Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Hi all, I am wondering why baking soda has apparently been the cause of fatigue and lassitude I've been experiencing lately. I had decided to use it as a toothpaste substitute as I can't purchase any of the "special" toothpastes(such as TOm's of maine, etc.) where I am currently located. Does anyone have any HANDY recomendations for alternatives to the sodium fluoride laced poison masquerading as toothpaste in most drug stores? The fatigue I've been experiencing has been difficult to overcome and the flatulence is another unpleasant side-effect. Perhaps there is another cause of the fatigue but nothing has changed in diet or lifestyle since making this change and the fatigue followed the inclusion of the baking soda. PLease advise.*

flag	asked Jun 21 2011 at 21:08 PersonMan

	I would just like to issue a warning about using baking soda toothpaste as your only toothpaste (using everyday). Science indicates you will wear your enamel very rapidly. Its easy to fall into the trap I did hearing that everyone uses it and not one mentioning the serious enamel wearing properties. I would go online for access to any toothpaste that exists, assuming you have a postal address... – PaleoMouth Jun 21 2011 at 21:45
	PaleoMouth, do you happen to have a reference for the statement that baking soda wears tooth enamel very rapidly? "Science indicates" is not a link one can refer to. Thanks! – PaleoGran Jun 21 2011 at 22:02
	Sorry it was naughty to say 'science', I don't have any reputable sources to back this up.. except there seems to be just as many people warning about the damage to enamel as there are people here touting baking soda as the safe toothpaste. I am thankful my friend alerted me to the concern which I don't think I ever came across here. – PaleoMouth Jun 21 2011 at 23:14
	PaleoMouth, I have known people who had health teeth well into their nineties who had only ever used baking soda for teeth cleaning. I have used it for almost fifteen years with no ill effects. I also use 100% olive oil soap sometimes, which I make. There is much discussion of tooth soap at The Dish, which is the best soap-making forum on the web. One must register to read: thedishforum.com/forum/index.php? Hope this is of use. :) – PaleoGran Jun 25 2011 at 23:51

Simibee · Answer 1 · 2011-06-21 21:17:58Z UTC

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My advice? Spit out the baking soda and rinse your mouth thoroughly.

answered Jun 21 2011 at 21:17

Simibee
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I do but some is absorped through the mucuos membranes and some more inevitably enters the digestive tract. – PersonMan Jun 22 2011 at 13:35

Thomas Seay · Answer 2 · 2011-06-21 21:27:40Z UTC

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I am having a difficult time believing that baking soda is the source of your malaise. As far as fatigue is concerned, it should have the opposite effect. It bestows energy and helps clear out lactic acid. Of course, everyone is different.

The only reason I can imagine that it would cause flatulence is if you drank baking soda too close to meal time (in which case it would reduce stomach acid and impair digestion).

answered Jun 21 2011 at 21:27

Thomas Seay

	Especially if all you are doing is gargling with it...I just don't think this is the problem. – Thomas Seay Jun 21 2011 at 21:28
	I am brushing my teeth with it. I have also heard about its energy bestowing properties but am thinking that changes in PH create this fatigue-state? I would like to discover other mouth-cleansing substances but have no ideas what to avail myself of in the middle of the bush(just the regular grocery store items available here). – PersonMan Jun 22 2011 at 13:38

Omnomnivore · Answer 3 · 2011-06-21 22:09:47Z UTC

You're now swallowing the baking soda, are you? As with normal toothpaste, you're just supposed to clean your mouth with it, then spit it out and rinse out your mouth thoroughly. Little to none should actually enter your system. Maybe some extra rinses would help you.

Are there any other external factors that could be causing the fatigue and flatulence? A different brand of a food you regularly eat, perhaps?

egk · Answer 4 · 2011-06-22 00:10:55Z UTC

Calcium release rates from tooth enamel treated with dentifrices containing whitening agents and abrasives. Gen Dent. 2010 Nov-Dec;58(6):e240-5.'

Tooth whitening agents containing hydrogen peroxide and carbamide peroxide are used frequently in esthetic dental procedures. However, lesions on the enamel surface have been attributed to the action of these products. Using conventional procedures for separating and isolating biological structures, powdered enamel was obtained and treated with hydrogen peroxide, carbamide peroxide, and sodium bicarbonate, ingredients typically found in dentifrices. The enamel was exposed to different pH levels, and atomic emission spectrometry was used to determine calcium release rates. As the pH level increased, the rate of calcium release from enamel treated with dentifrices containing whitening agents decreased. Carbamide peroxide produced the lowest amount of decalcification, while sodium bicarbonate produced the highest release rates at all pH levels.

PMID: 21062707

sage_ · Answer 5 · 2011-06-21 22:39:52Z UTC

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i have a water pic. it only needs water and i brush the gums/tongue/roof :)

answered Jun 21 2011 at 22:39

sage_
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egk · Answer 6 · 2011-06-22 00:12:21Z UTC

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if you are extremely sensitive to gluten, baking soda could be causing you problems. See glutenzap for details

answered Jun 22 2011 at 0:12

egk
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I don't consume grains or gluten but have had no great problems when I did. Is there not a relationship between fatigue and increase of PH of body fluids? – PersonMan Jun 22 2011 at 13:42

Mei-ling · Answer 7 · 2011-06-22 13:54:54Z UTC

I personally don't use anything to brush my teeth. I remember reading around somewhere and seeing that it was the ACT of flossing and brushing that cleaned teeth, not the paste/whatever you use. This makes sense to me, as traditional cultures would just chew on fibrous plant materials to clean their teeth. So twice a day I floss and brush my teeth with nothing but water. Once a week I swish coconut oil around my mouth for 15 minutes or so, then spit the stuff out. You'll see the oil turn all murky, remember not to swallow this because it's full of bacteria you don't want in your system. I hear red palm oil's good for this too, but I'm not too keen on the taste.

Daisy · Answer 8 · 2013-04-10 05:15:23Z UTC

I really doubt that baking soda can harm enamel via pH. You might have an argument for abrasiveness, but I doubt the pH is going to be a problem. We're talking baking soda, not lye. You can drink baking soda water. You can put it on your skin. It's not an extreme alkali like lye. If you're worried, just use it a couple days a week, alternating with toothpaste.

baking soda ph, etc.

8 Answers