Halitosis And Body Odor...feeling Embarrassed...please Help!

[powerofpositivethinking]

so March 10th will mark two years gluten-free, and I feel so much better!  However here's what's going on...

 

I'm dating this great guy but earlier this week he told me that my breath and body odor really turn him off.  I'm an extremely hygienic person...brush and floss at least twice a day, shower once a day, wear deodorant...so when he told me, quite honestly I was shocked and dumbfounded   I ended up crying in front of him, and I am NOT a crier.  It didn't seem to scare him off, and I could tell he felt really bad, but at the same time despite having my ego bruised, I'm glad he told me.  

 

He asked me if it could have anything to do with being gluten-free, and I said I didn't think so, but now I'm not so sure.  Before going gluten-free, I always had a thick white coating on my tongue, but since going gluten-free that has pretty much disappeared.  

 

I've never liked using mouthwash because it burns my mouth, but in the last few days I've used it, I'll notice I'll be good for about an hour, but then I get my normal taste back in my mouth.  My nose is still continually stuffed up, and I've read that having sinus problems can contribute to halitosis, but I don't know why it's stuffed up.  I always have to breathe out of my mouth instead of my nose.  My GP's suggestion was to take Zyrtec all the time...not doing that.  

 

I'm just so frustrated because I feel like I keep trying to fine tune my diet, but then something else gets out of whack.  I don't want to take pills continuously for anything, I just want my body to cooperate.  Does anyone have any natural remedies to suggest?

 

ETA:  According to my endoscopy report, I have a medium-sized hiatus hernia in my stomach.

[cyclinglady]

I would try the Zyrtec and a Nedi pot. Let's face it, some of us have allergies and nothing natural that I have found (outside the Nedi pot helps). My congestion is seasonal. So, if it is year round you might suspect a few foods too. Can not avoid the pollen, weeds, etc outside.

Do you consume garlic? I can smell that on anyone!

[oni]

I feel ya about wanting your body to just cooperate. The annoying part is that sometimes it just doesn't. Neti pots are great, I also have to take antihistamines sometimes but together they really do help for congestion. You could try the neti pot for a while and see if it helps. I'd see an ENT about the halitosis.

[MycasMommy]

Are you actively losing weight?  When a body is in ketosis (the good kind) then it leaves a particular smell.  Even if you are not losing weight but are eating very low carb (intentionally or not) you can stay in ever so slight ketosis and ... Well  I can always smell and/or taste it when I am.  Same thing with the mouthwash when I am, too.

[LauraTX]

Yes, Ketosis can definitely cause these kinds of odors.  Also, sinus infections can cause bad breath.  You can use a sinus rinse and sometimes that can help.  With my immune deficiency I get a lot of stuff, I know when a sinus or lung infection is coming on because I can smell it right before symptoms come on.  Sounds gross, but paying attention to that and calling for antibiotics has helped me nip things in the bud.  But overall, it wouldn't hurt to mention to your doctor.  Let the doctor rule out other infections like tonsil stones, etc.

 

For mouthwash, I,too hate the burning sensation.  There is a mouthwash called Closys, it has no alcohol, no flavor, and you only use a little bit.  They have it at places like CVS and Walgreens.  It comes with a dropper of mint oil if you like to flavor it.  But I do it without because I don't like mint.

 

http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/closys-alcohol-free-oral-health-rinse-clean-taste/ID=prod1401488-product

[RMJ]

Another mouthwash that doesn't burn is Therabreath.

[powerofpositivethinking]

Thanks for all the suggestions 

 

I have an appointment with an ENT this week, so here's hoping!

[murphy203]

ask about tonsile stones...

[MycasMommy]

BTW as long as youre not a diabetic, You can buy ketone test strips in the pharmacy area of most big stores. You basically pee on the strip or dip it, and match the colour up.  It will elt you know if you are indeed in ketosis.

[notme]

i take zyrtec 24 hr every day.  i'm allergic to everything:  dust, pollen, mold,  animals, perfume, you name it.  it's wierd, because my sense of smell is never working and every now and again i'll be like:  i'm smelling things.  cool.  then it's gone, lolz.

 

annnd, i don't know if it's a co-incidence or whether it helps with intestinal inflammation, but if i don't take it, i have difficult digestion.....

[powerofpositivethinking]

so the outcome from the ENT's office was that I don't have halitosis.  He did find that my nose was slightly stuffed, there were no signs of active reflux and everything else looked normal.  It is an ENT and allergy clinic in one, so I am going back for allergy testing in a few weeks.  Until that time I am not supposed to take any kind of antihistamines, so this change to spring should be an interesting one.  I've been using a neti pot, and that definitely seems to help.  The doctor also said since I've never had a guy or any friends complain about this before, it could just be a difference of the bacteria in our mouths...attractive haha  He prescribed me Peridex for right now to see if that helps any.  It only seems to be affecting this guy which is really upsetting because I do really like him.  I will brush/floss/use mouthwash/chew gum, but in the end if it bothers him that much and he doesn't want to continue seeing me then he's not worth keeping around anyway.  

[notme]

omgosh, that is really interesting!  here's a wierd story:  i had a very good friend (male) we got along really well, my dad and his dad were friends, he had $$ and was even building his own house, so, good for me that he wanted to date, right?  i resisted for a long time, then agreed to go out with him (not wanting to ruin the friendship, i even set him up with my sister hahaha fail )  so, we dated and it was great.  until it was time to 'seal the deal' he smelled so wierd!  i mean, we had kissed and all that, but i just couldn't ugh i still feel so terrible.  i never told him and our friendship was never the same.    

 

on the other side of that, i love the way my husband smells  and he just uses ivory soap, lolz.   i guess chemistry is wierd!!

[MitziG]

The hiatal hernia may very likely be responsible for your bad breath- basically it is letting all of those nasty gut chemicals be expelled through your mouth. Yummy. Depending on when and what you have eaten may affect why your doctor said it was not halitosis. Anyway, a few recommendations...

 

#1 fix the hernia...easy peasy, you can find diagrams online, or ask your chiropractor to do it. Think the heimlich maneuver, but with steady, even, upward and inward force for several minutes. I was astounded that I had been walking around with this visible bulge that looked like a ball of protruding fat for two years, when all it took was two minutes of pushing on it to go away!

 

#2 Get a high quality probiotic. Important for celiacs anyway, but very helpful for maintaining healthy gut flora, which will do their job to break down your food rather than let it rot and stink.

 

#3 If you aren't a flosser, start. That tiny little bit of gunk trapped between teeth can REEK

 

#4 Are you on any meds that cause dry mouth? Switching meds or using biotene paste and wash and chewing gum like mad will help.

 

#5 Therabreath, as someone else mentioned

 

#6 As far as body odor...I have read alot of speculation that it can be a result of food intolerances and/ or excess sugar consumption. I don't know if it is true, but if you continue to have trouble nailing down the source, it is worth looking into. I had halitosis my whole life...right up until my celiac dx...gluten free meant halitosis free for me!

[Steph1]

I absolutely have body odor from being glutened. I go without deodorant when possible and I distinctly remember one time an hour or so after being glutened being in a store and being mortified because I had that fight or flight smell just start. It makes my other bodily functions stink too, everything. It's disgusting and embarrassing but true.

[R1019P]

so March 10th will mark two years gluten-free, and I feel so much better!  However here's what's going on...

 

I'm dating this great guy but earlier this week he told me that my breath and body odor really turn him off.  I'm an extremely hygienic person...brush and floss at least twice a day, shower once a day, wear deodorant...so when he told me, quite honestly I was shocked and dumbfounded   I ended up crying in front of him, and I am NOT a crier.  It didn't seem to scare him off, and I could tell he felt really bad, but at the same time despite having my ego bruised, I'm glad he told me.  

 

He asked me if it could have anything to do with being gluten-free, and I said I didn't think so, but now I'm not so sure.  Before going gluten-free, I always had a thick white coating on my tongue, but since going gluten-free that has pretty much disappeared.  

 

I've never liked using mouthwash because it burns my mouth, but in the last few days I've used it, I'll notice I'll be good for about an hour, but then I get my normal taste back in my mouth.  My nose is still continually stuffed up, and I've read that having sinus problems can contribute to halitosis, but I don't know why it's stuffed up.  I always have to breathe out of my mouth instead of my nose.  My GP's suggestion was to take Zyrtec all the time...not doing that.  

 

I'm just so frustrated because I feel like I keep trying to fine tune my diet, but then something else gets out of whack.  I don't want to take pills continuously for anything, I just want my body to cooperate.  Does anyone have any natural remedies to suggest?

 

ETA:  According to my endoscopy report, I have a medium-sized hiatus hernia in my stomach.

Hi, is it possible that maybe you might have s'jogrens disease. This is when your saliva gland do not produce enough saliva, and I think it can affect our bodies too.

You could also be allergic to something else. Talk to your doctor they can help. Hope this helps. I take Zyrtec, I'm allergic to a lot of things. you could try the rinse that would help you keep your mouth moist. And it might help your sinus open up too.

[Zebra007]

Is it possible that your dealing with someone who may have some serious issues and has made this up?  I know that sounds a bit extreme but one never knows.  Did you flat out ask your ENT specialist if he thought you had bad breath?

 

Last year I had a hernia and my chiropractor fixed it.  It is worth getting that seen to sooner rather than later and its best not to take tablets for it IMHO as they make things worst long term.

 

I also have had tonsil stones in the past, they are easy enough to spot if you take a small shaving mirror and carefully look at your tonsils, look for what appears to look like white cheese protruding from the ducts of your tonsils..if that's the problem, cut out sugar and gargle with salt water three times a day and that should fix it.

[squirmingitch]

As to the question of the BO ~~~ I have always had a problem with very loud BO. I can get out of the shower & within 5 minutes have bad BO. This is what takes care of it for me: Shave your pits every day if that's what it takes. I find the tiniest growth of underarm hair has the effect as if I had a forest growing in there. Mitchum antiperspirant -- nothing else will do. They do make an unscented gel that really & truly does not leave any white stuff. 

[LauraTX]

As to the question of the BO ~~~ I have always had a problem with very loud BO. I can get out of the shower & within 5 minutes have bad BO. This is what takes care of it for me: Shave your pits every day if that's what it takes. I find the tiniest growth of underarm hair has the effect as if I had a forest growing in there. Mitchum antiperspirant -- nothing else will do. They do make an unscented gel that really & truly does not leave any white stuff. 

 

I can second the Mitchum... when I was a teenager there were a few years where it was the only thing that helped.  

[Waitingindreams]

I saw someone else already mentioned this - but I agree that the "halitosis" is most likely due to your hiatal hernia.

 

I was in the same boat as you - my boyfriend of a couple months started telling me that I had bad breath. At first, I shrugged it off and blamed it on the white garlic pizza I had been eating recently...but a couple of months later he admitted that it was still pretty bad. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in July of 2013 - this was going on between August - October of 2013. I started experimenting with different foods and asking him when my breath was bad (attractive, I know - but I really was bothered by this) I have NEVER had a cavity and my dental hygiene is perfect - how can I have bad breath? I brush my teeth, my tongue, drink lots of water - etc...it started to really scare me when I would literally brush my teeth and he would tell me my breath was still bad. I knew something was wrong.

 

In my experimenting, I found certain foods really exacerbated the bad breath: All cheese (particularly cheddar) salsa/sauce, hummus (anything with garlic or onion) and anything with lactose (M&Ms, etc) I blamed the bad breath on my lactose intolerance and stopped eating foods with lactose - until my bf still complained about bad breath with other foods like salsa. I was pretty much giving up. Then, I found out in May of 2014 that I had a hiatal hernia. I see a naturopath - and he is able to adjust it non-surgically. After he adjusted it - the bad breath went away. I could eat whatever I wanted (gluten free, of course!) and my boyfriend said my breath was fine. Unfortunately in my case, the hernia keeps sliding back into place and I don't want to keep having it adjusted every couple of months (in my case - could be because of increased tenderness...it is extremely painful to have it adjusted) so right now I am working on losing weight and trying to find ways to strengthen my abdominals. I found that drinking apple cider vinegar drinks (they have a brand blended with distilled water and honey) helps beat the bad breath. The bad breath is due to acid reflux caused by the hernia...and the apple cider vinegar temporarily raises stomach acid. I went down 2 more pant sizes since first having my hernia adjusted - but I want to wait a bit longer to have it adjusted again. My goal is to get down to a size 4 or 6 and stay there to manage it...I am currently a size 8. 

 

I was grateful when my boyfriend told me too - despite being extremely embarrassed by it. Even though i have now been with him for nearly 2 years, it is still embarrassing when he brings it up. But now that I know it's due to my hernia, I still eat my cheese! I just try to balance it out with the apple cider vinegar drinks. I am confident that if I can ever get rid of my hernia for good, bad breath will never again be a problem. Unfortunately, I do sometimes have issues with slight constipation, and apparently struggling with bowel movements can bring the hernia back. Fantastic. I also try to avoid heavy lifting as much as possible.

 

Good luck! 

[powerofpositivethinking]

Is it possible that your dealing with someone who may have some serious issues and has made this up?  I know that sounds a bit extreme but one never knows.  Did you flat out ask your ENT specialist if he thought you had bad breath?

 

 

Well Zebra007, you got it     I have no problem admitting when I'm wrong, but in this case, this supposedly "great guy" had serious issues.  The allergy testing came up with a few minor allergies but nothing severe.  The doctor said I had no need to take a daily antihistamine, and I didn't need allergy shots.  I get a little bit of morning breath most likely from the hernia, but as my friends and the doctor reassured me, most people do have morning breath.

 

I did flat out ask the ENT about my breath, and he said I did not have halitosis.  Instead he told me the guy I had been seeing was a dud and that I needed to do a better job finding better suitors hahaha  I never saw the guy again after I went to the doctor because he disappeared on me.  I've never had a guy disappear on me before so that was incredibly hurtful, but the cliche live and learn definitely comes into play.

 

I work with elementary school age children who can always be counted on for their honesty, and they never said anything about me smelling.  I was asking friends to smell my breath.  I have good friends   This supposedly great guy made me feel so insecure about things, but karma keeps me going.

 

Positive outcome about the situation...I started using Therabreath products, and they're great!!

 

I didn't let that other guy stop me, so I'm back out on the dating scene.  Bring it on 

[nvsmom]

LOL  Good update.  I'm glad it was nothing!  Annoying that he caused you so much stress... Dud is right!  LOL

[StClair]

Are you still having any digestive issues, like gas and bloating (sorry)? Lactose or Fructose Intolerance can cause bad breath (ask me how I know) due to the gasses being absorbed into the bloodstream and then breath. Just a thought.

Oops, sorry. I just saw your last post. So glad that it turned out to be his problem, not yours. Good thing you didn't waste any more time with him!

[Zoey000]

On 3/15/2015 at 3:45 PM, Steph1 said:

I absolutely have body odor from being glutened. I go without deodorant when possible and I distinctly remember one time an hour or so after being glutened being in a store and being mortified because I had that fight or flight smell just start. It makes my other bodily functions stink too, everything. It's disgusting and embarrassing but true.

How long the body odor can last after being glutened?

[Posterboy]

To Whom It May Concen,

This is to OP and anyone else looking for an answer for/to this question.

Here is a great livestrong article about this topic.

Open Original Shared Link

it can be  a medical condition termed "dragon breath"  and you probably have if you notice your own bad breath or your friend tells you have bad breath.

though I didn't know it at the time (in college) before I found out I had celiac disease and low stomach acid I later found out I was low in my b-complex's.

Once I began supplementing with a B-complex (later finding out) it was Niacin(amide) specifically my bad dragon breath got better as the livestrong article points out.

I hope this is helpful.

Again this is not medical advise just things I have done that helped me.

2 Tim 2:7 “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” this included.

posterboy,