Earlier than we get into it — somebody on Instagram left a remark this week that I maintain coming again to:
“One of many solely newsletters I truly learn.”
I do know your inbox is a packed to the brim, so the truth that you open this and really learn it, means so much. Thanks for being right here.
OK. Let’s discuss one thing that’s in all probability occurring in your physique proper now.
It’s late March. The timber are blooming. Your eyes are itching.
Remedy-induced dry mouth is without doubt one of the most neglected points in each dentistry and drugs.
And roughly 80 million People simply reached for an antihistamine this morning with out a second thought.
Claritin. Zyrtec. Allegra. Benadryl at evening. Perhaps a generic from Costco. You pop it, your sinuses settle down, and also you go about your day. At the very least 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 reduction that retains fading. It’s not a root trigger resolution.
However right here’s the factor no one in drugs or dentistry is paying sufficient consideration to…that little tablet is quietly wrecking your mouth. And your allergic reactions themselves are attacking your enamel from a totally totally different angle on the similar 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 circulation already drops to virtually nothing in a single day — add an antihistamine on high of that, and your enamel are sitting defenseless for seven or eight hours straight.
The tablet 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 test. When drugs suppress salivary circulation, your entire steadiness collapses.
How a lot are we speaking? One examine discovered that frequent antihistamines and related drugs lowered salivary circulation by 30 to 75%. One other discovered that individuals on acid reflux disease 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: individuals with medication-induced dry mouth have 2.9 occasions the danger of cavities on the surfaces of their enamel, and 3.3 occasions the danger of root cavities. A scientific assessment put it bluntly — persistent dry mouth from drugs “typically ends in 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 taking a look at a root canal — not since you did something unsuitable, however as a result of a tablet you barely considered modified all the things inside your mouth.
So that you’re taking a tablet to breathe higher by way of 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 a whole lot of occasions. The affected person is doing all the things proper — brushing, flossing, consuming effectively — and nonetheless getting decay. No one thought to ask what drugs they had been on.
The allergy drawback (even with out the tablet)
Even if you happen to by no means take an antihistamine, allergic rhinitis itself damages your oral well being — by way of a mechanism most medical doctors and dentists fully overlook: mouth respiration.
When your nostril is congested, you breathe by way of your mouth. It feels innocent. It’s not.
A 2023 examine within the Journal of Scientific Pediatric Dentistry discovered that 40% of allergic rhinitis sufferers had been recurring mouth breathers, in comparison with simply 22% of individuals with out allergic reactions. These mouth breathers had considerably extra plaque buildup and periodontal irritation.
A separate examine discovered that allergy victims had roughly 20% greater charges of tooth decay, with mouth breathers exhibiting an extra 15% improve on high of that.
Mouth respiration dries your tissues, shifts your oral pH towards acidic, and creates an surroundings the place pathogenic micro organism thrive and helpful ones wrestle. It’s the identical harmful cascade as medication-induced dry mouth — simply arriving by way of a unique door.
So when you have seasonal allergic reactions, you’re doubtlessly getting hit from each side: the situation itself pushes you towards mouth respiration, 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 joke. However earlier than I attain for a Claritin, I attain for inexperienced tea.
By the best way, this isn’t some people treatment. That is printed immunology analysis.
Once I first learn this, I keep in mind pondering, why isn’t this extra extensively recognized? Three separate groups, similar 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 after they detect an allergen. EGCG inhibits that launch on the mobile stage.
A 2005 examine in Experimental and Molecular Drugs discovered that EGCG immediately inhibited mast cell degranulation, blocked calcium inflow into the cells, and suppressed histamine launch. A separate examine in Biochemical and Biophysical Analysis Communications confirmed the mechanism — EGCG prevents histamine launch by inhibiting a selected tyrosine phosphorylation pathway. A 3rd examine, printed within the Journal of Agricultural and Meals Chemistry, confirmed that tea catechins suppress the IgE receptor that triggers your entire allergic cascade.
Three impartial research. Three totally 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 assume to inform you: in contrast to an antihistamine, inexperienced tea truly protects your mouth whereas it’s calming your allergic reactions. EGCG helps saliva manufacturing, helps keep a wholesome oral pH, and selectively inhibits dangerous 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 trigger AND helps your enamel. You’re fixing the issue with out creating a brand new one.
The inexperienced tea I drink day-after-day
→ Right here’s my inexperienced tea.
I’m explicit about this for a purpose. Tea is without doubt one of 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 immediately 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 — that means the EGCG focus is considerably greater than what you’d get from a regular brewed cup. No sugar, no components, no fillers. Particular person packets I maintain in my bag.
I drink it scorching 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 each day enjoyment are the identical factor.
Yet another factor — for the lengthy sport
In the event you’re somebody who offers with allergic reactions, irritation, or immune reactivity past simply spring season — I would like you to find out about one thing I’ve been taking for over a yr 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 sort related to well being dangers — odd-chain is the alternative). An enormous meta-analysis of over 63,000 individuals throughout 16 cohorts discovered that greater C15:0 ranges had been related to a 20% decrease threat of kind 2 diabetes. A 2023 examine in Nature Microbiology — one of the crucial prestigious journals within the subject — 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 operate, 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 continues to be rising — and I’ll be sincere, a lot of the printed work comes from the corporate’s personal analysis group — however the impartial research are compelling, and the mechanism is sensible to me.
So, if you happen to’re popping antihistamines each spring and questioning why your dentist retains 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 remedy dries you out. Each destroy the surroundings your enamel want to remain wholesome.
Inexperienced tea offers you a option to handle the histamine response with out sacrificing your oral well being within the course of. And supporting your cells year-round with the precise fatty acid doesn’t harm both.
As all the time — hit reply and inform me what you do for allergy season. I learn each single considered one of your emails, and even when I’m unable to answer to all of them, do know that I respect 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 circulation charge as associated to the usage of antihistamines.” Worldwide Dental Journal / Gerodontology. 2008;25(1):89-96. PMID: 18312369 Discovered that antihistamine customers had considerably lowered submandibular and sublingual salivary circulation — the glands most important for maintaining 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 examine that established the two.89x and three.27x cavity threat numbers — exhibiting 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 circulation on style thresholds in man.” Archives of Oral Biology. 1984;29(1):17-23. PMID: 6581768 Demonstrated 30-75% salivary circulation reductions throughout antihistamines and related drugs — confirming simply how dramatically these medicine suppress your mouth’s main protection system.
Quilici D, Zech J. “Remedy-Induced Xerostomia and Its Implications for Dental Caries.” Basic Dentistry. 2019;67(6):48-52. PMID: 31355765 A scientific assessment that summarized the proof and concluded medication-induced dry mouth “typically ends in 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 threat issue for oral illnesses in kids: mouth respiration, dental caries and periodontal illness.” Journal of Scientific Pediatric Dentistry. 2023;47(6):74-82. PMID: 37997235 The 2023 examine discovering 40% of allergy sufferers had been mouth breathers (vs 22% controls), with considerably extra plaque and gum irritation. Printed simply final yr — this connection is lastly getting the eye it deserves.
Bakhshaee M, Ashtiani SJ, Hossainzadeh M, et al. “Allergic rhinitis and dental caries in preschool kids.” Dental Analysis Journal. 2017;14(6):376-381. PMID: 29238375 Discovered roughly 20% greater decay charges in allergy victims, with mouth breathers exhibiting an extra 15% improve — 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 Drugs. 2005;37(3):159-164. PMID: 16155406 The foundational paper exhibiting EGCG immediately 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 Drugs. 2018;15(10):e1002670. PMID: 30303968 The impartial landmark: 16 cohorts, 63,682 contributors, discovering that greater C15:0 ranges had been related to roughly 20% decrease threat of kind 2 diabetes. That is the strongest 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 one of the crucial 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 necessary fatty acid, is broadly related to improved well being: A cell-based, preclinical, and human scientific examine.” Scientific Stories. 2020;10:8161. PMID: 32424181 The foundational paper proposing C15:0 as a necessary fatty acid — the primary recognized in 90 years. Be aware: lead writer is affiliated with the fatty15 firm.
Additional studying on Ask the Dentist:
→ What I want extra individuals knew about inexperienced tea + your enamel — My deep dive into EGCG’s results on the oral microbiome, cavity prevention, and the right way to 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 observe for neuroprotection.