Prior to we get into it — anyone on Instagram left a remark this week that I stay coming again to:
“Some of the handiest newsletters I in truth learn.”
I do know your inbox is a packed to the brim, so the truth that you open this and in truth learn it, method so much. Thanks for being right here.
OK. Let’s speak about one thing that’s most definitely taking place for your frame at the moment.
It’s overdue March. The bushes are blooming. Your eyes are itching.
Medicine-induced dry mouth is likely one of the maximum overpassed problems in each dentistry and drugs.
And kind of 80 million American citizens simply reached for an antihistamine this morning with out a 2d concept.
Claritin. Zyrtec. Allegra. Benadryl at night time. Perhaps a generic from Costco. You pop it, your sinuses loosen up, and also you cross about your day. A minimum of for some time, this is. The general public in finding antihistamines paintings much less and not more because the season is going on — your frame builds tolerance, you up the dose or transfer manufacturers, and also you’re chasing reduction that assists in keeping fading. It’s no longer a root purpose resolution.
However right here’s the item no one in medication or dentistry is paying sufficient consideration to…that little tablet is quietly wrecking your mouth. And your allergic reactions themselves are attacking your tooth from an absolutely other attitude on the identical time.
Your allergist and your dentist are undoubtedly no longer speaking to one another about this. And the sufferers I concern about maximum are those taking Benadryl sooner than mattress to assist them breathe whilst they sleep. Your salivary waft already drops to just about not anything in a single day — upload an antihistamine on most sensible of that, and your tooth are sitting defenseless for seven or 8 hours immediately.
The tablet drawback
Each and every antihistamine — prescription or over the counter — dries out your mouth. That’s a major problem…
Saliva is your mouth’s protection method. It remineralizes teeth, neutralizes acid, flushes micro organism, and assists in keeping the entire ecosystem in test. When medicines suppress salivary waft, all the steadiness collapses.
How a lot are we speaking? One find out about discovered that not unusual antihistamines and an identical medicines lowered salivary waft by way of 30 to 75%. Some other discovered that folks on acid reflux disorder meds — that have a an identical drying impact — absorbed dramatically much less of key minerals.
However right here’s the quantity that are supposed to prevent you: other people with medication-induced dry mouth have 2.9 occasions the chance of cavities at the surfaces in their tooth, and 3.three times the chance of root cavities. A scientific overview put it bluntly — continual dry mouth from medicines “incessantly leads to rampant caries.”
And in a dry mouth, decay strikes rapid. Pass over one cleansing, and what began as a tiny spot can succeed in the nerve. Now you’re having a look at a root canal — no longer since you did anything else flawed, however as a result of a tablet you slightly thought of modified the entirety inside of your mouth.
So that you’re taking a tablet to respire higher via spring — and by way of summer season, you’re sitting in a dental chair questioning the place those cavities got here from. I’ve noticed it occur masses of occasions. The affected person is doing the entirety proper — brushing, flossing, consuming smartly — and nonetheless getting decay. No one concept to invite what medicines they have been on.
The hypersensitive reaction drawback (even with out the tablet)
Although you by no means take an antihistamine, allergic rhinitis itself damages your oral well being — via a mechanism maximum medical doctors and dentists totally fail to remember: mouth respiring.
When your nostril is congested, you breathe via your mouth. It feels innocuous. It’s no longer.
A 2023 find out about within the Magazine of Medical Pediatric Dentistry discovered that 40% of allergic rhinitis sufferers have been ordinary mouth breathers, in comparison to simply 22% of other people with out allergic reactions. The ones mouth breathers had considerably extra plaque buildup and periodontal irritation.
A separate find out about discovered that hypersensitive reaction victims had kind of 20% upper charges of enamel decay, with mouth breathers appearing an extra 15% build up on most sensible of that.
Mouth respiring dries your tissues, shifts your oral pH towards acidic, and creates an atmosphere the place pathogenic micro organism thrive and really useful ones battle. It’s the similar damaging cascade as medication-induced dry mouth — simply arriving via a distinct door.
So if in case you have seasonal allergic reactions, you’re probably getting hit from either side: the situation itself pushes you towards mouth respiring, and the tablet you are taking for it dries you out even additional. Double whammy.
Right here’s what I do as a substitute
I nonetheless get seasonal allergic reactions. Northern California in spring isn’t any comic story. However sooner than I succeed in for a Claritin, I succeed in for inexperienced tea.
Through the best way, this isn’t some people treatment. That is revealed immunology analysis.
Once I first learn this, I keep in mind considering, why isn’t this extra well known? 3 separate groups, identical discovering, and maximum allergists have by no means heard of it.
EGCG — the main catechin in inexperienced tea — is a herbal mast mobile stabilizer. Mast cells are the immune cells that unencumber histamine after they come across an allergen. EGCG inhibits that unencumber on the cell degree.
A 2005 find out about in Experimental and Molecular Medication discovered that EGCG at once inhibited mast mobile degranulation, blocked calcium inflow into the cells, and suppressed histamine unencumber. A separate find out about in Biochemical and Biophysical Analysis Communications showed the mechanism — EGCG prevents histamine unencumber by way of inhibiting a selected tyrosine phosphorylation pathway. A 3rd find out about, revealed within the Magazine of Agricultural and Meals Chemistry, confirmed that tea catechins suppress the IgE receptor that triggers all the allergic cascade.
3 impartial research. 3 other analysis groups. Identical conclusion: the compound in inexperienced tea calms your immune method’s overreaction on the supply — no longer by way of blockading histamine after it’s launched (which is what Claritin does), however by way of lowering how a lot histamine will get launched within the first position.
And right here’s the section just a dentist would suppose to let you know: in contrast to an antihistamine, inexperienced tea in truth protects your mouth whilst it’s calming your allergic reactions. EGCG helps saliva manufacturing, is helping take care of a wholesome oral pH, and selectively inhibits damaging micro organism like S. mutans with out nuking your whole oral microbiome.
So as a substitute of a tablet that suppresses your signs AND dries out your mouth — you’re sipping one thing that addresses the basis purpose AND helps your tooth. You’re fixing the issue with out developing a brand new one.
The golf green tea I drink each day
→ Right here’s my inexperienced tea.
I’m specific about this for a reason why. Tea is likely one of the maximum chemically infected plants on this planet. For the reason that leaves are dried, no longer washed, any pesticide residue, heavy metals, or mildew is going at once into your cup.
I drink Pique as a result of they triple-screen for heavy metals, insecticides, and mycotoxins. It’s cold-extracted into crystals — that means the EGCG focus is considerably upper than what you’d get from a normal brewed cup. No sugar, no components, no fillers. Particular person packets I stay in my bag.
I drink it scorching within the morning and iced within the afternoon. On high-pollen days, I’ll have two or 3 cups. It’s a type of uncommon issues the place the well being get advantages and the day by day enjoyment are the similar factor.
Yet another factor — for the lengthy recreation
Should you’re anyone who offers with allergic reactions, irritation, or immune reactivity past simply spring season — I need you to find out about one thing I’ve been taking for over a 12 months now.
There’s a fatty acid referred to as C15:0 — pentadecanoic acid — that’s been getting critical consideration within the analysis group. It’s an odd-chain saturated fatty acid (maximum saturated fat are even-chain, which is the sort related to well being dangers — odd-chain is the other). An enormous meta-analysis of over 63,000 other people throughout 16 cohorts discovered that upper C15:0 ranges have been related to a 20% decrease chance of kind 2 diabetes. A 2023 find out about in Nature Microbiology — probably the most prestigious journals within the box — discovered that intestine micro organism produce this fatty acid from nutritional fiber, and it was once protecting in opposition to liver illness.
C15:0 works another way from EGCG. The place inexperienced tea calms the extreme histamine reaction, C15:0 helps your cells structurally — strengthening mobile membranes, supporting mitochondrial serve as, and activating PPAR receptors that keep an eye on irritation and immunity system-wide.
I bring to mind it this fashion: Pique is what I succeed in for when hypersensitive reaction season hits. Fatty15 is what I take year-round so my cells are extra resilient initially.
→ Right here’s the C15:0 complement I take.
It’s one pill an afternoon, 100mg. No style, no odor. The analysis remains to be rising — and I’ll be fair, a lot of the broadcast paintings comes from the corporate’s personal analysis staff — however the impartial research are compelling, and the mechanism is smart to me.
So, in case you’re popping antihistamines each spring and questioning why your dentist assists in keeping discovering new issues — now you already know.
Your allergic reactions are attacking your mouth from two instructions: the congestion pushes you to mouth breathe, and the medicine dries you out. Each spoil the surroundings your tooth wish to keep wholesome.
Inexperienced tea will provide you with a technique to deal with the histamine reaction with out sacrificing your oral well being within the procedure. And supporting your cells year-round with the precise fatty acid doesn’t harm both.
As at all times — hit answer and inform me what you do for hypersensitive reaction season. I learn each unmarried one in all your emails, and even though I’m not able to answer they all, do know that I admire every of you for being a reader.
— Mark
STUDIES CITED & FURTHER READING
Antihistamines, Dry Mouth & Dental Harm:
Wolff A, Zuk-Paz L, Kaplan I. “Salivary gland output, composition and waft price as associated with using antihistamines.” Global Dental Magazine / Gerodontology. 2008;25(1):89-96. PMID: 18312369 Discovered that antihistamine customers had considerably lowered submandibular and sublingual salivary waft — the glands most important for maintaining your mouth wet between foods.
Papas AS, Joshi A, MacDonald SL, et al. “Caries occurrence in xerostomic folks.” Magazine of the Canadian Dental Affiliation. 1993;59(2):171-179. PMID: 8095845 The find out about that established the two.89x and three.27x hollow space chance numbers — appearing that dry mouth isn’t simply uncomfortable, it’s an immediate pathway to rampant decay.
Christensen CM, Navazesh M, Brightman VJ. “Results of pharmacologic discounts in salivary waft on style thresholds in guy.” Archives of Oral Biology. 1984;29(1):17-23. PMID: 6581768 Demonstrated 30-75% salivary waft discounts throughout antihistamines and an identical medicines — confirming simply how dramatically those medicine suppress your mouth’s number one protection method.
Quilici D, Zech J. “Medicine-Brought on Xerostomia and Its Implications for Dental Caries.” Normal Dentistry. 2019;67(6):48-52. PMID: 31355765 A scientific overview that summarized the proof and concluded medication-induced dry mouth “incessantly leads to rampant caries” — the paper that makes use of that alarming phrase.
Allergic Rhinitis, Mouth Respiring & Oral Well being:
Vitale MC, Defabianis P, Rosti G, et al. “Allergic rhinitis as a chance issue for oral sicknesses in kids: mouth respiring, dental caries and periodontal illness.” Magazine of Medical Pediatric Dentistry. 2023;47(6):74-82. PMID: 37997235 The 2023 find out about discovering 40% of hypersensitive reaction sufferers have been mouth breathers (vs 22% controls), with considerably extra plaque and gum irritation. Printed simply closing 12 months — this connection is in the end getting the eye it merits.
Bakhshaee M, Ashtiani SJ, Hossainzadeh M, et al. “Allergic rhinitis and dental caries in preschool kids.” Dental Analysis Magazine. 2017;14(6):376-381. PMID: 29238375 Discovered kind of 20% upper decay charges in hypersensitive reaction victims, with mouth breathers appearing an extra 15% build up — confirming the double-whammy impact.
Inexperienced Tea (EGCG) & Histamine Inhibition:
Li GZ, Chai OH, Lee MS, et al. “Inhibition of phorbol ester-stimulated mast mobile activation by way of epigallocatechin-3-gallate.” Experimental and Molecular Medication. 2005;37(3):159-164. PMID: 16155406 The foundational paper appearing EGCG at once inhibits mast mobile degranulation and histamine unencumber — the core mechanism at the back of inexperienced tea’s anti-allergy impact.
Yamashita Okay, Kumazawa T, Hatano Y, et al. “Epigallocatechin gallate inhibits histamine unencumber from rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells.” Biochemical and Biophysical Analysis Communications. 2000;274(1):159-165. PMID: 10924324 Showed the mechanism: EGCG prevents histamine unencumber by way of inhibiting a selected tyrosine phosphorylation pathway in immune cells.
Fujimura Y, Tachibana H, Maeda-Yamamoto M, et al. “Antiallergic tea catechin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-(3-O-methyl)-gallate, suppresses FcεRI expression in human basophilic KU812 cells.” Magazine of Agricultural and Meals Chemistry. 2002;50(20):5714-5718. PMID: 12236706 Confirmed that tea catechins suppress the IgE receptor — the first actual cause within the allergic cascade — providing a mechanism for calming allergic reaction upstream of histamine unencumber.
C15:0 (Pentadecanoic Acid / fatty15):
Imamura F, Fretts A, Marber M, et al. “Fatty acid biomarkers of dairy fats intake and prevalence of kind 2 diabetes: A pooled evaluation of potential cohort research.” PLoS Medication. 2018;15(10):e1002670. PMID: 30303968 The impartial landmark: 16 cohorts, 63,682 contributors, discovering that upper C15:0 ranges have been related to roughly 20% decrease chance of kind 2 diabetes. That is the most powerful impartial proof for C15:0’s metabolic advantages.
Wei M, Huang F, Zhao L, et al. “A dysbiotic intestine microbiome in fatty liver illness is related to altered short-chain and branched-chain amino acid and pentadecanoic acid pathways.” Nature Microbiology. 2023;8(8):1583-1596. PMID: 37386075 Printed in probably the most prestigious microbiology journals — discovered that intestine micro organism produce pentadecanoic acid from nutritional fiber, and this pathway was once protecting in opposition to non-alcoholic liver illness.
Venn-Watson S, Lumpkin R, Dennis EA. “C15:0, an very important fatty acid, is widely related to progressed well being: A cell-based, preclinical, and human scientific find out about.” Clinical Reviews. 2020;10:8161. PMID: 32424181 The foundational paper proposing C15:0 as an very important fatty acid — the primary recognized in 90 years. Notice: lead creator is affiliated with the fatty15 corporate.
Additional studying on Ask the Dentist:
→ What I want extra other people knew about inexperienced tea + your tooth — My deep dive into EGCG’s results at the oral microbiome, hollow space prevention, and the best way to drink inexperienced tea with out destructive your teeth.
→ If Alzheimer’s runs for your circle of relatives, learn this — How the oral-brain connection works, why inexperienced tea crosses the blood-brain barrier, and the nightly regimen I apply for neuroprotection.
