Canker Sores
The medical term for these painful white colored craters in the mucous membranes of the mouth, tongue, and gums is aphthous ulcers. They may last as long as two weeks, and some patients seem to have at least one present continuously. This is a very irritating condition, and it interferes with enjoyment of life, and with the normal chewing process. Recurrences are the rule rather than the exception. Viruses have generally not been able to be cultured from these lesions, so they are not a form of herpes. Traditional approaches involve repetitive swishing with local anesthetic solution (Xylocaine viscous), or application of steroid cream in a special mucous resistance base, but these are strictly palliative treatments that do not address the cause of the problem.

The cause is usually food allergy which must be tested with the proper technology, which is Elisa IgE and  IgG4 blood testing. Common culprits are wheat, citrus, and chocolate. It must be remembered that not all food sensitivites show up on blood allergy tests because there are other reasons a food may cause a reaction, such as it acidity or perhaps pesticide or other chemical residue on produce. Another common sensitizer is the sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a detergent found in toothpastes and mouthwashes. SLS free dental products are available, but you will have to search for them.

Low body levels of zinc seem to predispose to these ulcers, and so a blood or hair test is helpful. When indicated I prescribe zinc orally, and as a zinc oxide/vitamin E oil combination for topical use which can ease the pain of the lesions. B vitamin status is also shaky in many of these patients, so a B complex capsule and perhaps sublingual B12 and folic acid can help too. Acidophilus is also useful for reducing outbreaks and making them heal faster. Part of the reason these lesions are painful is their open vulnerability to the bacterial flora in the oral cavity. The friendly lactobacilli crowd out the more harmful bugs, reducing pain and speeding healing time. The patient can use a chewable form, or swish and then swallow a powdered product mixed in some water. Finally, imbalances in body acidity can also predispose to canker sore outbreaks. Caring Medical is unique among clinical practices because we have the in office equipment to measure venous blood pH. This is more accurate than doing salivary or urine tests. Recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU) patients can be helped greatly with natural medicine approaches.Traditional physicians and dieticians generally continue to scoff at those that take vitamin supplements, suggesting that a proper diet should supply most people with everything they need. I still hear patients tell me their doctors told them that taking vitamins just makes expensive urine. The evidence that this advice is almost criminally negligent keeps growing every day. In the cardiovascular area, there are basic supplements like Vitamin E that dramatically reduce heart attack risk, yet the drug company/physician teams push drugs that offer negligible benefits along with serious health risks. Another example is the prospective study being done at Harvard. They released their report on the prevention of cancer of the colon. Topping the list of effective interventions were exercise and long term folic acid containing multivitamin supplementation.

Harvard University has been undertaking a longitudinal study of nearly 100,000 nurses for about twenty years. Their research has shown that the impact of folic acid supplementation reduces cancer of the colon by a massive 75-80%. So, the next time a physician downplays your pro-vitamin attitude, be patient, smile, and ask him if he’s familiar with the Harvard study results on folic acid and colon cancer risk. We should assume it’s just ignorance rather than calloused disregard of the facts that makes so many of them so negative about supplements.