Dude, your breath stinks!

Say you're trying to flirt with a hot girl, and she seems like she just wants nothing else but for you to go away. You wonder, why? Ever think that it wasn't really you that she's trying to get away form but it's your breath. Humiliating, right?

Bad breath or halitosis, in the most common cases, can be traced back to smoking, drinking alcohol or eating foods notorious for their lingering odours such as garlic, onions and anchovies. But sometimes the problem is caused by an underlying medical condition.

So, what causes it? The real culprit, odour causing bacterias that tend to multiply in the mouth due to dry mouth. The less saliva produced, the more bacteria thrives. Bacteria may also hang out on the tounge, in food debris that accumulates on dentures, and on the teeth. Also, underlying gum disease, a chronic sinus infection or poor digestion of foods is often the cause.

As we learn since we were kids, oral hygiene is important. Brush your teeth at least twice a day and don't forget to floss. But what they never teach us is, supplement could also do wonder to combat bad breath. Place just a drop or two of peppermint oil on the tounge a couple of times a day. Remember, too much of it could cause digestive upset. Drinking peppermint or spearmint teas, as well as plenty of plain water, may also help to fight bad breath by keeping the mouth moist.

Another approach is to chew on several fennel seeds, anise seeds, or cloves to freshen the breath. Fresh parsley has the same effect, as it is high in chlorophyll, which has been proven to be a powerful breath freshener and also detoxifies odours caused by poorly digested foods. Spirulina, wheat grass, chlorella, all of them also contains chlorophyll. Or try chewing on spirulina tablets, that helps too.

Your Immune System Could Use Some Help

The thing is, we're no doctors. So, how would we know? I found these set of questions that could help you to determine whether or not your immune system need some help. Answer these questions using true or false.

1. I often get colds, sore throats or the flu.
2. My ilnesses typically last for two or more weeks.
3. I usually feel tired throughout the day.
4. I frequently travel long distances for short stays.
5. Recently, I experienced great stress: loss of a job, the death of close relative or relationship problems.
6. I've recently taken long course of antibiotics.

SCORE

How many times did you answer TRUE?

NONE The chances are that there are few stresses on your immune system and that it is working well. A healthy lifestyle will help you to stay healthy and well.

ONE OR MORE Your immune system could be under stress, which by all means that you are prone to disease. Revitalise your body to make it better able to fight disease aggressively and help to keep you fit and healthy.

Help! I Got Zits!

We usually call it zit, the book call it acne. Occurs when the sebaceous glands at the base of the hair follicles of the skin secrete too much sebum. This thick, oily substance is normally released from the pores to keep the skin lubricated and healthy. If the sebum backs up, it can form hard plugs that block the pores that cause pimples. If one of these oil plugs ruptures beneath the skin's surface, a localised bacterial infection can develop.

Hormonal imbalances can lead to an overproduction of sebum, which is a common problem during adolescence, especially for boys. For women, menstrual periods or pregnancy can also create acne-producing hormonal disturbances. Other than that, emotional stress, the friction or rubbing clothes against skin, and certain medications, particularly steroids, contraceptive or drugs that effect hormone levels could triggers acne. However, sayings about eating chocolate, nuts, fatty snacks or drinking soft drinks could cause acne are totally a myth.

So, how can supplements help? Vitamin A is important because it controls the overproduction of sebum, which is the main cause of acne. While Vitamin B6 may be useful for acne aggravated by menstrual cycles or menopause. And Vitamin C boosts the immune system, helping the acne-causing bacteria in check. Taken with any or all these vitamins, zinc enhances immune function, reduces inflammations and promotes healthy hormone levels. But keep in mind that copper should be taken with zinc to avoid anaemia. It may also help to take along zinc with essential fatty acids such as flaxseed oil and evening primrose oil in order to dilute the oily sebum, reducing the likelihood of clogged pores.

What else you can do? Well, firstly, wash daily using ordinary soap and water. Next, eat a balanced diet. You should also choose cosmetics labelled 'noncomedogenic' or 'oil-free'. Most importantly and we all know this, do not pick on your pimples!

New Age of Nutritions

Today, dietary supplements or complementary health-care products, as they are officially called in Australia - encompass a dizzying array of vitamins, minerals and herbs, as well as other compounds that have been extracted or created from natural sources.

Since most are available without prescription, supplements are available in every supermarkets and pharmacies. Most shopping centers have health-food sections that stock a wide selection of supplements. You can even order supplements from the catalogues or the Internet. Do you know that the annual supplements sales in Australia are estimated at close to $2 billion, and in New Zealand at $150 million? One crazy industry, huh?

You can see the public interest in supplements through the media, which carry regular reports about them. With all the attention and the sky high sales of supplements, there's no surprise that millions of people around the world, including doctors and scientist, have come to believe that substances such as garlic, echinacea and grape seed extract, along with vitamins and minerals, are as beneficial to health as low-fat foods, exercise and aspirin. That's right, supplements are as good! Cool, huh?