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How can we fight back against gum disease? According
to most dentists, the first line of defense is proper
dental hygiene. This includes brushing twice daily,
flossing once a day, and getting a professional
cleaning at least twice a year.
Proper nutrition is also vital to oral health.
Gum disease typically begins as gingivitis (inflammation
of the gums) and progresses to periodontal (inflammation
of the periodontal ligaments). Nutrients that boost
the immune system, help build collagen in the periodontal
ligaments, and decrease inflammation can help battle
gum disease.
CO ENZYME Q10: Nutrient for your Gums
As early as 1973, Drs. T. Matsumura and Karl Folkers
performed a double blind trial of CoQ10 versus regular
periodontal treatments for serious periodontal disease.
Twenty-four patients suffering from severe periodontal
disease which had not responded to extensive flossing
and brushing were studied. 13 subjects received
50 mg of CoQ, 11 received placeboes. Nine of the
thirteen CoQ patients improved dramatically. Only
3 of 11 placebo recipients showed minor improvement.
In 4 of the CoQ patients, symptoms of the disease
completely disappeared within 8 weeks. "The
therapeutic improvement ... with CoQ was better
both the number of improved patients and the degree
of improvement," reported the doctors.
Further studies at the U.S. Air Force Medical Center
showed that periodontal patients dramatically improved
the depths of their "pockets" by taking
75mg of CoQ a day. Another study in Japan confirmed
that 60 mg a day of CoQ10 could improve diseased
gums.
How does it work? Apparently by boosting the immune
system to help battle the bacteria which can cause gum
disease.
ANTIOXIDANTS: Nature's dental floss
Spongy, bleeding gums are one of the early symptoms
of scurvy -- the disease caused by Vitamin C deficiency.
Although most Americans are not scorbutic, gums
need exceptionally high concentrations of Vitamin
C for optimum health. Recent studies suggest that
even minor Vitamin C deficiencies may increase the
risk of serious gum disease.
While mildly spongy and bleeding gums (gingivitis)
may simply be the result of plaque, accumulation
of plaque can lead to the formation of "pockets"
which trap more plaque. This leads to more serious
gum disease -- called periodontis or pyorrhea. Pyorrhea
causes halitosis and slowly eats away at the bone
in the jaw, leading to tooth loss.
By supplementing Vitamin C and other antioxidants
and anti-inflammatories, inflammation of the gums,
which causes these pockets, can be reduced. Vitamins
A and E, bioflavonoids, selenium, and zinc are key
antioxidants for nutritional support for the gums.
Anti-inflammatory nutrients like bromelain, papain
and glucosamine sulfate also help.
MINERALS PROTECT AGAINST BONE LOSS
Pyorrhea eats away at the jaw bone. This can lead
to tooth loss. But according to James Balch, M.D.,
supplementing the diet with minerals, "helps
prevent bone loss around the gums." Calcium
and Magnesium are two key minerals, according to
Dr. Balch.
"Prevention is the first line of defense against
gum disease," says Eve McClure of vitamin manufacturer
Quantum. "By supplementing the diet, flossing,
brushing and visiting the dentist regularly, people
can dramatically improve their oral health."
In the battle against gum disease it seems that
there are several important weapons. One of these
is proper nutrition. According to McClure, "No
campaign against periodontal disease is complete
without proper nutrition."
The City of Is
Antinus the Builder was a king and he had two children,
a son Anthony and a daughter Dahud. Anthony was
the eldest, and he grew tall and strong and handsome.
His eyes were as grey as iron, and long and wild
his hair in the wind. He loved to ride and hunt
the stag and the wolf. He was a mountaineer and
explorer and roamed far from his father's country
in search of high peaks and pathways new.
Dahud was the younger, and she grew straight and
tall and strong. Blue and keen were her eyes as
the clear ocean air, and long and wild her hair
in the wind. Dahud loved the sea and the ways of
a sailor. She was a builder of ships and a navigator
and roamed far from her father's country in search
of unknown lands and oceans new.
Antinus roved not, but stayed with his people.
He was a builder and craftsman. And he and his people
builded the fabulous city of Isman. Isman was perched
on a great rock, and seven walls of stone and iron
encircled it. Impregnable was Isman to the wild
tribes of the North and East, for on three sides
was the ocean and on the other the seven walls and
the great gates, made of giant mountain cedars cured
in tar so no fire could harm them.
Ruled by the wise king Antinus, Isman grew in prosperity
and wealth. And Anthony and Dahud were not the least
of the reasons for the wealth of their father's
city, for Anthony found trade routes to Asia and
Cathay, and Dahud learned the trade routes across
the wide and trackless seas.
But Antinus felt that he was growing old, and he
spoke first to Antony and then to Dahud, when they
were home from their travels, saying, "I feel
the years wearing heavily upon me and when I die,
Anthony will be the ruler of Isman, for he is the
eldest. But one great building I may have left in
my span of years, if God is willing. On the great
rock you see in the distance will I build the city
of Is, the Island city. And if God grant me the
years to build it, it shall be ruled by Dahud and
her descendants."
So Antinus began the greatest of all his buildings,
and he and his people builded the fabulous city
of Is. Seven walls encircled the city of Is; the
first of stone, the second of wood, the third of
copper, the 4th of bronze, the 5th of iron, the
6th of silver and the final, innermost, of pure
gold. Within the circle of gold stood three towers,
the tower of the sun, which was made of gold, the
tower of the moon, which was of silver, and the
tower of the sea, which was all of shell. Around
the city on all sides was the ocean, and the tongues
of the waves lapped at the stone wall day by night,
night by day.
Is was an island city, perched on a rock. Seven
years it was in the building and the materials for
that great building were all brought to the great
rock of Is by ship, and Dahud supervised this perilous
task. And as the city was built, the people marveled
at its great beauty, for Antinus the Builder wanted
each of his creations to be greater and more glorious
than the one before.
And when the city was completed, Anthony said to
his father, "I am the eldest. Yet the city
you have given me, Isman, is to Is as a candle to
the sun."
"When I gave you Isman to rule," said
Antinus, "There was no Is. Nor did I then know
if I would live to finish my building. The city
of Isman is none the lesser bcause of Is, and Is
will be ruled by your sister Dahud, for it is a
city of the sea."
Then Anthony grew angry with his father, for the
glory of the city of Is gnawed at his heart and
he felt that it was rightfully his and that Is had
been stolen from him, as had his father's love.
For because Anthony and Dahud were explorers and
travelers there was little love between them; they
had scarcely seen each other since they were small
children.
"I will rule neither Is nor Isman, since it
seems that I am not your heir," said Anthony,
"But I will go forth into the world and seek
my fortune among strangers, since I find so little
favor amongst my kin. And this I say to you, my
father, that Is shall be a land of trouble and of
sorrow. For it is not meet that the younger should
go ahead of the elder or that the woman should precede
the man." And with that, Antony stalked off,
bitter at heart, swearing vengeance.
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