Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

I've suffered this problem for 23 years. I've tried Threabreath, Smartmouth, Profresh, triOral, Biotene, Breezecare, Closys and countless other products, NOTHING WORKED! My teeth are in perfect shape, i brush 3 times daily, I have no gum disease. Since the bad breath was also coming out of my nostrils, I had my sinuses checked and they are normal. I also use a nasal irrigatior and a waterpik with mouthwash in it. I STILL HAD THE PROBLEM!! Why you ask? Because I made the stupid mistake of believing Dr. Katz and other so-called doctors who claimed bad breath usually comes from the mouth, and very rarely the stomach. I went to see a gastroenterologist about an unrelated problem, IBS. After tests, it was shown I had bacterial overgrowth in my intestines. He put my on Clarithromycin and Flagyl together for 14 days. When I finished the antibiotics, I went on Probiotics to replenish the good bacteria. My bad breath was 80% gone. BUT THEN in a few weeks it was back, as bad as ever. I gave up hope. After a few months, I decided to see the gastroenterologist again. This time he put me on 1200 mg of Rifaximin for 14 days, then the probiotics afterwards. MY BAD BREATH WAS COMPLETELY GONE and stayed that way for about 4 months, then it started to come back, I took the Rifaximin again and then the probiotics, stayed on the probiotics a lot longer this time, and it has been 3 years and NO BAD BREATH!! I stupidly believed Dr Katz and others who say there is no CURE for bb, only treatment. Well, I beg to differ. If I would have ignored his advice earlier and went to see the doctor, I would have saved hundreds, maybe thousands on stupid mouthwashes that don't work.
If for some reason you can't get to a doctor, the best mouthwash to mask the problem for a few hours is BREATH RX with a few drops of OralMD in it. When I had my problem, that solution was the only thing keeping me from being a recluse because of the bb. Be patient though, Breath RX takes around two weeks before you see the full results. Whatever mouthwash you decide to use, PUT A FEW DROPS OF OralMD in it!! Your mouth will feel fresh and it was the only thing that helped me along with the BreathRX, and I tried EVERYTHING!!

Intestinal bacteria may play an etiological role in the dermatological condition Rosacea. A recent study subjected patients to a hydrogen breath test to detect the occurrence of SIBO. It was found that significantly more patients were hydrogen-positive than controls indicating the presence of bacterial overgrowth (47% v. 5%, p<0.001).
Hydrogen-positive patients were then given a 10-day course of rifaximin, a non-absorbable antibiotic that does not leave the digestive tract and therefore does not enter the circulation or reach the skin. 96% of patients experienced a complete remission of rosacea symptoms that lasted beyond 9 months. These patients were also negative when retested for bacterial overgrowth. In the 4% of patients that experienced relapse, it was found that bacterial overgrowth had returned. These patients were given a second course of rifaximin which again cleared rosacea symptoms and normalized hydrogen excretion.[32]
In another study, it was found that some rosacea patients that tested hydrogen-negative were still positive for bacterial overgrowth when using a methane breath test instead. These patients showed little improvement with rifaximin, as found in the previous study, but experienced clearance of rosacea symptoms and normalization of methane excretion following administration of the antibiotic metronidazole, which is effective at targeting methanogenic intestinal bacteria.[33]
These results suggest that optimal antibiotic therapy may vary between patients and that diverse species of intestinal bacteria appear to be capable of mediating rosacea symptoms.
This may also explain the improvement in symptoms experienced by some patients when given a reduced carbohydrate diet.[34] Such a diet would restrict the available material necessary for bacterial fermentation and thereby reduce intestinal bacterial populations.

A diet void of certain foods that feed the bacteria can help alleviate the symptoms. For example if the symptoms are caused by bacterial overgrowth on complex carbohydrate rich foods (for example bread), eating light food consisting of fruits and green leafy vegetables may substantially lessen the symptoms.