We need honest feedback!

[StinkBomb]

Many of us have mustered up the courage to ask others if our breath stinks ... only to be told that they don't smell anything at all. I have in the past been told by others that my breath does NOT stink, although those same individuals constantly and consistently show reactions. I know it's not in my head. They literally cover their noses when I speak and I am sure that they don't do it while speaking to others. I personally find it quite difficult to point blank ask someone if my breath stinks. It's quite demoralizing. And no one wants to be labeled as the guy who is always worried about his breath. How do we charge forward with a search for a cure when we are constantly getting mixed feedback. I find this one of the most frustrating aspects of this ailment. I absolutely need to find a trusted individual to give me honest and accurate feedback. This has to be my top priority.

But then again, maybe some people are truly being honest when they say that they don't smell anything bad on our breath. Maybe they are genetically programmed to only smell certain odors. I think it might be more complicated than we know.

I read an interesting article that talked about asparagus and the distinct odor it left in urine. Asparagus contains a chemical called Asparagusic acid. When our bodies digest asparagus, they break down this chemical into a group of related sulfur-containing compounds (hmmm ... like VSC's in halitosis). As with many other substances that include sulfur—such as garlic, skunk spray and odorized natural gas—these sulfur-containing molecules convey a powerful, typically unpleasant scent.

I found it interesting that some individuals can detect a strong odor from their urine after eating asparagus while others can not. In the past, it was assumed that some people just don’t produce the aroma in their urine when they digest asparagus. But now, some scientists believe that these same individuals do produce the exact same scent but somehow lack the ability to smell it.

Here is a link to the full article:


http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-n ... -49961252/

[halitosisux]

There was a very interesting BBC documentary a couple of years ago called "Chemistry, a volatile history" with Dr. Jim Al-Khalili. If you search on YouTube you'll find it. In one of the episodes, he took a jar containing a certain chemical to a crowd of people to get them to smell it. A percentage of these people were unable to detect any smell from the jar. Those who could smell it could clearly smell it. Those who couldn't could smell absolutely nothing.

He goes on to explain how, through genetic mutation, humans are slowly losing their sense of smell (what we don't use, we lose) and that this chemical in the jar was just one example of a lost ability to detect a particular chemical molecule.

My explanation might be slightly wrong, but it's something like that. It's very interesting because there may be some connection to this and certain kinds of BB and BO and the way some people appear to be able to smell it and others do not.

[StinkBomb]

Maybe we have been looking at this problem the wrong way all along.

Maybe we should stop focusing on curing our bad breath and instead put all our energy into finding a way to genetically alter the rest of the population so they can no longer detect our stink.

[Cres]

>A percentage of these people were unable to detect any smell from the jar.

This must be the only explanation as to why this one doctor didn't smell anything but cigar in my breath. I get reactions from 90% of people however, so it's very real.

[meowkity1]

If you smoke you will have bb,though my mother and sister chain s
moke and not once have i smelled a pinch of bb, i dont smoke and have this pro lem. People that smome cigars usually smell bad on their body clothes,.

[halitosisux]

Maybe we should stop focusing on curing our bad breath and instead put all our energy into finding a way to genetically alter the rest of the population so they can no longer detect our stink.

Lol yes, interesting question. I think I'd still rather remain a human and go back to living like a caveman, rather than live in a hellish clinical clean robotic world, which is probably where vanity and human weakness is heading us for.

I had always planned to eventually go and live in some remote forest somewhere once my parents were gone, if I couldn't cure my BB. I've never contemplated s*****e. I would rather live a primative life, amongst nature, than to go against nature and kill myself.

[thanatos]

There was a very interesting BBC documentary a couple of years ago called "Chemistry, a volatile history" with Dr. Jim Al-Khalili. If you search on YouTube you'll find it. In one of the episodes, he took a jar containing a certain chemical to a crowd of people to get them to smell it. A percentage of these people were unable to detect any smell from the jar. Those who could smell it could clearly smell it. Those who couldn't could smell absolutely nothing.

He goes on to explain how, through genetic mutation, humans are slowly losing their sense of smell (what we don't use, we lose) and that this chemical in the jar was just one example of a lost ability to detect a particular chemical molecule.

My explanation might be slightly wro

ng, but it's something like that. It's very interesting because there may be some connection to this and certain kinds of BB and BO and the way some people appear to be able to smell it and others do not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOUFReZ3SWI

[thanatos]

There was a very interesting BBC documentary a couple of years ago called "Chemistry, a volatile history" with Dr. Jim Al-Khalili. If you search on YouTube you'll find it. In one of the episodes, he took a jar containing a certain chemical to a crowd of people to get them to smell it. A percentage of these people were unable to detect any smell from the jar. Those who could smell it could clearly smell it. Those who couldn't could smell absolutely nothing.

He goes on to explain how, through genetic mutation, humans are slowly losing their sense of smell (what we don't use, we lose) and that this chemical in the jar was just one example of a lost ability to detect a particular chemical molecule.

My explanation might be slightly wro

ng, but it's something like that. It's very interesting because there may be some connection to this and certain kinds of BB and BO and the way some people appear to be able to smell it and others do not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOUFReZ3SWI

[halitosisux]

Thanks for finding the link. I've looked through that episode and the others, but can't seem to find the scene I'm looking for. Maybe I skipped past it, or it was another similar series by the same doctor.

But the point is, that it has been proven at a genetic level, that some people are completely unable to smell certain chemicals because they have lost the ability to do so.

But, this was just one chemical. It would have to be a huge coincidence for a single chemical responsible for certain cases of bad breath to just happen to be one other chemical that certain people can't smell, for the same genetic reasons as the one in the documentary. But it's always a possibility.

An intermittent odour would have no consistency, unlike the above situation. An intermittent odour would have the same person able to smell an odour one day, and not be able to smell it on another day. This is totally different to the above situation, and it should be fairly easy to determine if it's intermittent or an inability to smell. Also, another person could be unable to smell a chemical because they themselves are also producing this odour chemical, so their noses become familiarised to the smell and they can't smell it. Possibly what happens at meet-ups.

[somethinstinks]

There was a very interesting BBC documentary a couple of years ago called "Chemistry, a volatile history" with Dr. Jim Al-Khalili. If you search on YouTube you'll find it. In one of the episodes, he took a jar containing a certain chemical to a crowd of people to get them to smell it. A percentage of these people were unable to detect any smell from the jar. Those who could smell it could clearly smell it. Those who couldn't could smell absolutely nothing.

He goes on to explain how, through genetic mutation, humans are slowly losing their sense of smell (what we don't use, we lose) and that this chemical in the jar was just one example of a lost ability to detect a particular chemical molecule.

My explanation might be slightly wrong, but it's something like that. It's very interesting because there may be some connection to this and certain kinds of BB and BO and the way some people appear to be able to smell it and others do not.

i dont think thats exactly what the OP is referring to as he/she mentioned that the people who were reacting denied smelling anything

[halitosisux]

Yes, it's a separate issue but I thought it might be interesting and relevant to mention this potential aspect to BB and odour that might be occuring for some people who aren't too sure about what's really going on with reactions etc. Anyone relying solely on reactions could be utterly wrong.