Oral Lichen Planus

Here’s a list of foods you may want to avoid if you’re suffering from oral lichen planus:

Crispy foods – As noted by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), crispy foods like toast, crusty breads, chips, crackers and pretzels can aggravate the symptoms of oral lichen planus. Try softening crispy cereals with milk and avoid all other crunchy foods, where possible.

Drinks with caffeine – You may want to restrict your intake of coffee, black or green tea and carbonated soft drinks like cola, as the AAD suggests that these drinks may aggravate the condition. You may also be extra sensitive to hot drinks, so be sure to give them time to cool down before drinking.

Hot foods – Common culprits include hot, deep-fried mushrooms or cheese, as well as hot, melted cheese and sauce on pizza.

Spicy foods – According to the Mayo Clinic, spicy, acidic and citrus foods and drinks may aggravate the condition. Avoid eating foods made with chili peppers, large amounts of ginger or garlic, or other spicy dishes like curry. Tomatoes can also cause a problem, as can lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruits.

Alcohol – The Mayo Clinic advises against drinking alcoholic beverages, due to the slightly elevated risk of developing oral cancer. If you do choose to drink alcohol, do so in moderation.

Terry of terrytalksnutrition.com recommends adding curcumin to your daily regimen. He says curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, is a potent antioxidant and powerful anti-inflammatory that works, via multiple pathways, to benefit overall health.

It is important to not add further toxicity to your system so try to adhere to the following:

• Do not consume any artificial sweeteners, such as Splenda, NutraSweet or Aspartame
• Do not consume high fructose corn syrup or mono-sodium glutamate.
• Do not drink any carbonated beverages.
• Avoid all fast food restaurants.
• Avoid all canned food.
• Eliminate conventional dairy products.  The best dairy products are raw, unpasteurised and homogenised dairy from grass fed cows.  If this is unavailable, then buy organic dairy.
• Avoid conventional beef.  The best beef is organic grass fed beef. www.grasslandbeef.com The second best is organic meat; this includes beef, veal, lamb, chicken and turkey.

Supplements:

Not only do probiotics have various health benefits for your immune system and entire body, but they can also stop bad breath (halitosis). Extensive research has been done to look into the role of various probiotic strains; so far, positive results have been found.

On top of this, here’s a list of supplements which are beneficial for overall dental health:

• Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids promotes healing, especially of bleeding gums.
• Vitamins A and E are needed for healing gum tissue.
• Grape Seed Extract is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
• Zinc plus copper enhances immune function.
• Echinacea keeps inflammation down and enhances immune function.

You may also wish to take the following supplements to promote general wellbeing.

• Take Vitamin D3 50,000-100,000 International Units a day for periods of 4 weeks at a time.
• Wholefood supplements are the best way of ensuring your nutritional needs are met.  The best we know on the market is Kevin Trudeau’s “KT Daily” product.  You can find more details here.
• Take an Omega 3 supplement:

Krill oil –

Fish oil

Cod liver oil

Vegetarian –

Prescription and non-prescription medication:

What non-prescription and prescription drugs are you taking?  Your non-prescription and prescription are partially the reason that you have this illness or disease – you need to get off these medications but do so only under the guidance of a licensed health care practitioner.