Bad Breath Halitosis Forum

Dear Members,

Zander Levy requested from the members over on our sister site breathhelp4u for help. It involves us as well. This is a golden opportunity for us to tell the world a/b our plight, suffrage, and misery living with chronic halitosis. Think about this opportunity to educate the public, the world a/b our disorder. The only way we ever stand a chance of a cure is to let others know that we exist and our problems are real. Email this person with your story, cry out for help, if we all share our sufferings there will be rewards thereafter. I will post my letter to Zander after the members expressed their opionions.

Here's Zander Levy's request:

Keep the faith,

John
_______________________________________________________________________

CHANNEL 4 DOCUMENTARY
My name is Zander Levy and as Laura mentioned in an earlier post I work for a television production company called Raw TV. We've been asked by Channel 4 to develop a sensitive 1-hour documentary about acute cases of every day medical problems and one of the conditions we are looking into is halitosis and the effect it has on sufferers.

We'd like to speak with people who have bad breath and feel it affects the way they live: perhaps you feel less confident attending college or university, getting the job you want, or in your relationship. Conditions affect people in different ways and often society tends to overlook how pervasive a condition like halitosis can be to ones life.

If you are based in the UK and would like to find out more or simply offer your opinion, please do add to this thread, send me a PM, e-mail me and if you feel comfortable we can arrange to have a confidential chat over the phone. I'll be able to learn more about your experience and you in turn can ask me questions about the programme.

We feel this is an important documentary to make – the effects of halitosis are not understood and underestimated. We hope you'll be able to help us change that opinion, and look forward to hearing from you. All my details are below and please do look on our website if you would like to find out more about Raw TV.

Zander

Raw TV

T: 0207 284 6892

zander.levy@...

www.rawtelevision.co.uk

Read your letter over at BB4U - very well written John. I think this is a very very positive development. This is the first time to my knowledge (??) that any media outlet (or mainstream professional medical for that matter!) has approached this disorder from the point of view of the sufferer - and the effects it has on them. At least it seems that way from her initial post.

Whilst it is human nature - and probably a knee jerk reaction - to be repelled by someones bad breath, I think it is important that it is commonly known that people CAN have bad breath dispite following a rigid oral hygiene routine; that the DISORDER is proving to be incurable for a large minority of people (ie US!). Rather than the ignorance that currently exists ie. the falacy that 'we have no shame'/'should go get a tooth pulled', etc.

I think the changing of beliefs is important - not so that we can get sympathy ( you can keep it and shove it where the sun don't shine!) - but so that Bad Breath can be treated/viewed as a definite Disorder - something that its not being associated with right now.

Going to send my own mail to the researcher now...

Zander,
I understand that you are considering putting together a documentary on bad breath and the effects the disorder has had on sufferers. I found this out from an online forum (badbreathhalitosis.com) and I believe this can be very helpful to bad breath sufferers in the long term (It may take more than your single documentary to change the beliefs of a misinformed public but the first step is the most important one!). To give you an insight into why I feel your programme is important, heres the message I posted on the forum:

Read your letter over at BB4U - very well written John. I think this is a very very positive development. This is the first time to my knowledge (??) that any media outlet (or mainstream professional medical for that matter!) has approached this disorder from the point of view of the sufferer - and the effects it has on them. At least it seems that way from her initial post.

Whilst it is human nature - and probably a knee jerk reaction - to be repelled by someones bad breath, I think it is important that it is commonly known that people CAN have bad breath dispite following a rigid oral hygiene routine; that the DISORDER is proving to be incurable for a large minority of people (ie US!). Rather than the ignorance that currently exists ie. the falacy that 'we have no shame'/'should go get a tooth pulled', etc.

I think the changing of beliefs is important - not so that we can get sympathy ( you can keep it and shove it where the sun don't shine!) - but so that Bad Breath can be treated/viewed as a definite Disorder - something that its not being associated with right now.

Going to send my own mail to the researcher now...

_________


I am based in Ireland and have experienced this disorder for over ten years. If there is any aspect of the disorder and how my life has revolved around it that you would like me to give you an insight into, please let me know. As you can see from the badbreathhalitosis.com forum, those members who drop by the forum on a regular basis - they have all suffered. The suffering i'm talking about is mostly psychological- due to social alienation - and knock on effects with regard to the direction of their careers, social lives, sex lives, etc.
Its a case of cause and effect. If I didnt have this disorder, I firmly believe that I would have developed a successsful career by now (i'm 34) rather than the dead end factory floor job I have. On a social level, I'm a recluse. Whilst I think I was never the loud outgoing type, theres no doubt that I would have developed into a different character had this disorder not existed all through my 20's. From the point of view of sex life/dating, etc. - this is something I have simply cut out of my life. I dont have aspirations in this direction - and have resigned to this reality.
I've learned to live with this problem as best I can - and I can still say that I enjoy life. However, its clear to me that this condition has had a serious impact on my quality of life. I am hopeful for the future (hope - a keystone of the human spirit) - but its a guarded hope these days. I've lived with it long enough to know that its possible that a solution may not arrive. There have been numerous consultations, therapies, diets, tests - even surgical procedures. All have raised a flicker of hope and anticipation - only to wither into the grey reality of having to plod on with the shackles of Bad Breath still in tow. Too long in the tooth (terrible -but unintentional pun) to be crushed by misplaced hopes now.
I will continue to search for a solution no matter how long it takes. We've been handed a challenge - and we deal with it as best as we can.

If you have any questions for me, please do not hesitate to contact me. Alternatively, you may wish to visit the badbreathhalitosis.com online chats (every sunday at 8pm) and have your queries answered in realtime.

Bagiuo,

I totally agree with you. We don't need pity or sympathy, we need legitimate medical attention for our disorder and ailness. There are medication for depression, anxiety D/O, even for fungal toe nails, but our suffering isn't consider emotioanally traumatizing or important enough to warrant a cure. Every time I think a/b our abandonment by science and medicine I.... well. What can I say that I havn't said in my countless posts throught the years I've been posting, pushing, and fighting for a cure. We, each and every sufferer, needs to cry out for help with the same intensity and deperation as when they find out someone has a quick fix remedy for bb.

Thank you for your contribution.

john

Did a phone interview with Zander. I really hope this programme gets off the ground. It could really make a difference on a number of fronts in the long term.

Good for you. Thanks for doing the interview. We all will benefit in the long run when a cure arrives. So therefore, putting efforts and and time into fighting/finding a cure is never a waste of time and energy.

The Lavoris sample arrived. I tried it, read the lable, basically it's a concentrated formula, a substitude, no reliefe whatesover. Dam it!!!! I wasn't suprised, just disspionted, just exstremely disappionted. But I won't stop because I've already made contact with the president, sent him numerous letters, begging and pleding. I will continued to begg, pled, until he reformualate the original that cured my halitosis for two years.

Anyway, tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in America. It's a day we celebrate..... we'll you know. It gets harder and harder each year to find something to be thankful for in my life, no family, no relationship/girlfriend/wife, no kids, and no stability b/c of this bad breath nightmare. It has taken everything, we as humans are entittled to having away from me.

I really don't have the energy to go on living like this.

But I still believe and until the day my hope is gone I'll continued fighting for a cure w Lavoris and whomever.

John

Another reasearcher from RawTV 'phoned me yesterday and carried out another interview. She asked me if I was prepared to appear on the documentary. It had occured to me previously that this might be proposed by them. I had thought it over and I simply am not brave or courageous enough to go through with it.

I have mentioned to others here before that I am no longer embarrassed by halitosis - just angered and frustrated by it. However, seeing as I couldnt commit to participating, maybe thats not entirely true. At least I just wouldnt have the resolve to disregard the sniggering at work that would be inevitable in the aftermath of appearing on Channel 4.

I couldnt possibly ask somebody to do something that I am clearly not prepared to do myself but if there is someone here that has the steel and grit to take this on, please get in touch with RawTV.
Its envisaged that the documentary will run for an hour and I really got the impression that it will be something very positive for all of us.

well offcourse there isn't alot of people who would be willing to show their face on tv. Maybe if they changed the voice, or darken the face....some would volunteer...anyway so whats with Lavoris???any improvement???....did anyone feel any releif with it??Well no1 can say Probiora will be the cure, the same was said for Therabreath...
I just went for a drink with a friend that has same problem and we can not smeel nothing on each other, but other people.....(how I wish I would be imagining ths,..if only that was true, but my every day reminds me who I am..