Earlier than we get into it — somebody on Instagram left a remark this week that I hold coming again to:
“One of many solely newsletters I really learn.”
I do know your inbox is a packed to the brim, so the truth that you open this and really learn it, means loads. Thanks for being right here.
OK. Let’s discuss one thing that’s most likely occurring in your physique proper now.
It’s late March. The bushes are blooming. Your eyes are itching.
Treatment-induced dry mouth is among the most neglected points in each dentistry and drugs.
And roughly 80 million Individuals simply reached for an antihistamine this morning with no second thought.
Claritin. Zyrtec. Allegra. Benadryl at evening. Perhaps a generic from Costco. You pop it, your sinuses relax, and also you go about your day. No less than for some time, that’s. Most individuals discover antihistamines work much less and fewer because the season goes on — your physique builds tolerance, you up the dose or swap manufacturers, and also you’re chasing aid that retains fading. It’s not a root trigger answer.
However right here’s the factor no one in drugs or dentistry is paying sufficient consideration to…that little capsule is quietly wrecking your mouth. And your allergy symptoms themselves are attacking your enamel from a totally completely different angle on the identical time.
Your allergist and your dentist are positively not speaking to one another about this. And the sufferers I fear about most are those taking Benadryl earlier than mattress to assist them breathe whereas they sleep. Your salivary move already drops to nearly nothing in a single day — add an antihistamine on prime of that, and your enamel are sitting defenseless for seven or eight hours straight.
The capsule drawback
Each antihistamine — prescription or over-the-counter — dries out your mouth. That’s a major problem…
Saliva is your mouth’s protection system. It remineralizes enamel, neutralizes acid, flushes micro organism, and retains the entire ecosystem in examine. When drugs suppress salivary move, all the steadiness collapses.
How a lot are we speaking? One research discovered that frequent antihistamines and comparable drugs decreased salivary move by 30 to 75%. One other discovered that folks on acid reflux disorder meds — which have the same drying impact — absorbed dramatically much less of key minerals.
However right here’s the quantity that ought to cease you: folks with medication-induced dry mouth have 2.9 instances the chance of cavities on the surfaces of their enamel, and 3.3 instances the chance of root cavities. A scientific overview put it bluntly — continual dry mouth from drugs “usually leads to rampant caries.”
And in a dry mouth, decay strikes quick. Miss one cleansing, and what began as a tiny spot can attain the nerve. Now you’re a root canal — not since you did something fallacious, however as a result of a capsule you barely considered modified all the things inside your mouth.
So that you’re taking a capsule to breathe higher via spring — and by summer season, you’re sitting in a dental chair questioning the place these cavities got here from. I’ve seen it occur tons of of instances. The affected person is doing all the things proper — brushing, flossing, consuming effectively — and nonetheless getting decay. No person thought to ask what drugs they had been on.
The allergy drawback (even with out the capsule)
Even should you by no means take an antihistamine, allergic rhinitis itself damages your oral well being — via a mechanism most docs and dentists fully overlook: mouth respiratory.
When your nostril is congested, you breathe via your mouth. It feels innocent. It’s not.
A 2023 research within the Journal of Medical Pediatric Dentistry discovered that 40% of allergic rhinitis sufferers had been routine mouth breathers, in comparison with simply 22% of individuals with out allergy symptoms. These mouth breathers had considerably extra plaque buildup and periodontal irritation.
A separate research discovered that allergy victims had roughly 20% increased charges of tooth decay, with mouth breathers displaying an extra 15% enhance on prime of that.
Mouth respiratory dries your tissues, shifts your oral pH towards acidic, and creates an surroundings the place pathogenic micro organism thrive and useful ones wrestle. It’s the identical damaging cascade as medication-induced dry mouth — simply arriving via a unique door.
So in case you have seasonal allergy symptoms, you’re probably getting hit from each side: the situation itself pushes you towards mouth respiratory, and the capsule you are taking for it dries you out even additional. Double whammy.
Right here’s what I do as an alternative
I nonetheless get seasonal allergy symptoms. Northern California in spring isn’t any joke. However earlier than I attain for a Claritin, I attain for inexperienced tea.
By the best way, this isn’t some folks treatment. That is revealed immunology analysis.
Once I first learn this, I bear in mind pondering, why isn’t this extra broadly identified? Three separate groups, identical discovering, and most allergists have by no means heard of it.
EGCG — the first catechin in inexperienced tea — is a pure mast cell stabilizer. Mast cells are the immune cells that launch histamine once they detect an allergen. EGCG inhibits that launch on the mobile stage.
A 2005 research in Experimental and Molecular Medication discovered that EGCG instantly inhibited mast cell degranulation, blocked calcium inflow into the cells, and suppressed histamine launch. A separate research in Biochemical and Biophysical Analysis Communications confirmed the mechanism — EGCG prevents histamine launch by inhibiting a selected tyrosine phosphorylation pathway. A 3rd research, revealed within the Journal of Agricultural and Meals Chemistry, confirmed that tea catechins suppress the IgE receptor that triggers all the allergic cascade.
Three unbiased research. Three completely different analysis groups. Similar conclusion: the compound in inexperienced tea calms your immune system’s overreaction on the supply — not by blocking histamine after it’s launched (which is what Claritin does), however by lowering how a lot histamine will get launched within the first place.
And right here’s the half solely a dentist would suppose to inform you: not like an antihistamine, inexperienced tea really protects your mouth whereas it’s calming your allergy symptoms. EGCG helps saliva manufacturing, helps preserve a wholesome oral pH, and selectively inhibits dangerous micro organism like S. mutans with out nuking your whole oral microbiome.
So as an alternative of a capsule that suppresses your signs AND dries out your mouth — you’re sipping one thing that addresses the foundation trigger AND helps your enamel. You’re fixing the issue with out creating a brand new one.
The inexperienced tea I drink every single day
→ Right here’s my inexperienced tea.
I’m specific about this for a cause. Tea is among the most chemically contaminated crops on this planet. As a result of the leaves are dried, not washed, any pesticide residue, heavy metals, or mildew goes instantly into your cup.
I drink Pique as a result of they triple-screen for heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins. It’s cold-extracted into crystals — which means the EGCG focus is considerably increased than what you’d get from an ordinary brewed cup. No sugar, no components, no fillers. Particular person packets I hold in my bag.
I drink it sizzling within the morning and iced within the afternoon. On high-pollen days, I’ll have two or three cups. It’s a kind of uncommon issues the place the well being profit and the every day enjoyment are the identical factor.
Yet one more factor — for the lengthy recreation
For those who’re somebody who offers with allergy symptoms, 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 known as C15:0 — pentadecanoic acid — that’s been getting severe consideration within the analysis neighborhood. It’s an odd-chain saturated fatty acid (most saturated fat are even-chain, which is the type related to well being dangers — odd-chain is the other). A large meta-analysis of over 63,000 folks throughout 16 cohorts discovered that increased C15:0 ranges had been related to a 20% decrease danger of kind 2 diabetes. A 2023 research in Nature Microbiology — one of the prestigious journals within the area — discovered that intestine micro organism produce this fatty acid from dietary fiber, and it was protecting towards liver illness.
C15:0 works in another way from EGCG. The place inexperienced tea calms the acute histamine response, C15:0 helps your cells structurally — strengthening cell membranes, supporting mitochondrial perform, and activating PPAR receptors that regulate irritation and immunity system-wide.
I consider it this fashion: Pique is what I attain for when allergy season hits. Fatty15 is what I take year-round so my cells are extra resilient to start with.
→ Right here’s the C15:0 complement I take.
It’s one capsule a day, 100mg. No style, no odor. The analysis remains to be rising — and I’ll be sincere, a lot of the revealed work comes from the corporate’s personal analysis workforce — however the unbiased research are compelling, and the mechanism is sensible to me.
So, should you’re popping antihistamines each spring and questioning why your dentist retains discovering new issues — now you understand.
Your allergy symptoms are attacking your mouth from two instructions: the congestion pushes you to mouth breathe, and the treatment dries you out. Each destroy the surroundings your enamel want to remain wholesome.
Inexperienced tea offers you a approach to deal with the histamine response with out sacrificing your oral well being within the course of. And supporting your cells year-round with the best fatty acid doesn’t damage both.
As at all times — hit reply and inform me what you do for allergy season. I learn each single certainly one of your emails, and even when I’m unable to answer to all of them, 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 move fee as associated to the usage of antihistamines.” Worldwide Dental Journal / Gerodontology. 2008;25(1):89-96. PMID: 18312369 Discovered that antihistamine customers had considerably decreased submandibular and sublingual salivary move — the glands most crucial for conserving your mouth moist between meals.
Papas AS, Joshi A, MacDonald SL, et al. “Caries prevalence in xerostomic people.” Journal of the Canadian Dental Affiliation. 1993;59(2):171-179. PMID: 8095845 The research that established the two.89x and three.27x cavity danger numbers — displaying that dry mouth isn’t simply uncomfortable, it’s a direct pathway to rampant decay.
Christensen CM, Navazesh M, Brightman VJ. “Results of pharmacologic reductions in salivary move on style thresholds in man.” Archives of Oral Biology. 1984;29(1):17-23. PMID: 6581768 Demonstrated 30-75% salivary move reductions throughout antihistamines and comparable drugs — confirming simply how dramatically these medicine suppress your mouth’s main protection system.
Quilici D, Zech J. “Treatment-Induced Xerostomia and Its Implications for Dental Caries.” Basic Dentistry. 2019;67(6):48-52. PMID: 31355765 A scientific overview that summarized the proof and concluded medication-induced dry mouth “usually leads to rampant caries” — the paper that makes use of that alarming phrase.
Allergic Rhinitis, Mouth Respiration & Oral Well being:
Vitale MC, Defabianis P, Rosti G, et al. “Allergic rhinitis as a danger issue for oral illnesses in youngsters: mouth respiratory, dental caries and periodontal illness.” Journal of Medical Pediatric Dentistry. 2023;47(6):74-82. PMID: 37997235 The 2023 research discovering 40% of allergy sufferers had been mouth breathers (vs 22% controls), with considerably extra plaque and gum irritation. Revealed simply final 12 months — this connection is lastly getting the eye it deserves.
Bakhshaee M, Ashtiani SJ, Hossainzadeh M, et al. “Allergic rhinitis and dental caries in preschool youngsters.” Dental Analysis Journal. 2017;14(6):376-381. PMID: 29238375 Discovered roughly 20% increased decay charges in allergy victims, with mouth breathers displaying an extra 15% enhance — confirming the double-whammy impact.
Inexperienced Tea (EGCG) & Histamine Inhibition:
Li GZ, Chai OH, Lee MS, et al. “Inhibition of phorbol ester-stimulated mast cell activation by epigallocatechin-3-gallate.” Experimental and Molecular Medication. 2005;37(3):159-164. PMID: 16155406 The foundational paper displaying EGCG instantly inhibits mast cell degranulation and histamine launch — the core mechanism behind inexperienced tea’s anti-allergy impact.
Yamashita Ok, Kumazawa T, Hatano Y, et al. “Epigallocatechin gallate inhibits histamine launch from rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells.” Biochemical and Biophysical Analysis Communications. 2000;274(1):159-165. PMID: 10924324 Confirmed the mechanism: EGCG prevents histamine launch by 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.” Journal of Agricultural and Meals Chemistry. 2002;50(20):5714-5718. PMID: 12236706 Confirmed that tea catechins suppress the IgE receptor — the very first set off within the allergic cascade — providing a mechanism for calming allergic response upstream of histamine launch.
C15:0 (Pentadecanoic Acid / fatty15):
Imamura F, Fretts A, Marber M, et al. “Fatty acid biomarkers of dairy fats consumption and incidence of kind 2 diabetes: A pooled evaluation of potential cohort research.” PLoS Medication. 2018;15(10):e1002670. PMID: 30303968 The unbiased landmark: 16 cohorts, 63,682 members, discovering that increased C15:0 ranges had been related to roughly 20% decrease danger of kind 2 diabetes. That is the strongest unbiased 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 Revealed in one of the prestigious microbiology journals — discovered that intestine micro organism produce pentadecanoic acid from dietary fiber, and this pathway was protecting towards non-alcoholic liver illness.
Venn-Watson S, Lumpkin R, Dennis EA. “C15:0, a vital fatty acid, is broadly related to improved well being: A cell-based, preclinical, and human scientific research.” Scientific Studies. 2020;10:8161. PMID: 32424181 The foundational paper proposing C15:0 as a vital fatty acid — the primary recognized in 90 years. Word: lead writer is affiliated with the fatty15 firm.
Additional studying on Ask the Dentist:
→ What I want extra folks knew about inexperienced tea + your enamel — My deep dive into EGCG’s results on the oral microbiome, cavity prevention, and how one can drink inexperienced tea with out damaging your enamel.
→ If Alzheimer’s runs in your loved ones, learn this — How the oral-brain connection works, why inexperienced tea crosses the blood-brain barrier, and the nightly routine I comply with for neuroprotection.