Dear Dr. SerVaas:

In the March/April Medical Mailbox there was a letter from L. G. Matusek about bad breath. I suffered for many years from the same problem.

I went to a naturopathic doctor who, after a comprehensive blood test, said that I do not digest all of the proteins and carbohydrates I consume, and the residue lies in my stomach and putrefies, and that caused the bad breath. She gave me a probiotic to take, and my problem disappeared after a couple of days.

I take KALKAN Super Enzymes available at healthfood stores. I think any probiotic (digestive medicine) would work.

I enjoy your column in The Saturday Evening Post.

L. Collins

San Diego, California

Dear Dr. SerVaas:

Give this to the person who wrote to SatEvePost about halitosis.

Do every morning: Clean teeth with toothpaste. Rinse mouth. Use 1 teaspoon of salt in 2/3 glass of warm water. Warm enough to dissolve salt. Do not swallow. Take a sip of the salt water and swish 15 times. Repeat three times.

The salt solution is very good for gums. I have been doing this a long time. No halitosis. Give it a try.

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