Bad breath: spiritual meaning and emotional causes

What bad breath is

Bad breath (halitosis) is an unpleasant smell from the mouth. It is very common, and most people have it at some point, for example on waking.

In most cases it comes from the mouth itself: bacteria that build up on the teeth, gums and the back of the tongue release smelly gases. Poor cleaning, gum disease, tooth decay, a dry mouth (often caused by medicines, mouth breathing or not drinking enough), smoking, and strong foods such as garlic, onions and spices are the usual causes. Less often, it comes from the nose, throat or tonsils, from sinusitis, from acid reflux and heartburn, or from crash diets. Rarely, a particular smell points to a medical problem such as poorly controlled diabetes, or kidney or liver disease.

Bad breath usually improves by brushing twice a day, cleaning between the teeth, gently cleaning the tongue, drinking water and seeing a dentist regularly. When it lasts, a dentist or GP looks for the cause and treats it.

The emotional meaning of bad breath

Spiritually, bad breath is read as a direct sign of difficulty processing, inside and out, the situations you live through. Something has been left too long without being dealt with.

Ideas that go stale

The difficulty may come from staying fixed in your positions, holding ideas you never express, which are left to rot where they are. It can also come from a time of great change, when you cannot get on top of things and old ideas stay put while life moves on fast. How much can you really "take" of what is happening? Do you feel you have to act against your convictions?

Thoughts you are ashamed of

Bad breath is often linked to thoughts of malice, disgust, hatred or revenge, towards yourself, another person or life itself, that you feel ashamed of. Spiritually, the smell is heard as an image of that resistance: something held in so tightly that it turns sour, and lingers until the negative emotions and the wish for revenge are let go. The air you breathe in is said to carry all your thoughts, positive and negative. Which thoughts are gnawing at you from inside? Often they are not even conscious. Something may be rotting, either within you or in a situation involving someone else.

Telling someone, and forgiveness

Saying what you feel and think to the people concerned is presented as the way to "get rid" of what has gone stale. If someone close to you has bad breath all the time, telling them gently is a kindness: they cannot fix what they do not know about. Knowing it can also open a door to forgiveness, of yourself for having fed unhealthy thoughts, or of another person you have held something against for so long.

A gentler way to hold it

Bad breath needs good oral care first, and a dentist if it lasts. Alongside that, the emotional perspective asks what has been left unsaid for too long.

• Air out old ideas. Pick one position you have held for years without saying it, and ask whether it still fits.
• Speak to the people concerned. Share your thoughts and feelings honestly, instead of letting them go stale.
• Look at your resentment. Notice who you still hold a grudge against, and what it is costing you.
• Forgive where you can. Start with yourself, for the thoughts you are ashamed of.
• Fill your thoughts with fresh ingredients. Let love and honesty be the base of how you think, about yourself and others.