obsessed with studying, because everything, every time I'm like what, like this has just opened up a whole nother bag of worms, like I need to go down this rabbit hole now, because just just there's so much to understand in this interrelatedness, um, and you know, speaking about that, let's talk about another surprising thing the erectile dysfunction. You know it, if you meet me, I deal with everything, so I'm a bit desensitized. But it might, you know, especially for men, be quite classed as quite a sensitive subject, you know, not very openly spoken about, but it is important to talk about it. So maybe if I can be that person that is, like you know, comfortable to just say it like it is, you know, if I can be that person that is, like you know, comfortable to just say it like it is, you know, maybe it can help people, just to you know, find the right path and direction to help themselves.

Speaker 1: 53:24

And the statistics around erectile dysfunction are actually quite striking. So men are about 2 point. I think it was 2.85 times more likely to experience erectile dysfunction with periodontal disease. And first of all, it's important to understand that you know what is that actually? And it's a spectrum of conditions that affect your gums and the supporting structures of your teeth. So, like gingivitis, um, gingivitis is the early stage of periodontal disease, where the gums become inflamed, red and swollen. So we all have that oh, my gums feel sore, they feel not okay, but we don't actually think okay is how serious is this? But then it starts to progress into something more serious. So if it's left untreated, then it could progress into periodontitis, which is where the real damage starts to begin and it happens. So this is where the inflammation and infection spread deeper below the gum line, affecting the bone, the tissues that support your teeth, and then that can eventually lead to tooth loss.

Speaker 1: 54:37

So you know, why does systemic effects like increasing, like increasing erectile dysfunction? Again you just my brain is like what, how can losing a tooth equal erectile dysfunction? It's just just just so mind-blowing, you know. But fundamentally it stems back from impaired blood vessel dilation. So basically, your blood vessels need to be able to expand and contract to allow proper blood flow. So the inflammation and the specific bacteria associated in this disease can actually interfere with the ability throughout the entire body, and so that can lead to the erectile dysfunction. So it's like causing traffic jams in those vital highways, so it's not very good. So your mouth, inflammation in your mouth, can actually affect how the blood flows in other parts of your body. So that's just crazy, right.

Speaker 1: 55:30

So blows my mind, and so that of course we're thinking blood flow, we're thinking cardiovascular system, we're thinking of cardiovascular disease, and so you know, we're always being told by the doctors, you know, take care of our hearts. You know, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. So you know, how does the microbiome of your mouth actually fit into this? Um, and there's a statistic out there that says, for example, that gum disease increases your risk of developing high blood pressure by 20%. I mean, that's significant, don't you think? So it's not just blood pressure, and some researchers estimate that 30 to 40% of cardiac issues, uh, seen in hospitals could be actually linked to oral bacteria. So I mean, I had no, I didn't have any idea at all. You know, of course, I studied it that there was a connection and how strong that connection was. And studies have also shown that people with gum disease are twice as likely to have a heart attack and three times more likely to have a stroke. Now, that's really scary, you know.

Speaker 1: 56:37

And the mechanisms behind this involve inflammation, as we have just discussed above. Right, so you know, chronic inflammation is actually sending signals throughout your body, and so I always like to say to people you know, I help people to be more in their bodies, because external stresses of our world is making us numbed and desensitized. And I'm just trying to say, like, what is your body telling you? Create a relationship with your body, your body is your best friend. And what is your body telling you? And one thing is a symptom, but remember, if there's a symptom, there's a root cause as well, and we've got to be very aware of what's happening here, right? So any stress that puts your body into red alert or a state of, you know, state of emergency, then you know that is fundamentally going to put stress on your cardiovascular system and it can lead to elevated levels, inflammatory markers like the C-reactive protein. So crp, which is a test, a blood test, I offer in the clinic as well, um, and even one study I read said that treating gum disease can actually lower your crp levels, which is just crazy. I just I love it. It's just.

Speaker 1: 57:49

This is such a mind-blowing section so I was like, oh, I'm so passionate to speak to you about this today. Yes, so then of course, then the bacteria then can travel from your mouth to your heart. So we're talking about infective endocarditis as well. So that can lead or potentially infect, damage heart valves, especially if you know people are post-surgery, so there's just another risk. So another thing I think about like in the hospitals, you know you're just in bed all day, you know, are you? You know, maybe you get a wash if you're lucky, if you allow it as well, right, some people are like no, thank you, but you know what about your teeth health, you know, if you're not able to walk or anything like that. So just start to frame in your mind that taking care of your mouth is actually protecting your whole body.

Speaker 1: 58:37

So let's shift gears a bit and talk about the brain, because this is where the connection really really gets fascinating. And I would say the biggest thing at the moment now is all you know, shift on the spotlight is diabetes, it's cancer, cancer as I always talk about in my podcast. But you know another big um, you know maybe taking the third spot. So it's all about alzheimer's disease, um which there's still a lot of research being done. But this is an intriguing area around the oral microbiome and how interrelation and that the relationship between that and Alzheimer's as well.

Speaker 1: 59:13

So it's pretty shocking to me to have learned that having gum disease for more than 10 years or so which people might have low-lying ignoring, just saying oh, it's okay, or I can't afford dentistry, et cetera can actually increase your risk of developing Alzheimer's by 70%. That's seven zero percent. What Right? It sounds so unprofessional now, but again, it's just like what. Yeah, so that statistic actually comes from a really large study that they followed over 20,000 people for two decades. So it's not just correlation either, right, it's just. It's just. It's a direct mechanism at play. So we just got to be so. So on top of it.

Speaker 1: 1:00:04

And so there's a specific type of oral bacteria called Porphyrominus gingivalis, so Latinin can, um, so they can actually travel from your mouth to the brain. So it crosses the blood-brain barrier, which is supposed to protect the brain from harmful substances. So this tiny bacterium is basically sneaking into the brain and once it's there, it releases these toxic enzymes called gingipanes and they break down the brain tissue. So it's actually contributing to damage. And that's what we see in Alzheimer's. And what's interesting is that they're saying Alzheimer's as well. This is not the mouth microbiome, but they're saying that you know, you could be interchangeably calling it diabetes 3, which is saying that just increased sugar intake is resulting in people having Alzheimer's because of the damage of the excess sugar consumption.

Speaker 1: 1:00:59

And now it's like, okay, well, start thinking. I'm thinking, or you know, excess sugar, how's that affecting the oral microbiome? You know bacteria, harmful bacteria, stronger. Then it starts to go up into the brain and actually this is all like spiderweb connected world, isn't it? So that is the current thinking, that this is a contributing factor to the damage that we see in Alzheimer's. And, even more striking, there's more Studies have found that these gingiva pains in the brains are 97% of people with Alzheimer's. So this is a strong link. So it's kind of like saying of like saying, okay, we think this, we have a hypothesis in this, and it's like, okay, well, this kind of makes sense. Like it's saying this what is on the tin is on the tin, right. So again, we're suggesting that the oral microbiome plays a significant role in the development and progression of this devastating disease.

Speaker 1: 1:01:54

So now you think to yourself gotta get new toothbrush. Oh, that's another thing I really harp on about. So every month I change my toothbrush head. So even I have an electric toothbrush. The heads are expensive and they say you can replace them every three, four months. I don't know anyone who's ever gone actively and said I'm except for germophobes, but anyone that's actively gone and said, ok, I'm changing my toothbrush head every month. I do it religiously, maybe because I'm conscious of it, aware of it. Of course I make my partner do it as well.

Speaker 1: 1:02:28

But like a toothbrush sits in the toilet, you're doing shower, humidity, steam, bacterial exposures, pooping, peeing. People don't consciously think to close the toilet lid. I'm very big on that because when you flush you just spray painting bacteria everywhere from your stool, from your urine etc. And so that goes on to your toothbrush. And people I know don't change their toothbrush like years and I'm just like that's really scary. They only change it when they think, oh, it just feels a bit worn out, but I'm like that's a long time, that's a real long time.

Speaker 1: 1:03:04

I change my toothbrush every month, or the head every month, just to ensure that bacterial potential exposures are significantly reduced, increasing the potential outcome of my oral health, my hygiene, and that's the same. So whether that's you that you need to replace your heads, and it's the same about using a special electronic toothbrush. I have an expensive one. It was recommended by the hygienist. I don't like these um, you know, manual toothbrush because it's just the vibration, everything, the depth that I can clean, how I can clean. It just seems to do a much more effective job. And when we're doing something, we might as well do it properly and invest in our health and wellbeing. And maybe, after telling you about all these different conditions and potential diseases as a result of bad mouth health, you might go. Actually, maybe it's a good idea. And again, if you want to know health, you might actually maybe it's a good idea. And again, if you want to know cheat sheet, I'll send you this, um, the toothbrush that I use. Okay, so, yeah, I would like to say the research is pretty compelling and you know there's still more studies that being done during the complex relationship as well.

Speaker 1: 1:04:13

So now, what about? About rheumatoid arthritis? Right, so that's interesting because it seems to be a two-way street. People with RA I call it rheumatoid arthritis, ra are eight times more likely to develop gum disease. And I must say, because I treat people with RA, that I have recognized within them imbalanced mouth health. Right, and already from the get-go, because I know digestive system starts in the mouth, I tell people to treat themselves in terms of improving their hygiene. I just naturally I've always done that from the get-go because I understood that, maybe not by research till now, so I've noticed an improvement in their symptoms as well as other things. But again, eight times, that's a lot right. And again it's coming to that shared inflammatory pathway that's involved in this process.

Speaker 1: 1:05:12

So we want to, and maybe, if you have RA, maybe you can start to think how is my mouth doing actually and again start to treat yourself from this point of view. So if you improve that, symptoms of your RA will improve, right? I even read somewhere that there was a patient who struggled with severe RA and actually was able to walk again after receiving treatment of her gum disease. So isn't that amazing, right? So you know there are miracle cases as well, so of course that is possible. So just seeing again what unexpected systematic benefits you can get as a result. So I've talked about this it's infertility, erectile dysfunction, cardiovascular, alzheimer's, rheumatoid arthritis. So it feels like we're hitting all the major concerns here, but I haven't even touched on the big C word.

Speaker 1: 1:06:10

And so there is a newer and just by that I mean cancer, right? So there's a newer area of research that is now starting to get attention. So there's a certain oral bacteria, and in particular one called Fusobacterium nucleatum that has been linked to both breast and colorectal cancer and while it's not that simple, but studies suggest that it might contribute to making those cancers more aggressive and harder to treat. So some evidence from animal studies that this bacterium can actually promote tumor growth. So it's not directly causing cancer, but it may be aggravating it or slash making it work. So that's the current thinking that's out there and, interestingly, green tea has been shown to be effective at killing this particular bacteria.

Speaker 1: 1:07:14

So even in my test that I promote or have spoken about that, I was told that superfood for me would be green tea. So it's good to know and so it makes me think in Asia that's just a standard thing to drink, isn't it? And statistically speaking, comparing to the West, the health issues there are a lot less. Statistically speaking, comparing to the West, the health issues there are a lot less. So quite interesting, and maybe it's you know many, many reasons, but maybe green tea, it could be a contributing factor as a basis of their lifestyle. And just to reiterate, I'm going to go one step back it's just it's still in early research, so of course, things can be shifted, changed, disproven or different things can be proven. So you know, more studies are needed to fully understand the role that the oral microbiome does play with cancer or in cancer.

Speaker 1: 1:08:12

And another one that I think is important as well to touch on is COVID-19 pandemic, and research has actually shed some light on how our oral health might influence the severity of COVID-19, because there are a lot of people and some people that I treat, that are struggling with long-term COVID and as well. There, you know, as I believe, because you know it's affecting people as I see, you know there's this constant mutation of COVID that is affecting people and just wiping out their energy and things like that, and you know it makes me question, you know, put the question out there, you know, how do you think your oral health is or if you have any poor, um, issues with your teeth, um, or maybe gum disease. But yeah, their research has also suggested that it has about a nine-fold increased risk of complications from covid if you have this, you know, poor mouth health or gum disease. So, again, super huge. You're like what is this Right? So how are they sort of seeing that there is a link, there is a couple of proposed mechanisms. So again coming back to this thing about chronic inflammation associated with gum disease which could exacerbate the body's overreaction to the virus, which could exacerbate the body's overreaction to the virus. So basically, it's just adding fuel to the fire of the cytokine storm. And secondly, the oral bacteria could potentially travel down to the lungs as well, so causing a secondary bacterial infection so which, as we know, were a major cause of the disease of in severe covid cases. So maybe I stopped there, I don't know. So again, it's just reiterating throughout all the various conditions is that one thing has a knock like a domino knock-on effect to the other. So again, just um, we just got to be mindful, especially especially when we're in times that our immune system is heightened or immune stress is heightened as well.

Speaker 1: 1:10:27

If I talk about stress and stress, you know, is just this evil enemy that is affecting everything about our health. But what's interesting as well is that stress can also affect your oral microbiome, because it can lead to a dry mouth, it can create inflammation throughout the body which can affect your gums, and with the dry mouth, you know that can also affect the saliva, and saliva is important for protecting your teeth, neutralizing acids, as well as supporting the digestive processes of when you consume food. And when you're stressed, your stress hormones actually can inhibit your saliva production. So it's just being mindful of that, and I heard of a case not but a client of somebody's experienced a significant collagen breakdown in her gums after a period of intense stress, you know. So, again, I don't know the ins and outs of the medical case history, but you know that's really powerful and so, again, that's crazy, that stress can also create problems in your body.

Speaker 1: 1:11:44

To this point, to this point, another uh commonly asked question does the uh, does your oral microbiome, change if you kiss somebody else? And specific as many other bodies, and the idea, sort of the feedback and answer is that it actually takes a lot of kissing uh to significantly alter, let's say, a huge saliva exchange in order to create um. You know some form of impact. So, even more, said that you know, more than 11 times a day with the same person, um would be considered. You have to be kissing um per day in order to create some form of change in the oral bacterium or the oral microbiome of your mouth. Right, um, but what else can be interesting is that oral sex can definitely transfer bacteria, of course, because it's from two different um, let's call it universes, so that can create an effect.

Speaker 1: 1:12:49

Um breathing, I've touched on about so using your nose, um, which has been designed to filter um warm and the humidity of the air you breathe. So when you breathe through your mouth, you're passing by or bypassing that filtration system. So just sort of getting back onto breathing through your nose, so just repeating that. So you just go, yeah, and of course, if you're breathing out through your mouth the whole time, that's actually going to lead you to have a dry mouth, which again is negative and bad for your mouth, your microbiome. So, just, you know, if you find yourself, if you, you know it's an awareness practice you know you'll find yourself breathing through your nose or not breathing, or breathing through your mouth. So just being mindful of that and again, using a mouth tape if you need, especially while you sleep, to sort of help create that practice for you.

Speaker 1: 1:13:40

Of course, if I'm when I move on now to talking about diet, you know, if you eat a lot more whole, unprocessed foods, your teeth and gums by default will be healthier versus the processed, by default will be healthier versus the processed, ultra processed and high sugary foods as well as sugary drinks. Of course that will create a problem in your mouth and especially if you don't brush your teeth after as well. But of course, if you're eating foods that are quite tough and chewy and I always think of a carrot you know that helps to develop strong jaws. You know helps to properly align the teeth and of course, you know, just gets the system, as we call the chewing word you know. Medically speaking, it's called masticating, and so the masticating process is really good and healthy.

Speaker 1: 1:14:34

Recall that from when holocaust victims you know when they were there were survivors from the camp, they were taken into hospital. Um, you know, people were basically not used to eating for an extended period of time and actually did pass away as a result of eating. Their system was not used to chewing, swallowing, digesting, and so it was actually traumatic to the body to a point that they passed away. So actually the process would be if you are not chewing, you know tougher foods, chewier foods, and you know variety of foods that are challenging mastication differently in your mouth, then, as a consequence, that can have an impact on your teeth and your gums as well and ultimately your microbiome. So you need to just be mindful to eat a variety of textures of food and, as I always say, variety is the spice of life.

Speaker 1: 1:15:29

So you know, thinking again, if this is allowed for your system and constitution. You know raw vegetables, some nuts, some seeds, things like that, and of course, as I mentioned earlier, limiting your processed foods, sugary drinks and then caffeine. You know caffeine again, it's a really good expression used is that caffeine is not bad. Caffeine is a tool used is that caffeine is not bad. Caffeine is a tool and you know you want to use your tools and resources wisely and not overuse them, because anything imbalanced will be bad for you, right? Whether that's too little or that's too much. So just being mindful that. You know caffeine excess amount it acts as a diuretic, so then you'll be losing a lot of fluids so that can be drying to the body. So maybe thinking about one less coffee, one less sugar, and that's the same case for tea as well. So just being mindful of that.

Speaker 1: 1:16:32

When I move on to and I mentioned about the straw as well earlier, I'm going to move on to the concept around smoking and vaping. They are both extremely detrimental to oral health because they can dry your mouth, they impair blood flow to the gums and they increase the risk of gum disease. I mean many other things as well, but in in context of this subject matter, um, they can also mask the signs of gum gum disease, like bleeding. So you might not even realize you have a problem until it's too late, which is quite scary. So we've covered diet.

Speaker 1: 1:17:14

Um talked about oral hygiene practices, which I spoke in the beginning. Um, you know the foundation of good oral hygiene, which is brushing and flossing. So let's sort of start to wind down in terms of the you know processes, just making sure, just highlight some extra points. You know you need to brush your teeth for a full two minutes twice a day and that's something most people probably don't use or brush their teeth that long, and that's what I really like about this electronic, you know, really good, expensive brush that I have because it has a time, a timer on it, so then of course, you stop when the brush stops, so that can be quite useful.

Speaker 1: 1:17:59

Um, we talked about you know the toothpaste, the kind of toothpaste you should use. You know you want to kind of brush at a 45 degree angle in a circular motion and you want to do one tooth at a time. Uh, you know, brush your tongue. You can either do with the toothbrush or you can do it with the tongue scraper, because that's where you can harbor a lot of bacteria as well. Another really good tip and I recommend is to wait about 30 minutes after eating or drinking anything acidic before brushing your teeth, because the acid can actually soften your enamel and brushing right right away can actually damage your teeth. So wait a bit for your saliva to neutralize the acid and so on that note I am now going to wind down.

Speaker 1: 1:18:52

It's a longer podcast but very I would say nugget filled podcast with a lot of tips and a lot of tips that you can do effectively from home at your own convenience. So it's something that you know. You don't have to go out and spend too much money. Maybe an initial investment if you buy a special electronic toothbrush, but other than that, this is straightforward, low key, easy hacks on how to improve your mouth health or your gut oral microbiome, so your oral microbiome, and then obviously, as you can understand, that will have a positive knock on effect to generally all possible health complications.

Speaker 1: 1:19:36

But these are the only. The ones mentioned are the only ones that are taken or have taken the spotlight, but essentially the value needs to be recognized about how important your mouth is and you know, maybe you might see that now from this podcast. So, on that note, wherever you are in the world, thank you so much for listening and I hope this helped. And if you have any questions or you want to learn more or you'd like to have my links of where I recommend things, um, or for the mouth test, um, or amazon finds, or if you, you know you can use the links as a reference and go buy something locally. Or also the link to the gut, uh, sorry, the probiotic I keep saying gut is my, you know, most common word used, but the probiotic toothpaste. That can really help with your mouth as well.

Speaker 1: 1:20:29

Um, and then take it from there and just notice how things can significantly improve when you look after your mouth as well. An important asset, um, and especially because it's interesting as well, because the you know celebs now are celebrating, uh, being natural again. Uh, with natural teeth, especially with the? Um that tv series called um toxic tank. Uh, toxic town, sorry, toxic town.

Speaker 1: 1:20:58

That came out, um, with one of the main actresses having, you know, unique teeth and, you know, being shamed for it in you know society, unfortunately, but you know really loving her for being proud and confident and saying like this is me, this is who I am because I am natural, and I love that stance, because I think a lot of people are starting to unwind from the fads of, you know, fake, this fake, that Botox, this Botox, that we're in a wellness era, so it's beautiful. So let's learn how to look after ourselves with this. You know availability of technological advancement that you know we can have access at our fingertips. So here you go, all right, Over and out, and I'll look forward to tuning into next week's podcast and hope you stay tuned. Okay, bye.