Dr John's Candy

Sugar-free lollipops won't hurt your teeth, but researchers in California and a local couple teamed up to go one better: a lollipop that fights decay-causing bacteria.

Dr. John's Candies, a Grand Rapids company owned and operated by Dr. John Bruinsma, a dentist, and his wife, hygienist Debra Bruinsma, is marketing "Dr. John's Herbal Lollipop."

They created the candy several years ago with C-3 Jian Inc., California a company that develops products targeting harmful bacteria.

Microbiologist Wenyuan Shi, of the University of California-Los Angeles, is the scientific adviser for C-3 Jian.

The company tested 400 herbs against organisms that cause cavities and found Chinese licorice root extract worked the best.

In June 2002, C-3 Jian contacted Dr. John's Candies. Since 1995, the couple has been manufacturing and selling sugar-free candies. C-3 Jian wanted the Bruinsmas to get their herbal cavity-fighter into sugar-free candy.

The Bruinsmas worked with their manufacturer in southern Michigan and the California researchers for several years to nail down a lollipop that kept herbal ingredient active and useful -- and still tasted good.

The result is an orange-flavored treat that tastes as good as any other sugar-free candy.The idea is to kill bad bacteria without harming the good. Track their presence and then target them with antimicrobial ''smart bombs'' that he and his lab would engineer to kill the bad bacteria without harming the good.

Over the years, more than 5,000 Chinese herbs have been used to create and refine more than 100,000 formulas to fight various types of infections. After determining the top 400 most commonly prescribed and effective herbs in traditional Chinese medicine, Professor Shi used an anti-cavity biological assay developed at UCLA to test them for anti-microbial effectiveness against S. mutans.

Finally, he determined that an extract of licorice root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) is effective against tooth-decaying bacteria, providing the scientific basis for the ancient practice of chewing licorice root. "This was particularly charming because in both Chinese and in Western cultures, people have been chewing it maybe for the taste, but it also has a lot of good health reasons. It stimulates saliva flows, has anti-bacterial properties and keeps bacteria from adhering to your teeth", explained Professor Shi.

C3 Jian is currently working with a candy manufacturer on the healthy lollipop's production. It is recommended to eat one lollipop after breakfast and another one before going to bed at night for a period of ten days. Then, in order to maintain the treatment's effectiveness, one should eat a lollipop about 2-4 times a year. "The difficulty there is that the support staff keeps eating them!" said Professor Shi.

Offensive smell from the mouth is a common complaint in the day-to-day medical practice. It mainly affects those who mingle with others very closely. Mainly the friends notice bad breath & family members or some times person himself feel it and come to the doctor. Many bad breathers develop depression, which forces them to be away from the society, which in turn hampers their activities.

The anaerobic bacteria present in the mouth degrade the protein in the food debris. Offensive odor is produced due to release of some gases like hydrogen sulphide, skatol ect, due to bacterial activity. Formation of a thin sticky membrane on the tongue favors bacterial growth. Bacteria are also seen in the crypts of tonsils, dental caries, dental pockets ect. Bad breath is associated with oral hygiene, caries, gingivitis, tonsillitis, tonsillar plaques, food habits, water intake, tobacco chewing, stomach and liver diseases and ect.

Homoeopathy is a system of medicine introduced by a German physician Dr Samuel Hahnemann. Homoeopathy treats the diseased individual as a whole rather than treating diseased parts or organs. The physical, mental, emotional, social spheres of a person are considered for a permanent cure. This system believes that the diseases are caused due to the derangement of vital force, which is an invisible power in every individual. In a healthy state, the vital force maintains the equilibrium of mind body and soul. During this man will have normal sensations and functions. When the vital force gets affected, there will be external manifestations in the form of signs and symptoms. The imbalance in the body functions makes a shelter for foreign organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa ect) and allow them to proliferate & produce so called diseases. Homoeopathy believes that the real disease comes before the bacteria & viruses; hence, the root cause of the disease has to be treated for a permanent cure. The antibacterial and antiviral agents only remove the secondary causes mentioned above.

Diseases are produced by noxious morbific agents called Miasms which are dynamic influences which affect the vital force. There are mainly three miasms PSORA ,SYPHILIS&SYCOSIS. These three causes are accepted by other schools of medicine but called by different names. Psora causes functional disturbances, syphilis cause structural changes in the form of destructions and sycosis causes changes in the form of overgrowth. These three miasms can act individually or in combined form producing different disease conditions.

To treat bad breath with homoeopathic medicine is easy if correct remedy in suitable dose is given. In the homoeopathic medical repertory by Dr Robin Murphy there are 140 homoeopathic drugs mentioned for bad breath. So just giving one drug for bad breath may not give good result. To come to a correct remedial diagnosis we should have the symptomatology of the person .It is the total symptoms of a person which includes mental generals, physical generals, particular symptoms ect. Bad breath is considered as a physical general symptom. Even though it comes only from a part of the body it affects the whole individual.

Symptoms related with appetite, thirst, bowels ect are included in physical generals.
All signs and symptoms (mental & physical)of the person is taken in detail. Knowledge about past illnesses, family history of diseases, food & bowel habits, relation to climatic changes and constitution ect are noted down in a systematic order.

Mental symptoms:

example: fear, anxiety, depression, anger, jealousy and ect....

Physical symptoms:

example: Body makeup,appetite,thirst,desires,aversions,bowels,urination,sleep,taste, nature of smell, discharges any abnormal sensations like pain, burning ,climatic changes, thermal relations, and ect....

Peculiar uncommon symptoms:

This is the specialty of homoeopathic system of medicine. For the selection of a suitable remedy, these symptoms are very important. Common symptoms, which are seen almost in all patients, are least important.

Particular/local signs & symptoms:

This includes signs &symptoms related to body parts &organs.

Example: Coating on the tongue, nature of mucus membrane of oral cavity, tonsils, gums, teeth, ulcers, discolorations ect are considered here.

Systemic & general physical examination:-

Bad breath can be due to various systemic and disorders. Hence all systems (respiratory system ,digestive system, nervous system, cardio vascular system and ect )and parts from head to foot should be examined.

Provisional disease diagnosis; Here probable diseases are diagnosed. In homoeopathy disease, diagnosis is not that much important for the selection of a remedy, but needed for general management, and to know the prognosis.

Investigations:

This includes lab investigations and other methods to find out any other major illnesses.

Final disease diagnosis:

After doing all investigations, the disease is diagnosed.

Remedial diagnosis:

This is the most important part as far as homoeopathy is concerned. For this, the selected symptoms are arranged in a systematic order based on importance.
Symptoms are analyzed to find out the importance of each symptom for the selection of a remedy. Remedies are selected on the basis of similarity.[the basic principle of homoeopathy is 'similia similibus curenter' means like cures like. A medicine, which can produce some symptoms in a healthy man, can be used as a remedy to treat the similar symptoms in a diseased person. Each homoeopathic drug is proved on healthy human beings and the symptoms collected by this process(drug proving) is written in meteria medica.]

A process called repertorisation diagnoses suitable remedies. Here books called repertories are used. Repertory is the index of symptoms of materia medica(books which contain the symptoms of drugs).Nowadays computer software is used for repertorisalion. By this process we will get the remedies covering maximum important symptom of the patient.

Among this group of remedies the most suitable remedy is selected by referring various books and history of the patient. The selected medicine is given in suitable potency & dose.

ANTI MIASMATIC TREATMENT:

The root cause of disease is miasms which should be eradicated using suitable anti miasmatic drugs. Every drug can eradicate the miasm if there is symptom similarity. There are anti psoric drugs, anti syphilitic drugs and anti psychotic drugs. After diagnosing, the miasm suitable anti miasmatic drug has to be given to complete the cure.

[In homoeopathy medicines are prepared from different sources like minerals, plants, animals, toxins, diseased parts ect. Medicines are prepared from these substances by a special process called potentisation. Here the soluble substances are potentised by diluting with spirit and insoluble substances by grinding with sugar of milk. The crude drug substance is first mixed with a calculated quantity of spirit and water and kept for few days .From this mixture extract is taken and is called mother tincture (denoted as Q).From this mother tincture dilutions are prepared by potentisation. Potentisation is a mathematical process by which the quantity of original drug substance reduces but medicinal power increases. Depending upon the ratio of quantity of drug substance and vehicle(spirit or sugar of milk)there are different scales for this process. Each scale has different potencies which indicate power of medicine. Example in decimal scale 3x,6x.12x ect.in centisimal scale there is 30c,200c ect,in LM potency there are 0/1,0/2,0/3 ect. Potency is written after the name of every medicine]

Same medicine is available in different potencies. Suitable potency is selected according to so many factors like severity, depth of disease, condition of the patient ,nature of disease ,type of symptoms, age of patient and ect.

Some useful homeo drugs for bad breath.

Arnica Montana, Antim crude, Ars alb, Asafoetida, Aurum met, Baptisia, Bryonia,Borax,Calc carb, Carbo veg, Cinchona, Chelidonium, Graphites, Kali bich ,Kreosotum, Lachesis, Lycopodium, Merc sol, Natrum mur, Nitricum acidum, Nux vomica, Plantago, Pulsatilla, Phos, Pyrogen, Sulphur etc.

1) Arnica montana:

This medicine is useful for fetid breath. Mouth is very dry with thirst for water. Bad breath associated with fever. There is bleeding from the gum, may be after tooth extraction or after injury. Offensive gas passes upwards and downwards from stomach. Patient is very sensitive to touch with sore and bruised feeling allover the body.

2) Antim crude:

Useful for bad breath with gastric complaints and coated tongue. This medicine acts mainly on filthy persons with aversion to bathing. Tongue is coated white like fur. Nostrils and lips are cracked. Eructation's are putrid. Very useful for bad breath in children

3) Ars alb:

All discharges are having cadeveric smell. Saliva is bloody with bad odor. Thirst for warm water is well marked. This medicine acts well in debilitated and emaciated persons. Bad breath associated with gastric disorders. Vomiting from food or drink and intolerance of vegetables and watery fruits. Mentally these patients are fastidious with an insecurity feeling. They are having fear of death or serious disease with restlessness and anxiety.

4) Asafoetida:

Useful for bad breath associated with eructations. Great distension of abdomen with sensation of a ball rising in throat. All discharges are offensive. Reverse peristalsis with loud eructations. This medicine act well on hysterical persons.

5) Aurum met:

Useful for bad breath in girls at puberty. There is ulceration in gums with putrid or bitter taste. Destruction in body tissues like bone is noticed in these patients. This medicine acts well on persons who are