I must say that although it's admirable to see people so concerned about their health, it also can reach paranoid proportions. It's important to be persistent in fighting candida, but if you have a good diet and a stick of gum is enough to take you down, you should probably be in a hospital. I feel the same way about bread. I eat plenty of lean meat and vegetables, drink no alcohol and eat no dessert. So I really doubt that having an occasional turkey or chicken sandwich on whole wheat is going to send everything crashing down, which is the kind of hysterical view of some people here.

I think Sugar alcohols should be avoided. I say this not because of candida, I think that they are not good for us. Some side effects are diarrhea and g.i. distress.

In your health store you will find gum with xylitol. Spry is one such brand. THey will not feed candida.

Chewing minth is another simple way to improve your breath (you might consider purchasing a minth plant in a pot and grow it at home). Minth tea will also help improve breath.

Perhaps you should consider oil pullling: //www.curezone.org/blogs/fm.asp?i=976165

This is what I do when I get a bad breath, it kills the bacteria responsible for bad breath and the soda rinse will help prevent them from coming back.

Jhan

1) gum in moderation probably won't bother you, but if you chew like I used to (pop one in your mouth 10 times a day) it might.

2) I use pure oil of peppermint. It's an essential oil. Most health food stores carry some essential oils, and peppermint is a rather popular one so should be easy to find. My favorite brand 'casue it is super-pure (no metals) is one not sold in stores, but online (Young Living), but you can get decent enough ones in stores. I just put a drop on my tongue, or just touch the inside of the bottle opening with my finger, and place on tongue. It packs a punch so a little will go a looooong way. A side benefit is that it has some antifungal properties.

I sympathize. When I am detoxing, my breath can kill a rhino!