Click on the image above if you would rather listen.

 

It is always fascinating when two pieces of a puzzle fit together; what has nose breathing and eating starch got to do with our health and beauty?
Slowly I am coming to the conclusion that everything connects with everything!

Over 150 years ago an American artist George Catlin observing the native and immigrant populations noticed how well-formed and fine-featured the indigenous people were and how ugly and sick many of the immigrants seemed. He decided it was because the American Indians never let their children breathe through their mouths, always teaching them to nose breathe, whereas it was usual to see the immigrants mouth breathing. The immigrants often had crowded or misaligned teeth and poor facial features. He wrote a book on the subject “Shut your mouth and live a healthy life”

It has taken 150 years for modern medicine to recognize he was right. Now there is a growing group of orthodontists who rarely extract teeth or use braces with young children but teach them to breathe correctly, through the nose. They get good results! The bonus is that these same children will be healthier because of their improved breathing, are less likely to suffer asthma, panic attacks, hay fever, skin problems etc. because they are not mouth breathing.

The rationale underpinning these results is easy to understand. When we mouth breathe our tongue lies on the bottom of the mouth, when we nose breathe it presses upon the upper palate 24/7 maintaining a wide dental arch as well as encouraging normal lower jaw development.

Try it for yourself! 

Let’s start with a simple fact you can check with your dentist or orthodontist; a pressure of 3 grams applied 24/7 to a tooth will cause it to move to a new location – this is how braces work. The tongue applies some 30 grams of pressure most of the time when you nose breathe.
Now begin the experiment: open your mouth and breathe through your mouth for a minute. Note mentally where your tongue is.
Now close your mouth and breathe through your nose for a minute and once again mentally note where your tongue is now.
Unless you are a rare exception you will have discovered that your tongue rested on the lower teeth when mouth breathing but pressed up onto the roof of the mouth when nose breathing. When pressing on the roof of the mouth it is applying about 30 grams of pressure that keeps the upper jaw wide to comfortably hold all the teeth in a good position, if the tongue falls to the lower jaw the upper jaw will usually narrow and the teeth will crowd and be crooked. This, in turn, affects the development of the whole facial features.

For the details go to my website “the breathconnection.com”

Now about the starch!
The human body is designed to eat starchy foods, all societies that get most of their nutrition from starch-based vegetables are almost free from obesity and many of the diseases of modern affluent societies.

Whether it is rice, potatoes, wheat, corn, or whatever, they all are the great staples of the large proportion of the world’s population who enjoy good health and fine bodies.

The increased proportion of animal-based food and refined foods are the downfall of modern societies, giving rise to obesity, cancer, heart disease, strokes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s and more.

Visit my website “Thefoodconnection.org.uk” for the science & detail explanation or read “The Starch Solution” by Dr. John A. McDougall
So for you and your children: always nose breathe and enjoy the carbs (unrefined, don’t forget), fruit and vegetables, and eat less of the food derived from animals with faces.