CAN IT BE FROM...THE LUNGS?

[realbad]

im starting to think now its comming from the lungs
is it possible that when you swallow food it can end up in contact with the lungs in any way?
how is the windpipe and the esophagus different? Does anyone have any knowlege of this?

[ihatethebus]

BB that comes from the lungs is usually caused by a tooth absess that stayed in a little too long. Meds dont do too much for this bb. Extreme vigorous exercise for two strong weeks & vit C + B12 are the only way to lose the odor.

P.S the lung odor is only limited to the rotten egg thingy. so if your bb is also fecal then you can count the lung bb out or add it to the sub factors

[breather]

Just read a short article about where the different sources of bb are located. The main thrust of the article, though, had to do with home remedies for bad breath. http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=3324080

[Phantasist]

Realbad,
Food does not come in contact with the lungs directly. However, some toxic substances are absorbed by the colon walls and passed to the lungs via the bloodstream. They are then exhaled from the lungs as a way of getting rid of them. So the bad odor from the lungs could have its origin in the colon. I don't think this is likely, though, if you eat a normal reasonably healthy diet. I would first look at the environment of the mouth, throat and sinuses for the source of BB.

[halitosisux]

If odourous chemicals are being absorbed from the intestines, I think its more likely to be due to there being something going on in a certain stage of the intestine where this would normally not happen.

The contents of the intestine dont normally smell bad until they reach the final stages of the large intestine.

There are various digestive problems that can lead to such foulness anywhere along the digestive tract. SIBO is an example, that can lead to foul odours in areas which are normally not foul, which then go on to be absorbed into the bloodstream.

Most people who eat curry and other strong smelling spicy foods will end up with that odour coming out of their lungs and bodily secretions a few hours later, because the strong smelling spices have passed into a stage of the intestine where they are being absorbed into the bloodstream. As an example, if this person had SIBO, then when their breath isnt smelling of curry, it will smell of the abnormal foulness from their SIBO.

And think about TMAU. Trimethylamine gets produced in every gut. It gets absorbed in every person's bloodstream. But most people produce enzymes that convert it into a chemical that doesnt smell. And TMAU is just one example of a defective enzyme, there could be many as yet unknown defective enzymes which allow odourous chemicals from natural processes of digestion to build up in the bloodstream in a similar manner.

[Happylife]

Long time back i read it somewhere online that.... a guy has infection in his lungs and when his doctor treated for it, his BB is cured. Tried to find that post now but couldn't...

[halitosisux]

Lung infections are known to cause the most horrendous BB. Its amazing how so little is ever mentioned on the lungs, since this is where every breath comes from. Bacteria do exist there, and mucus is produced by the linings. People go around coughing and spluttering and we dont give it a second thought. We hear people describing sudden whiffs of bad odour that are there for one minute and gone the next. We automatically think sinuses or stomach. No one ever mentions lungs.

[stressedout]

halitosisux, lung infection would come with other things like strong coughing, fever and maybe shortness of breath, or could be be totally asymptomatic?

[halitosisux]

Yes lung infections would probably come with other things like strong coughing etc, but my point is could lungs smell even without there being an infection? If a mouth can smell without any obvious infection just because it has bacteria and the right "ecology" that allows it to smell, then why not in the lungs? There's bacteria there and an environment that could allow it to happen given the right ecological conditions.

[mike987]

"Hi Doc.. I have Bad Breath... Can you set up a Lung Transplant for me?"

The Lungs haven't been recognized as a potential problem because they haven't found a way to market useless products into them yet.. Lung Mints!

[sadman]

The lower respiratory tract (trachea, bronchi, and pulmonary tissues) is virtually free of microorganisms, mainly because of the efficient cleansing action of the ciliated epithelium which lines the tract. Any bacteria reaching the lower respiratory tract are swept upward by the action of the mucociliary blanket that lines the bronchi, to be removed subsequently by coughing, sneezing, swallowing, etc. If the respiratory tract epithelium becomes damaged, as in bronchitis or viral pneumonia, the individual may become susceptible to infection by pathogens descending from the nasopharynx (e.g. H. influenzae or S. pneumoniae)

[halitosisux]

Sadman, this is also what happens inside the sinuses, but yet micro-organisms can still take a hold in there. Also, remember, until fairly recently, it was thought that because of the harshness inside the stomach (acid), that it was presumed that no micro-organisms could survive in there. Look how wrong they were.

Also, its only due to the advancements in genetic testing that new bacteria are being discovered inside the mouth. I'm sure I've read somewhere that with these new techniques for identifying bacteria that its opened up a whole field of research into bronchial diseases like asthma.

And then there's the role that viruses could be playing in all of this. So much of what goes on in the upper and lower respiratory area involes viral infection. I even read the other day that obesity has been linked to viruses.

[stressedout]

Sadman, this is also what happens inside the sinuses, but yet micro-organisms can still take a hold in there. Also, remember, until fairly recently, it was thought that because of the harshness inside the stomach (acid), that it was presumed that no micro-organisms could survive in there. Look how wrong they were.

Also, its only due to the advancements in genetic testing that new bacteria are being discovered inside the mouth. I'm sure I've read somewhere that with these new techniques for identifying bacteria that its opened up a whole field of research into bronchial diseases like asthma.

And then there's the role that viruses could be playing in all of this. So much of what goes on in the upper and lower respiratory area involes viral infection. I even read the other day that obesity has been linked to viruses.

Oh god, too much to know and to live with such knowledge, is it even good for us to know all this, just gives us more ideas to be obsessing about while others are out there enjoying life.

[sadman]

Hali:

Sadman, this is also what happens inside the sinuses, but yet micro-organisms can still take a hold in there

What I understand is that there is no normal microflora in the sinuses and in the lung as in the mouth or GI tract . A healthy sinus and healthy lung is sterile . When there is bacteria or virus entering the upper respiratory tract , it will cause bacterial infection such as sinusitis , pneumonia ... or viral infection such as viral bronchitis , viral rhinitis ( common cold), croup ( viral-induced asthma ) Bacteria might have a role in development of asthma but supporting data is limited

http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/36/3/469.full

[halitosisux]

Oh god, too much to know and to live with such knowledge, is it even good for us to know all this, just gives us more ideas to be obsessing about while others are out there enjoying life.

This is a joke right?
Good luck with finding a cure if it isnt.