Gum- But 4 out of 5 dentists recomend it?
Another smaller health topic that we do not understand yet, and perhaps in the future we will become more aware of is chewing gum. Almost everyone chews it at some point, right? Gum chewing is not the most attractive or classy thing to watch people doing, and it is definitely not a turn on. Gum can help one’s breath if chewed for a few minutes. However, having a normal pH balance will truly help your breath the most. Gum chewing stimulates the gastric juices in preparation for digestion of food, yet no food ever comes. This can cause your stomach to be highly acidic. We all have a finite number of enzymes and need not waste them on gum.

If you chew gum on a regular basis, please consider the following:

1. Chewing gum causes unnecessary wear and tear of the cartilage that acts as a shock absorber in your jaw joints. Once damaged, this area can create pain and discomfort for a lifetime.
2. You use eight different facial muscles to chew. Unnecessary chewing can create chronic tightness in two of these muscles, located close to your temples. This can put pressure on the nerves that supply this area of your head, contributing to chronic, intermittent headaches.
3. You have six salivary glands located throughout your mouth that are stimulated to produce and release saliva whenever you chew. Producing a steady stream of saliva for chewing gum is a waste of energy and resources that could otherwise be used for essential metabolic activities.
4. Most chewing gum is sweetened with aspartame. Short- and long-term use of aspartame has been closely linked with cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders, and birth defects.