Poor Dental Hygiene May Account for Poor Health

Bright white teeth and fresh breath does not necessarily mean you have a healthy mouth!  General health is directly related to gum health.  Gum disease has been linked to several medical conditions such as stroke, diabetes, heart attack and worsening lung disease. Healthy gums can reduce a person's biological age by up to 6.4 years. Why? Because studies show that the presence of periodontal diseases, most common in people with tooth loss, actually affects longevity. The best of these studies, done at Emory University in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control, indicates that people with gingivitis and periodontal disease have a mortality rate that is 23% to 46% higher than those who don't. Keeping your gums clean and healthy may help reduce the risk of many illnesses, including heart disease.

Gum Disease

Gum disease or periodontal disease, a chronic inflammation and infection of the gums and surrounding tissue, is the major cause of about 70 percent of adult tooth loss, affecting three out of four persons at some point in their life. Red swollen and bleeding gums characterize gum disease in the initial stages and progresses to infections, chronic inflammation and bone loss in later stages. Eventually bacteria are allowed to flow freely through your gums and into your blood stream that activates and stresses the immune system. 

Heart Attack

Research shows that people with gum disease are 25% more likely to have a heart attack. Bacteria originating from the gums to the veins and arteries cause plaque build up and arterial inflammation that can provoke jeopardous clotting. A 12-year study conducted by Harvard University researchers and 41,000 healthy men free of cardiovascular disease showed that those with periodontal disease had more clot related strokes.

Diabetes

Periodontal disease severely affects the control of blood sugars.  The spread of bacteria through out the body through the blood stream stresses and confuses the body when trying to adjust sugars to the invasion.  Antibiotic treatment has help diabetics control blood sugars while treating the infections caused by gum disease.

Lung Infections

Breathing in oral bacteria caused by gum disease can cause lung infections. Bacteria that grow in the oral cavities can be breathed into the lungs to cause respiratory disease such as pneumonia.  

About the Author

Yvonne Takhtalian, C.N.H.P, H.I. spent the past 10 years developing and improving Vita-Myr Natural Products helping thousands like you heal gum disease and gingivitis. She just released a new line of 100% Natural Vita-Myr Soaps to compliment her Vita-Myr Mouthwash & Toothpaste. Find out more about effective natural relief of gum disease at http://www.vitamyr.com/ or email questions/comments to Yvonne at mailto:vitamyr@mindspring.com Copyright © 2004 Vita-Myr® International Inc All rights reserved. Natural Products For Healthy Living ®

RELATED ARTICLES The Ugly Truth About Food At any grocery store in North America right now, there are shoppers cruising the isles, making thoughtful choices about their family's nutrition. Armed with the latest information about health, choosing foods high in nutrition is a primary goal. 5 Ways to Get the Best Out of Radishes They sit left behind on relish trays. They're often by-passed in grocery store refrigerator shelves. How to Use Flax Seed You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to chew them good to break them up. Your stomach will not dissolve whole flax seeds and many of them will come out in your stools. Nutrition N Diet Nutrition facts have become a part of everyday life because just about all of the consumable products purchased today from drinks to desserts have labels listing important nutrition information. Nutrition facts that can be found on any number of products will include serving size, servings per container, calories per serving, total fat, calories from fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, sodium, cholesterol, potassium, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugars and protein amounts. What Is an Essential Fat? You may have heard that essential fats are an important aspect to maintaining the health of your body. But what exactly are they?Basically, there are two truly essential fatty acids, Linoleic and Linolenic. Nutritional Myths that Just Wont Die: Protein! When it comes to the topic of sports nutrition there are many myths and fallacies that float around like some specter in the shadows. They pop up when you least expect them and throw a monkey wrench into the best laid plans of the hard training athlete trying to make some headway. Unhealthy Foods: How To Become Disgusted By Junk Foods That Make You Fat With today's time constraints, stressful jobs, and "thin is in" mentality, the bottom line is that many people become overweight simply because they have no time to exercise. By the way, you already knew that. Aging Gracefully with the Aid of Various Nutrients During the past thirty years there has been a steadily growing amount of scientific evidence linking vitamins and minerals to having a direct effect in protecting one's self from aging. Apart from the usual health benefits that we can receive from having adequate amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in our body, it's also a highly appealing note to include that being healthy inside will actually reflect on how we look like on the outside. Food with Niacin and The Benefits Niacin, also called nicotinic acid, is a member of the B-group of water-soluble vitamins and occurs in food with niacin. Also known as B3, niacin has many beneficial properties and food with niacin should be included in the diet as part of a healthy lifestyle. Tips for Effective Muscle Building Diets One of the biggest mistakes many new bodybuilders make is that they don't pay attention to their muscle building diets with the same detail, desire and determination with which they pay attention to their weight training program.You constantly see people throw out numbers such as your weight training program is 85% of your results or that muscle building diets are 95% of your results. Feeling Tired? Cant Lose Weight? Tap Into Protein Power! You're always hungry right? The last thing you have time for is to plan meals ahead. Don't despair, you body was designed to be refueled continually. Grains That Cause Illness Eating grain products - breads, cakes, cereals - have long been consider a healthy choice. If you look at the RDA recommendations, grains, at the bottom of the pyramid, are what you should be eating the most of to maintain a healthy body. Clues for Fibromyalgia Relief Fibromyalgia is a chronic and potentially life-altering disorder with symptoms such as extreme muscle pain, extraordinary fatigue and multiple tender and painful points. Fibromyalgia itself tends to be similar in many aspects to rheumatic diseases although it differs from arthritis in that there is no known inflammation or damage to the joints, muscles or tissues. Fat Burning Compatible Foods Fat burning compatible foods seem to be a popular topic around the gym these days. We also hear a lot about negative calorie foods which are considered a part of fat burning compatible foods. Salads Take Center Stage The reason I remember the first time I was served a main-course salad, easily 15 years ago, is that it was such a revelation.It was served to a group of us, six or more, in a large shallow wooden bowl and it was full of all kinds of good things; greens, chickpeas, nuts, seeds, sliced chicken breast and a dressing fragrant with fresh tarragon and basil. Nutrition Know-how: Seven Simple Ways to Eat Healthier (with Strawberry Orange Sorbet Recipe) The key to better health is learning the difference between healthy and unhealthy nutrients. The choices we make greatly affect our health. The Benefits of Iodine Initially discovered as a new element in 1811 by Barnard Courtois, knowledge of this substance has come to include the host of benefits it brings to the body as an essential nutrient. For many years, getting enough iodine in the diet naturally was difficult in many geographic regions and remains so for an unfortunately high percentage of the world's population in the developing nations. The Dangers of Honey Before we get to honey we have a question from one of our readers.Pam asks:What is your opinion of Splenda?Answer:Splenda is made by chlorinating sugar (sucrose). Allergy Approaches through Nutrition Spring in New York City is a really magical time. Flowers and tree buds bring so much beauty to our coveted parks. Soy Phytoestrogens and the Art of Propaganda In this newsletter we will discuss the current controversy about soy phytoestrogens. The established literature to date is replete with studies that find soy phytoestrogens beneficial to disease prevention including prevention of breast cancer.