What to do about bad breath caused by excessive stomach heat
Disease description:
I've had bad breath for a while now, and online sources mention it might be due to excessive internal heat or "stomach fire." I usually eat a lot and still get hungry easily, and the bad breath is quite embarrassing. What should I do?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Sun Lianqing
Bad breath caused by excessive stomach heat can be improved through diet, lifestyle habits, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) regulation.
Diet-wise, spicy, greasy, and irritating foods should be avoided, as they may exacerbate stomach heat. More heat-clearing and fire-pacifying foods should be consumed, such as mung beans, which have a cooling nature and can clear internal heat, detoxify the body, relieve summerheat, and alleviate irritability. Drinking mung bean soup helps reduce stomach heat. Pears help moisten the lungs, promote body-fluid production, clear heat, and reduce fire. They can be eaten raw or stewed with rock sugar to make pear soup, which nourishes the gastrointestinal tract and alleviates symptoms of excessive stomach heat.
Regarding lifestyle habits, maintaining regular作息 (作息 should be translated as作息 here, meaning rest and activity patterns) is very important. Staying up late easily causes endocrine disorders and aggravates stomach heat; therefore, ensuring sufficient sleep every night helps the body regulate itself. At the same time, moderate exercise promotes gastrointestinal motility, enhances digestive function, accelerates food digestion and absorption, and reduces accumulation of stomach heat.
There are various TCM regulation methods. Some heat-clearing and fire-pacifying herbal medicines can be taken, such as Huang Lian Shang Qing Wan, which effectively clears stomach heat. Acupressure can also be tried. The Neiting (Inner Court) point is a commonly used acupoint for regulating stomach heat. Pressing this point with your fingers daily for a continuous period can positively alleviate bad breath caused by excessive stomach heat.
