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Bad breath is a common health problem which greately affects the daytoday activities of somany people. The offenssive odor from the mouth is unpleasent to those who come in close contact with bad breathers. The problem will be doubled by psychological trauma leading to depression. The sufferers from this problem wil be isolated from the society. This can even lead to marital disharmony.

Literally speaking all humanbeings are badbreathres. Oral cavity contains millions  of  anaerobic bacteria like fusobacterium and actinomyces which acts on the protein of food materials and putrifies them. This process results in the formation of offenssive gases like hydrogen sulphide,methyl mescaptan,cadaverin,skatol,putrescine ect causing bad odor. If oral hygiene is not maintained properly all will suffer from  bad breath. Most of us control this by regular brushing,tongue cleaning and gargling. Even after maintining cleanliness in the mouth some individuals suffer from offenssive smell due to various causes which has to be diagnosed and treated properly.

Some common causes of bad breath.

1) Poor oral hygiene:

If oral hygiene is not maintained properly the mouth becomes the seat for millions of bacteria which produce offenssive gases by degrading the food debris. Bad breath is severe in those who do not brush their teeth regularly and clean their mouth after every food. Snacks taken inbetween meals can also produce bad breath because of improper cleaning.
Badbreath is common in almost all people in the morning on waking. During sleep there is less production of saliva .Saliva  has got some antibacterial properties which help to keep the mouth clean. Saliva conains oxygen molecules which is needed to make oral cavity aerobic. So the reduction in it’s quantity during sleep makes a favourable condition for anaerobic bacteria.

2) Food habits:

The main cause of bad smell is due to degradation of protein by the bacteria and hence all food products rich in protein favours bad breath. Meat,fish,milk products, eggs,cakes,nuts,pear and ect can cause bad breath. Some food articles can produce particular type of smell which may be unpleasent. Raw onion can produce typical bad smell. It is said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away,a raw onion a day keeps everybody away. Eating groundnuts can also produce bad smell. However if proper cleaning is done smell can be reduced irrespective of the nature of food.  Irregularity in timing of food can also produce bad breath. Small food articles taken in between the meals can also produce bad smell.

3) Biofilm:

There is formation of a thin sticky coating  called biofilm on the tongue and oral mucosa. This coating is thick on the posterior aspect of the tongue where millions of gram negative bacteriae are seen .The thick coating on the tongue is always associated with badbreath. Even a  thin biofilm can make anaerobic condition favourable for bacterial proliferation.

4) Dental caries:

This is a destructive process causing decalcification with distruction of enamel and dentine resulting in cavitisation of the tooth. These are produced mainly by the lactobacilli . Food particles are deposited inside these cavities and are putrified by the anaerobic bacteria producing bad smell. Normal brushing will not remove the food debris easily and hence they are putrified completely. Caries are common in schoolgoing children and in those who donot maintain proper oral hygiene .Calcium and vitamin deficiency can also predispose caries.

5) Gingivitis:

Gum is a mucus membrane with supporting connective tissue covering the tooth bearing borders of the jaw .The main function of gum is protection .Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gum .Due to various causes gum tissue get infected resulting in swelling,pain and discharge. If the condition become worse the infection spread towards peridontal area leading to continuous discharge called pyorrhoea. Some times the infection goes deep producing alveolar abscess with discharge of pus. Infection can even reach the bone causing osteomyelitis.All these conditions can produce offenssive smell.

6) Gum retraction:

When the gums retract from the teeth a gap is developed which will lodge food particles and cause bad breath.

7) Dental plaques and tartar deposits; Plaques and tartar is deposited mainly in the gaps  between the teeth and gum. This will provide shelter for the food debris and bacteria causing  bad breath.

Ulcerative lesions& coatings:

Almost all ulcerative lesions of the mouth are associated with bad breath. These lesions may be caused by bacteria,viruses,food allergies or due to autoimmune disorders. Apthous ulcer is the commonest amoung ulcerative lesions. Others are herpes,fungal infections,vincents angina,infectious mononucleosis,scarlet fever,diphtheria,drug reactions  and ect. Cancerous ulcers produce severe bad breath. All fungal infections produce white coating(candidiasis). Leucoplakia is a white thick patch on the mucus membrane of the mouth & tongue. It is considered as a precancerous condition. Offenssive breath is associated with these conditions.

9) Diseases of the salivary glands:

Saliva is very useful to supply oxygen to all parts of the oral cavity. Even a thin film of coating called biofilm can provide an anaerobic condition in the mouth. Saliva can wet these layers and make an aerobic condition which is unfavourable for the bacteria .Any condition which reduces the production of saliva can increase bacterial activity.  Some times the salivary duct is obstructed by stones or tumors.Cancer of the salivary gland is associated with offenssive odor. In suppurative parotitis purulant dischrge in to the mouth causes bad breath.

10) Tonsillitis:

Tonsils are a pair of lymphoid tissue situated  in the lateral wall of oropharynx. Inflammation of the tonsil is called tonsillitis. Bad breath is seen in both acute and chronic tonsillitis. Quinsy or peritonsillar abscess can also produce bad breath.

11) Tonsillar plaques & tonsillar fluid:

If bad breath persists even after maintaining proper oral hygeine there is possibility of this condition. Serous fluid secreated from the folds of tonsil is very offenssive. Some patients complain that they hawk some cheesy materials from the throat;which are very offenssive in nature. These are formed inside the tonsillar crypts which contain thousands of bacteriae. In such conditions tonsillectomy gives noticiable relief from bad breath.

12) Pharyngitis& pharyngial abscess:

Pharynx is a fibromuscular tube which forms the upper part of the digestive & respiratory tract. Inflmmation of the pharynx is called pharyngitis, caused mainly by bacteria and viruses. Bad breath is present in pharyngitis along with other signs like cough and throat irritation. Abscesses in the wall of pharynx can also produce offenssive discharge of pus in to the throat.

13) Dentures:

Denture users may complain about bad smell due to lodgement of small food debris in between. Proper brushing may not be possible in denture users especially fixed dentures.

14) Tobacco:

Tobacco chewing is associated with bad breath. The smell of tobacco itself is unpleasent for others. Tobacco can irritate the mucus membrane and cause ulcers and coatings. Gingivitis and pyorrhoea are common in tobacco chewers. Tartar is deposited on the teeth mainly near the gums. Tobacco chewers get gastric acidity with eructations. All these causes offenssive smell.

15) Smoking:

Smokers always have  bad smell. It can also produce lesions in the mouth & lungs causing bad breath.Smoking increases carbon dioxide in the oral cavity & reduces oxygen level,causing a favourable condition for bacteria. Smoking reduses appetite & thirst hence acid peptic disease is common in chain smokers.

16) Lesions in the nose & ear:

Bad breath is occasionally seen in sinusitis(infection of para nasal sinuses). In case of post nasal dripping bad breath is common due to the presence of protein in the discharges. These proteins are degraded by the bacteria. Infection in the middle ear with discharge of pus in to the throat through the eustachian tube(passage from middle ear to the throat)can also cause offenssive odor. Chronic rhinitis(infection of mucus membrane of nose) and forign bodies in the nose can also produce bad smell in the expired air.

17) Diabetes mellitus:

Mostly all diabetic patients suffer from bad breath. Coated tongue,ulcers &coatings in the mouth ,increased sugar level in tissues ect are responsible for bad breath.Bacterial growth in diabetic patient is very faster than non diabetic individuals.

18) Fevers:

Bad breath is common in almost all fevers. Even an acute fever can produce bad breath. Severe bad breath is seen in typhoid .Other infectious diseases like Tuberculosis , AIDS ect produce bad smell.

19) Fasting & dehydration:

Dry mouth favours bacterial activity. So any condition which produce dryness in the mouth makes the breath offenssive. Eventhough the food particles are known to produce bad breath, fasting can also produce the same. Production of saliva is also reduced during fasting. Chewing and swallowing also helps to keep the mouth clean.

20) Bedridden patients:

Bedridden patients suffer from offenssive breath due to thick coating on the tongue. water intake is also limited in these patients. Regurgitation of food aggravates the condition. Since they talk less aeration in the oral cavity is reduced which favours anaerobic bacteria to become active.

21) Diseases of stomach & esophagus:

Eructation of gas and food produce unpleasent smell. Abnormality in the function of lower sphincter can allow the food to regurgitate upwards causing bad breath. Bad breath is also common in gastritis,gastric ulcer and cancer of stomach.

22) Intestinal diseases:

Bad breath is common in patients suffering from ulcerative lesions of intestine like ulcerative collitis..Other diseases are malabsorption syndrome intestinal tuberculosis, peritonitis ect.

23) Diseases of lungs:

Lung diseases like pneumonia, lung abscess,chronic bronchitis,bronchiectasis,tuberculosis, lung cancer ect can produce bad odor during expiration.

24) Liver disorders:

Liver diseases like hepatitis, cirrhosis,can  cause bad breath.Gall bladder diseases with vomiting also causes unpleasent odor.

25) Psychiatric  patients:

Bad breath is common in psychotic patients due to poor hygiene,irregular food habits,less water intake and ect.

26) Somatisation disorder:

This is a psychiatric disorder characteristic by the presence of a physical symptom that suggest a medical illness .These patients come with physical complaints like pain,nausea difficult respiration, bad smell ect. This condition is diagnosed after detailed examination of the patient with all investigations.Since this is a psychiatric disorder it has to be managed with a psychological approach.

[ THE POINTS MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION. ANY PERSON HAVING BAD BREATH SHOULD CONSULT  A QUALIFIED DOCTOR ]

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8 steps to get rid of blackspot algae from your pool forever.

Test your water

The only reason black algae has entered your pool is because of your lack of chlorine. To prevent black algae from sneaking up on you you must constantly check your water quality every day. You should be doing this anyway. You need to test for chlorine, ph, alkalinity, calcium hardness, stabilizer, etc. You may only be able to test for a small amount of these things from your home test kit. I do recommend you take a water Sample to your local pool store and get it professionally tested. Any decent pool store will be offering free water tests anyway.

Adjust your water

once you know what your water is like you can then add the chemicals to adjust your pool to the correct levels. I can’t go into whole lot of details in this article but I will tell you what your levels should be. I’m going to give you ballpark figures. This will depend on what type of surface your pool has, but you can use these figures below.

Chlorine 2.0-4.0
pH 7.4-7.8
Total Alkalinity 80-120
Calcium Hardness 200-500
Stabilizer 50-80

Add an algaecide

blackspot algae is very chlorine resistant. You need to add an algaecide to the water to offer another angle of attack. AAlgaecides are specifically designed to kill and prevent algae. So it’s a good idea to have an Algaecide in the water at all times. If you haven’t got an Algaecide in the water now, you’d better put one in right away. Find one that is copper-based as they are usually the best ones to use. For best results pour the Algaecide directly on to the affected areas.

Shock the pool…

when shocking the pool with chlorine you must only use calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite. These 2 products are strictly chlorine and nothing else. You will need to know what size your pool is and follow the manufacturers directions to do this effectively. It is also a good idea to add your shock dose closest to the most affected areas.

Brush the walls

because blackspot algae forms a protective barrier around itself you need to brush the affected areas really hard with a stiff brush. So that the added chemicals (chlorine and Algaecide) can do the job.

Circulate water better

blackspot usually turns up in areas where there is lack of water circulation. Do your best to direct your water return jets in a way that moves the most amount of water around. I find that if you direct the jets to make the pool whirlpool the water around is the best way to go.

Attack black algae head-on

Like I said before…blackspot algae forms a protective barrier around itself. So you will have to regularly brush off the top of the algae and add your chlorine while it is exposed. Another great tip is to sprinkle chlorine granules directly onto the affected areas and let it sit and burn off the black spot. You can also rub a chlorine tablet onto the blackspot after you have brushed it. Make sure you wear gloves.

Rinse and repeat

Just keep testing and adjusting the water, scrubbing the blackspot and adding chlorine as close as you can get. And you will eventually get rid of it! And don’t worry…It will go, but it will depend how bad the algae is as to how fast it will go. Water balance and scrubbing are the best thing you can do in this case.

Michael Silvester is a Pool Water Expert, he personally oversees the water quality of over 670 domestic pools. It is normal for him to have a line-up of people eagerly waiting for his advice at his store In Sunny Queensland Australia. Michael Would like to invite you to download his free report at http://www.GreenPoolTips.com that explains how to never have a green pool again (a $37 Value)

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Teak is Exceptionally Durable: One of the most commonly quoted facts about teak wood is its natural durability qualities. It is naturally resistant to rot caused by fungal decay and has a high level of resinous oil in its timbers that act as a natural insect repellent. This gives the wood a very high resistance to attack by termites and other wood boring insects.
Centuries ago teak was the choice wood to make the decks and benches of ships from, because it was so durable and weather resistant. When the ships were no longer seaworthy and about to be scrapped, the teak wood was recycled and made into outdoor furniture because it was still in such good condition! And it’s been the choice wood for outdoor furniture ever since. You’ll see teak steamers and loungers poolside at resorts, teak dining tables at ski resorts, and teak benches at public parks, some of which are nearly a century old!

Teak is Maintenance-free: Your teak furniture will not warp, will not split…ever. Make sure you are happy with your teak furniture because you’ll never get the opportunity to replace it, it will never need to be replaced! You don’t need to lug the furniture into the basement or shed for the winter or even cover it. Let the harsh winters do their worst to the teak furniture, it won’t hurt it.
You don’t need to stain it, waterproof it, or add anything extra to the wood to keep it from decaying. The magic of teak wood is that it is naturally one of the most durable woods on the planet. Your teak patio furniture will arrive a honey-blonde color and after one or two seasons outdoors it will mellow out to a soft silver-gray. And it will stay like that, forever.

If you want outdoor patio chairs & tables that are going to have lasting comfort and aesthic value for a lifetime, you want Grade-A Teak furniture.

By Z. Lee

A great choice for your home when you want the best is<a href="http://www.yourfoldablefurnishings.com"> Folding teak deck, patio & garden furniture</a>. On yourfoldablefurnishings.com you'll find <a href="http://www.yourfoldablefurnishings.com">quality outdoor foldable wooden chairs & tables</a> in addition to <a href="http://www.yourfoldablefurnishings.com">Portable outdoor folding sling, lounge and backpack chairs</a> that are perfect for the deck, patio, garden.

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Engaging the Senses

“We each have our own, unique ideas about how our garden should look and feel - the common element is a clear identity. A garden with a clear sense of place might thus be a tranquil, simple space within which to escape from the frenetic pace of modern life, or it may be a lively, colourful area where the whole family can enjoy games and barbecues.”

Dean Hickson, Tutor

As a gardener, what does the phrase, ‘a sense of place’ mean to you? We thought of the following meanings, but you may have thought of others:

• a clear sense of identity - even ‘personality’;
• a sense of belonging - whether within the landscape or in harmony with the house;
• a feeling of cohesion and completeness;
• timelessness - garden design, like any other area of design, goes through fashions and trends, but the strongest gardens are often timeless. Designers may adopt contemporary ideas and incorporate them into an existing garden, but this will probably not change the ’sense of place’ greatly; instead it should enhance it.

“People like circular or curvy gardens with plenty of movement…. They don’t want formal gardens - they are looking for something softer, more relaxed and easy to live with.”

Carol Gallagher McCulloch, Scotland on Sunday, 2005.

A garden with a strong sense of place works in every respect - cohesion, design, colour, identity. The design is confident (although that does not necessarily mean bold) and visitors feel comfortable within it.

“You always know when you’re entering a balanced, well-proportioned garden because it feels comfortable - lines lead you naturally through the space, and shapes and volumes are restful on the eye … Most of us want our outdoor spaces to offer a peaceful sanctuary.”

Diarmuid Gavin, Design your Garden.

sensory experience

We experience a garden through every one of our senses, and a true sense of place is created when there is harmony between the different sensory messages we are picking up - touch, smell, sound, vision and even taste. For this reason, when creating a garden, you need to be aware of the different ways in which your design harnesses the senses.

How do you think a garden design could engage the following senses: hearing, smell, touch, and taste? There are many possibilities here, but some that we thought of immediately include:

• Hearing - water features, wind chimes, plants that rustle or rattle in the wind.
• Smell - open patio fires, especially if burning scented wood; flowers; scented foliage. Smell is often used to create a welcoming, tranquil atmosphere in the garden.
• Touch - when it comes to experiencing a garden, touch is often of central importance. Examples range from spiky ornamental thistles to the feathery, plume-like flowers of astilbe and Cotinus Coggygria. Hard landscaping may also be important, ranging from soft, warm wood to cold granite or slate. Texture is a key feature of many successful designs.
• Taste - This is often associated with smell, so it can be a particularly important sense around the patio area. Because vision, smell and taste are closely linked, your design can engage the sense of taste indirectly. For instance, a patch of strongly scented mint will set the taste buds tingling, as will a tree laden with luscious citrus fruits. You see a citrus fruit and catch a hint of their aroma, and before you know you can almost taste them too!

vision

Of all the senses, vision is the one with most impact when we first walk into a garden.

The way we see colour evolved primarily as a survival mechanism, and today colours still gives us important messages about safety - for instance, the warning colours of a poisonous snake, or the red-orange glow of a hot ember - but more than this, colour helps us to enjoy the beauty of our environment. Scientists have argued that our ability to experience colour is far beyond that we might need simply for survival purposes and we seem to have an inbuilt ability to find pleasure in colour. Researchers Padgham and Saunders note:

“Our ability to see colour is highly elaborate for the mere necessities of reproduction and survival. Our capability is far beyond what is needed to distinguish ripe from unripe fruit or acuity for mobility. Joy in colour is a bonus of our senses.”

scent

Our sense of smell is a powerful tool. Among other things, it tells us:

• if something is good to eat or has gone bad;
• how something tastes - if you nip your nose when you eat, you will not be able to taste the food properly;
• often, if there is a danger nearby - for instance, a gas leak;
• if we find someone or something attractive - smell is an important hidden component of attraction.

Smell can also evoke memories and help us to identify people or places, even when we cannot see them. As we have seen smell is central to creating a strong sense of place in the garden.

Many of us under-use our sense of smell, choosing instead to rely on our vision. Try to become more aware of the way everyday items, places and people smell. As you go through the day, close your eyes sometimes (but only when it safe to do so!) and experience your environment entirely through smell.

Think about what smells can tell you? They might, for instance, tell you that the chicken you are cooking for dinner is fresh and will taste good. On the otherhand, they might tell you that there is something old and out-of-date lurking at the back of the fridge! Some smells will evoke memories. These may be pleasant, or rather less so. Understanding more about aroma and how it affects mood can help you to make the most of scent in the garden too.

There has been much research into the powerful psychological impact of smell. For instance, researchers at Yale University in America found that the aroma of apple and cinnamon has a powerful stabilising influence on some people, especially patients suffering from nervous anxiety. The smell was even found to reduce the blood pressure and ward off panic attacks. In the garden, similarly, the right smells may have a calming and soothing effect.

The area of the brain associated with smell is called the olfactory centre. It is directly connected to other parts of the brain concerned with basic drives such as sex, hunger and thirst, and also with much more sophisticated aspects of understanding, including emotion, memory, intuition and creativity.

To try a free short gardening course visit: Learning Curve Home Study.

For more gardening articles visit The Garden School.,/p>

Director of Studies at <a href="http://www.learningcurve-uk.com> Learning Curve Home Study </a>, one of the UK's leading home study providers.

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What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the fragrant liquids found in aromatic plants. They may be found in many different parts of the plant: resin, bark, flowers, leaves, seeds, roots, wood. List your favourite plant smells. Our list included:

• the flowers of white jasmine
• the needles and resin of a pine tree
• the leaves of mint and basil
• the peel of a lemon
• vanilla pods
• cumin seeds.

You may have thought of many other aromatic plant parts. The distinctive smell of each of these plants comes from essential oils. Aromatic plants are probably already an important part of your life. They will almost certainly be a key ingredient in much of the food you prepare, and you may also use them to scent your home, and in the form of perfume to fragrance your body. You can also use them to powerful effect when designing a garden.

Essential oils are found in tiny oil glands or sacs which are found in the aromatic parts of the plant. Sometimes, several parts of the plant are aromatic (for instance, lavender oil is extracted from both the flowers and the leaves), and in some instances, different parts of the plant produce a quite different aromatic oil (the bitter orange tree produces three very different oils).

These wonderful natural oils serve many uses within the plant, including:

• attracting pollinating insects
• warding off predators
• repelling disease - almost all essential oils have antiseptic properties.

Essential oils have been widely used for many centuries for their antiseptic and other health-giving properties, and are also an essential component in aromatherapy. When Dr Jean Valnet used essential oils to treat soldiers’ wounds during World War 2, not only did the powerful fragrances mask the smell of gangrenous wounds, but the oils actively stopped the decay. Valnet also noticed that soldiers sleeping rough in pine forests suffered fewer respiratory complaints than others as a result of the pine resin vapour saturating the air. For the same reason, Swiss sanatoriums were traditionally located near pine forests to help patients suffering from tuberculosis and other chest conditions.

In the garden, too, we may be able to harness some of the therapeutic properties of essential oils, simply by positioning plants where we can enjoy their scent. In addition, plants that are positioned where people are likely to stand on them or brush past them will release more of their scent as they are crushed or bruised. Beautifully scented herbs may thus be used to line walkways, while honeysuckle or jasmine surround a seating area, and a camomile lawn may be planted to release a wonderful scent when walked upon.

Experimenting with scented plants can introduce an exciting new dimension to the design process. As with visual elements it is important to ensure that garden scents are in harmony and do not jar against each other. The scent profile may change as a visitor walks around a garden - at one point enjoying the heady scent of a rose bed, but further on relaxing beneath a bower of aromatic conifers.

Sensory Gardens

We can all enjoy sensory gardens, but visitors who have a sensory impairment may take particular enjoyment from them. For instance, when creating a garden for a client with impaired vision, the designer can introduce plants and other features that stimulate hearing (water features, rustling grasses), as well as a wide range of scented plants, and plants such as grasses and feathery leaved species that can be enjoyed by touch.

For more gardening advice, visit The Garden School

To try a free home study gardening course, visit Learning Curve.

Copyright: Linda Pollitt
Director of Studies at <a href="http://www.learningcurve-uk.com> Learning Curve Home Study </a>, one of the UK's leading home study providers.
p>For more gardening advice, visit <a href="http://www.gardenschool.eu"> The Garden School</a></p>
<p>To try a free home study gardening course, visit <a href="http://www.onthecurve.co.uk"> Learning Curve.</a></p>

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