Bad breath is not a simple condition that you can easily shrug off and pretend it is not there. Although it does not always cause serious dental and medical conditions, it can bring you more trouble than you expected. Bad breath is a source of acute embarrassment and a condition that can lose you your confidence. Watching people back off, or worse attempting not to, when you’re talking to them is mind-numbingly embarrassing. This kind of situation can bring you psychologically and emotionally down.
Why bad breath occurs?
The most common cause why bad breath, or halitosis, develops is food particles lingering in the mouth. These get trapped between teeth, in the lining of the mouth and on the tongue. There are bacteria in your mouth that keep themselves busy trying to prevent bad bacteria from forming from these leftovers. However, when you don’t clean your mouth and teeth to get rid of these particles, bad bacteria are immediately attracted causing them to form a community inside. Bad bacteria carry compounds which cause your breath to smell foul. Another cause for bad breath is a lack of water intake as the lack of moisture means they have less work to do. A dry mouth is a popular place for bad bacteria to gather. Smoking also causes your breath to smell bad. Not only that. It can cause tartar and plaque, another reason why breath smells bad, to build up. Infections such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, and other similar conditions are also factors in bad breath. Infections carry compounds which are absorbed down the mouth and cause the breath to smell bad. Aside from this, there are certain medical conditions that trigger halitosis such as kidney problems, diabetes, periodontitis, and others. In addition, a person taking prescription drugs can vunerable to developing halitosis. There is a wide variety of prescription drugs, which when taken orally, cause breath to smell bad.
How to Avoid Bad Breath
Bad breath can be avoided. One of the things that you can do is practice regular oral dental hygiene. Brushing and flossing twice a day is a simple but effective way to avoid bad bacteria forming a community inside your mouth. To completely clean your mouth and breath, mouthwash is also recommended. Since brushing and flossing alone do not completely vacuum your mouth, the rinse scrapes off any debris left around the lining of the mouth and tongue. Tongue scraping is also a great way to prevent bacteria from reproducing, creating breeding grounds in the mouth for bad bacteria. Keeping your mouth hydrated by drinking water all throughout the day helps these bacteria busy working; thus, avoiding the breeding of bad compounds.
Checking with your physician and dentist is a must once you are plagued with the condition. If bad breath continues even if you practice proper oral dental care, there is something wrong with your medical condition. If this is the case, the right person to diagnose and provide treatment is your physician or medical doctor.
Talking with your dental hygienist is a big step towards curing halitosis and gaining your confidence afterwards. Bad breath is never a simple thing to consider. If you don’t want to be affected by the negative things it comes with, take care of your own hygiene and check regularly with your dentist.
Filed under Health & Healing, Wellbeing by on Jul 27th, 2010. 
Magazines and dating advice is chock filled with so-called ‘body language experts’. We’re told a huge percentage of what we say in non-verbal. But how much of your true intentions are really expressed by your body language? You might be told that you are expressing something through body language that you haven’t said. Maybe you don’t agree that you were saying that, even nonverbally. Many mistakes can be made when trying to interpret body language.
The most notorious mistake people make is to tell someone that he/she is showing defensive body language because he/she is crossing the arms over the chest. While that may be true, there could be other explanations that could be just as accurate. It may just mean that the air in the room is cold. Or, he/she may simply be more comfortable with the arms in that position, especially if there are no arms on the chair the person is sitting in. What’s more, if you tell a person that he/she is being defensive, his/her body language will definitely become so.
Eye contact is another shady area when it comes to body language. Most people assume that you should engage the other person with as much eye contact as possible. While eye contact is important, it can be overdone. Staring is considered an aggressive move. However, it may just mean that the person is being overzealous at trying to keep eye contact. The more we analyse body language the more self-conscious we become about the signals we’re giving out, and perhaps the most likely we are to actually try to divert attention from our inner intentions!
Another instance of trying to interpret the meanings behind eye contact is to determine honesty. It seems obvious that a person who is lying to you will not be able to look you square in the eye. The truth is that there are many reasons why a person might feel the need to look away. These might include their shyness or a feeling that you are being aggressive in your body language. The body language of a person who is actually lying to you may be quite different than what you expect. Since most people have heard that lying people look away, a person who is lying will often stare. Obviously, they don’t want to get caught and they will use what they know about body language to help them.
If a person pinches the bridge of the nose with the eyes closed, people who pay attention to body language will most likely explain that this person is demonstrating a negative evaluation. However, the person could just have a headache. How many times have you seen a person who has a migraine in just this posture?
Eye-rubbing is usually seen as some form of doubt or disbelief. There are really several reasons why a person would rub an eye. The person might have something in the eye. They might be sleepy. Or, they might be suffering from allergies. In other words, this ‘complex and revealing’ body language may simply be a physical reaction to a fairly mundane cause.
Putting your hands and fingers in a steeple or pyramid shape is often thought to convey an attitude of authority and confidence. Sometimes, that’s just what it is. Sometimes, though, the person is only trying to project these images even if they are not true. If a person knows a little about body language, they can certainly manipulate the way they come across.
Probably the best way to identify the meaning of body language is to look for overall patterns. While one behaviour may point you towards a belief that the person has one attitude, patterns tell more. A group of behaviours appearing together will give you a better read on someone’s body language.
Filed under Lifestyle by on Jul 24th, 2010.
People seem to have the misconception that only a select few are able to unleash a steady flow of creative genius. That is not true at all. The fact is, creativity is very much like a muscle that needs to be exercised in order to consistently give out great results. If you don’t practice harnessing creative thinking, this skill will very much atrophy into inexistence. But keep working and this skill will soon come to you in a snap.
So how do you unleash your creative thinking? Well, the first thing is to become a human leech. No, we’re not talking about just sucking the blood out of every living being available, we’re saying that you should take in as much knowledge and learning you can find. Read everything available — good and bad, and keep your mind open to the infinite possibilities of the universe. The more you know, the more you’ll want to know, and the more your faculty of wonder will be exercised. Prepare to be amazed at little facts that add a bit of colour into your life.
Focus on a creative activity everyday. Yes, it’s an effort. Even doodling is a creative activity. Don’t let anything hinder you. Mindlessness may be a creative activity, but for people who are just starting out to unleash a little bit of creative thinking in their lives, it is helpful and encouraging to have concrete evidence, that, “hey, what I’m doing is getting somewhere.” So why don’t you try it. Practice drawing for a couple of minutes each day. Bring out your old camera and start snapping photos like crazy. Keep a journal and make a point to write in it religiously. Another cool idea is to write by describing something with all your senses. Try to avoid vague adjectives like “marvellous,” “amazing,” and “delicious.” Before you know it, you’ll have built yourself a tiny portfolio, and you’ll be amazed at the growth you’ve undertaken after amassing all those works of art. Who knows, you might actually take to liking those things you do everyday. Pretty soon those things will become a part of you and you’ll be addicted to these creative exercises.
Think out of the box — or don’t. Sometimes, constraints are actually a good thing. Limitations discipline you to work within your means. It enables you to be more resourceful. Creative freedom is great, but limitations enforce discipline.
Try something new everyday and let your experiences broaden your perspective. Explore a new district in your neighborhood. Spend an afternoon in a museum to which you’ve never been before. Chat up someone on the bus. Open up to the people around you. As you thrust yourself out of your comfort zone more and more each day, your sense of adventure grows and so does your zest for life. Think about it. When was the last time you did something for the first time? If it’s been a while, I tell you, you’ve been missing out on a whole lot of experiences that could’ve added to your growth, emotionally, mentally, physically, or spiritually. Why don’t you try bungee jumping today? Not only will you learn, but you will also have plenty of stories to share, enabling you to practice your storytelling skills and making you the life of the party.
Embrace insanity. No, not to the point of practically admitting yourself into the mental ward. As John Russell once said, “Sanity calms, but madness is more interesting.” Exactly! Every creative thought was once deemed insane by other “normal” people at one time or another. Luckily, that didn’t stop the creative geniuses from standing by them. The thing is, sanity or ‘being normal’ confines people to think… well, normally. Within limits. Creativity is essentially breaking through barriers. Yes, this includes the bizzarre and the downright strange. I’m not saying that you yourself should develop a creative personality. That might go haywire. An example of a creative personality would be George Washington, who often rode into battle naked, or James Joyce, who wrote “Dubliners” with beetle juice due to an intense fear of ink, or Albert Einstein who thought his cat was a spy sent by his rival. It’s important that your creativity doesn’t get you detached from the real world completely.
I hope this article has inspired you to start thinking beyond your “limits.” If you follow these steps pretty soon you’ll be living a life full of interesting adventures. Unleashing your creative thinking will bring about a new zest for living life
Filed under Lifestyle by on Jul 21st, 2010.
In this day and age where eating healthily has become so important, so many people do not like to eat fruit and vegetables. Even though they know it is good for them, they still prefer not to eat these things. It can be very difficult getting used to a healthy lifestyle if all you are used to is take away fast food. The first roadblock people face is the thought of having to go home and actually prepare food. Immediately you lose about half an hour of your “alone” time which, in todays hectic world, is often an awful thought.
What is important though, is to think of this as an opportunity to spend this time with your children and husband/wife or to spend time looking after yourself. Make it fun and interesting.
I think smoothies are one of the greatest inventions of our time. I know you get a lot of fruit juices and they are truly great, but some of the manufacturers do add a lot of sugar. Try to keep the sugar intake low by making your own. All you need is a blender, or smoothie maker and fruit. It is that simple. Try to play with the flavours. You can add whatever you like. If you do not try it, how will you know if you like it or not?
My husband and I played around with some flavours the past weekend and I can tell you, the results tasted fantastic! You can get recipe books for how to make smoothies, but as I said, it’s more fun to make it up as you go along. First we tried mixing banana, strawberries, kiwi fruit, grapes and plain yoghurt. It tasted LOVELY. This is not a sweet combination, so if you have a sweet tooth, maybe you should try our second recipe.
The next one we tried, we used a mango, banana, yellow melon and yoghurt. This was a much sweeter option, but the banana was a little strong. Maybe you should try to use only half a banana or replace it with some other fruit. We’re thinking that next time we will try to replace it with a strawberry or two. Don’t know how it will taste, but we will definitely try!
Making smoothies is a great way time to spend together, learning to listen to each other and compromising on what fruit you want to try. Whether you’re making them alone, with friends, partners or children you can have a lot more fun than grabbing a carton of juice out of the fridge!
Go on, try to make your own smoothie and have fun with your creations and taste sensations!
Filed under Nutrition by on Jul 15th, 2010.
Let’s face it—life in the hectic 21st century is stressful. Most of us hold jobs that call for high levels of concentration and much forbearance. We spend much of our time with people who drive us crazy. If we are in supervisory positions, we must use high-level people skills and techniques to keep our work teams functioning in spite of personality conflicts. It’s no wonder we have a lot of headaches!
As if that weren’t enough, we must try to keep abreast of stress-producing political, governmental, and foreign-relations situations that keep us on edge. Using head massage to relieve headaches instead of taking loads of painkillers is a very good move. It’s simple to do, takes very little time, and the relief it brings is always very, very welcome.
Indian Head Massage
Many masseurs follow Indian head massage, which employs essentially the same steps as the ones listed below except that the Indian healers begin with neck massage first, and more of the massage is devoted to the trapezius muscle. Ayurvedic healers have used head massage for centuries, but in recent years it has become popular all over the world as a way to cure our stress-induced pain and discomfort. Massage has always played an important role in Indian medicine; it is said to balance the systems and help individuals find balance. The Indian mother typically uses head massage daily on her children to calm their spirits as well as to keep skin and hair healthy. In India, barbers massage the heads of their customers. Some Indian masseurs include the pouring of warmed oils over the foreheads of their clients.
Massaging Your Own Head for Relief of Stress and Headaches
Massage is great for relief; however, if it’s done regularly, it is also excellent for prevention. It’s soothing, relaxing, and calming and will ward off headaches.
- Go for the temple area first. Use the insides of your hands to apply pressure while you rotate them.
- Next is the forehead. Using the third finger on each hand, massage around the temple area.
- Now, massage bones and muscles around your eyes.
- Under your cheek bones, with your jaw relaxed, massage the muscles using all your fingers.
- Now you’re ready for the back of your head. At the base, use your fingers and thumbs spread as widely as possible, make small circles at the base of the neck.
- Using the same circular motions, move on up the head, going over the top and then the sides, making certain to give plenty of attention to the area behind the ears.
- Now massage your ears, including the lobes, sides, and the area next to the spot where the lobe attaches. Repeat the ear massage at least ten times.
It’s a good practice to follow head massage with neck massage for best effects. A friend can perform a massage on your head. Just make certain he/she follows the steps and is thorough.
Filed under Health & Healing by on Jun 27th, 2010.
For many of us some of our greatest stress comes during the day while we are at work. Between the constant distractions, looming deadlines, unreasonable bosses, and never ending emails, it’s no wonder we are so stressed out. There are many ways to relieve stress and the good news is that desktop games make it easy for you to take stress busting breaks during your day, right at your desk.
Playing games of all types has long been known to help people relax and unwind. It can be a great way to spend fun time with family and friends. Today with all the digital technology available to us we have an even greater variety of games to choose from including digital games. All of this makes our options when it comes to unwinding even greater.
Desktop games such as Desktop Destroyer and Online Paintball are very fun and great ways to blast through your stressful day. These high action games are the next best thing to physical activities like boxing or jogging when it comes to stress relief.
Other games that will help you focus and concentrate are Sudoku, cross word puzzles, and Solitaire, just to name a few. These games challenge your mind and allow you to stay sharp. By focusing on the game you are not focusing on the problems and deadlines, you are focusing on something that’s fun and challenging.
Sometimes you can unwind simply by disconnecting from everything that’s going on around you for a little while. Finding a few minutes in the middle of your hectic workday can do wonders for your overall mood and make it easier for you to get through the rest of the day. We all need some downtime, or escape time, and that’s what these desktop games allow you to do.
We all know that physical exercise is a great stress buster, but as you don’t have time right in the middle of your work day to run to the gym, these games offer the next best thing. They are great alternatives for those times when you feel like you’re ready to blow up, but you don’t have the time for exercise. Desktop games can be a great way to let off steam without losing control.
With desktop games you don’t need to change into workout clothes, you don’t have to worry about getting sweaty, you don’t need to spend a lot of time, you have everything right there on your desk so you can take a quick five minute break and then get right back to work, if you can drag yourself away from your game!
Relieving stress is an important part of everyone’s life. We all know that too much stress can cause serious health issues, so it’s important to find ways to unwind on a daily basis. Playing desktop games to relieve stress is a simple, quick, and easy way to help you decompress during your workday and your heart will thank you for it.
Filed under Lifestyle by on Jun 20th, 2010.
Calorie counter charts allow the millions of people that are on a dieting plan a way to track their food intake. Half of the people on a diet at any given time don’t know how to properly diet. Calorie counter charts help to rectify this problem.
Many companies claim to have perfected calorie counter charts including Weight Watchers and Nutra-Slim. There are also all kinds of free calorie counter charts available on the internet if you do a basic search.
The reason that calorie counter charts are all the rage is because people are beginning to see that fad diets, miracle diets, and fat burning pills do not work. The basics of dieting are that you have to consume less than you burn. In fact, to lose 1 pound, you have to burn an extra 3500 calories.
Calorie counter charts simply systematize the process of dieting.
Here are some basic tips when starting your calorie counter charts:
1. Don’t supersize your meals. Okay, McDonalds has technically removed the Super Size designation, but now they want you to order large portions. One of the biggest advantages to calorie counter charts is that you must record just how many calories that large fry has. Perhaps that will make you decide to choose the small size, or go without.
2. Rather than having 3 big meals, eat several small portions each day. Having an egg and an orange when you wake up, an apple and a slice of cheese at 10 or 11 a.m., three ounces of tuna with a green salad at 1, a snack of yogurt at 4 and a small dinner of a steamed chicken breast and broccoli will keep you full all day with fewer calories than a more traditional food plan. You can keep track of all of this on your chart to make sure that you don’t go over.
3. Make sure you stay on top of your calories consumed and also keep track of your calories burned. When you record everything on your chart, you will begin to lose weight.
4. Figure out how many calories you need to maintain your weight, and drop a small amount below that. If you normally need 1800 calories, don’t drop to 1200 just to lose weight quickly as you will slow down your metabolism. A 1500 calorie diet would be about right.
5. You can’t eat what you don’t have on hand. Therefore, you should never shop when you are hungry.
6. Eat slowly. You will consume fewer calories when you take the time to enjoy your meal. In our fast food culture, this might be hard to get used to, but your waist line will appreciate it.
7. Be gentle with yourself. Sometimes a donut will find its way onto your calorie counter charts. If you cheat with a small item once or twice a week, you may actually last longer on the diet.
When you want to lose weight, you should start by developing your own calorie counter charts. Keep a journal of the foods you eat each day along with their calorie count. Make sure you are accurately recording the portions you ate. You will soon begin to fit into your skinny jeans!
Filed under Nutrition by on Jun 16th, 2010.
It might take a little coffee or maybe a few rounds of beer (or any other booze you can get your hands on!) when it comes to relaxing after a hard day’s work. But what’s really interesting is how people continue with their day to day lives when faced with vein-popping stress? I mean, the new age thing like Zen or yoga is one of the good things and it actually works. Is there room in our modern world for the intellectual side of people? It kind of had me thinking that there really must be something in this ‘mind-over-matter’ thing.
Humour is indeed pretty much the best medicine there is whatever your situation. Despite what’s happening in your life, and whatever ordeals, problems and issues you may be struggling with, it’s better to laugh while facing the troubles with a clear mind than project anger through a clouded vision.
One of my favourite celebrities of all time may have to be Woody Allen. Now this is one guy who gives you the in-your-face bluntness that he pulls out with gusto, even without even trying. You can talk just about anything with the man, and he’s bound to mock the subject and you’ll end up laughing rather than being upset about it.
Woody Allen has this to say:
1. “Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons
2. “I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it’s the government.”
3. “There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?”
4. “Love is the answer, but while you’re waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions.”
5. “A fast word about oral contraception. I asked a girl to go to bed with me, she said ‘no’.”
6. “Basically my wife was immature. I’d be at home in the bath and she’d come in and sink my boats.”
7. “I am not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
8. “I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.”
9. “If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.”
And despite what may happen to all of us in the next ten, twenty, or even thirty years, I guess we have to learn to see things in a different light. I can’t seem to imagine life without a little piece of wisdom that could guide me. Whether we’re religious or not, or whether Life According to Woody Allen is more your cup of tea, it takes courage to accept your fears and learn how to deal with.
And to sum things up, here is the last nugget of wisdom to go by however, whenever, and wherever we may be.
10. “The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don’t have.”
Filed under Lifestyle by on Jun 12th, 2010.
Getting your closet organized in a manner that is going to continually serve you takes time. The success of your endeavor is going to depend on the system you devise to keep your closet organized. Most of us have never stopped to consider all the open space in our closet. The key to being successful isRead more on An Organised Closet – 1…Filed under Lifestyle by on Feb 10th, 2010.
Filed under Health & Healing by on Feb 5th, 2010.
