JULY 20, 2011 ADVENTURE OF THE MOUTH

"We can choose to create of our lives an accident or an adventure." Anonymous

So we all have this choice! Is your life path an accident or an adventure? It all depends on how you view your life. Do you view it with a positive or negative attitude? The above photos exude adventure - fun, best friends and a refreshing hobby. For me personally, life is full of adventure. I only build upon this adventure. Every day is a new adventure; a new beginning. My life has not been an accident. I used to feel that my life was an accident... or rather I created an unsteady life. Today, life is good. Is it perfect? No it is not. Is it better than in the past? Yes it is. Am I happy? Yes. I am grateful for today? I am more grateful for my life than ever before in my adult life. It is unbelievable hoe the lyrics of a Rogers and Hammerstein musical can lift your spirits. While Rick and I were enthralled to see our 'little' friend, Marina on the stage we were taken back to our childhoods. I never knew the lyrics from 'My Favorite Things' included a ' bee sting' It is portrayed NOT as a favorite thing and that is the way I felt when I was a child. Now that is different. I couldn't help but think of my mother while watching the play. Listen to the lyrics of ' Climb Every Mountain' It brought tears to my eyes.

Last week I had two patients with dental complaints. Their complaints were about their gums hurting. The health of the mouth can affect the whole body. The inflammation in the mouth, especially in the gums is linked to inflammation in the heart. This is determined by a simple serum (blood) test: the C reactive protein (specifically the high sensitive CRP).

Digestion begins in the mouth. Typically when a patient has a dental problem, a dentist should be consulted. The most common dental problem I see is gingivitis. This is the inflammation of the gums. This can be caused by lack of oral hygiene (brush plus use a water pick or dental floss) or an inappropriate diet. The use of refined carbohydrates is linked to poor dental hygiene, especially gingivitis. 'Itis' in medicine means inflammation. There are herbal antibiotics that I have used for gingivitis. These are Echinacea, Myrrh and Eucalyptus. Myrrh is mentioned in James Duke's Medicinal Plants of the Bible

"My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me. I arose to open to my beloved; and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers upon the handles of the bolt." - Song of Solomon 5:4-5 (RSV)

The King James version mentions lock instead of bolt.

I recommend equal parts of myrrh and echinacea. I ask the patient to put 1/2 dropperful of each in their water pik and use every day. Both of these herbs are excellent as anti-infective herbs. Both will soothe the gums. I will tell you now that the taste is not pleasant. I have found the worst tasting herbs are the most effective. Another example of an unpleasant herbs are the bitters and chaparral, but the more unpleasant , the better the effectiveness. Perhaps add one drop of either peppermint oil or calendula oil to ease the taste in the mouth.

Until tomorrow...

Photograph credit: Rick Byrd and bee photo, Jen.