Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with breath

What can I do about onion breath?

Caviar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:36:49 -0800

What can I do about onion breath? I like to eat raw onions in salads. My eastern european genes are thoroughly convinced that this is a good idea and won't stop. You know the rest. The standard remedies of brushing, tongue scraping, and various flavors of listerine have no discernible effect on the resulting breath of fire.

Do you you have a remedy that works?

Hot Feet

parallax7d — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:32:00 -0800

Whats a good model of men's sneaker that breaths exceptionally well?

Breathable dress shoes for sweaty feet

thankyoumuchly — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:38:56 -0800

My feet sweat a lot, no matter if I'm sitting still or running around. I am in search of the perfect work/dress shoes (business casual) that will help me best deal with my sweaty feet! All shoe suggestions are welcomed! Sweaty feet run in my family (no pun intended). I sometimes sit at a desk for 8 hours a day, and sometimes I travel and am on my feet for 8 hours a day. Regardless of my activity, my feet sweat a consistent amount. I'm looking for dress shoes (for a business casual job) that help combat or deal with this situation.

What I Am Asking of You:
Please provide me with successful/applicable dress shoe brands/models, sock brands, etc. that you have tried (or your family/friend/co-worker) that either help my feet breath (so my feet/socks/shoes aren't damp/wet at the end of the day and subsequently smell), help wick away the moisture or otherwise cut down on/reduce/better address the sweating.

What I am Not Asking:
I'm not looking for over-the-counter non-shoe or non-sock "apply to your feet/shoe" solutions (gold bond, dr. Scholl's inserts, desenex, tinactin, etc.). I've tried every over-the-counter powder, insert/insole, cream, etc. on the shelves of the drug store. So have my family members that also have this problem. It just seems to be that our feet like to sweat. I'm ready to accept that I have a problem and attempt to deal with it! As a result, I am turning to you, Hive Mind! TIA.

The Breath of Life in Genesis 1:30?

Outis — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 18:11:08 -0800

Why does the New Jerusalem Bible (Standard Edition) not have the "breath of life" in Genesis 1:30 which is mentioned in most other translations? The New Jerusalem translation of Genesis 1:30 reads, "And to all the wild animals, all the birds of heaven and all the living creatures that creep along the ground, I have given all the foliage of the plants as their food."

Other translations can be found here.

Hoping someone familiar with Hebrew can help.

Do I stink from coconuts?

cmoj — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:16:49 -0800

Coconut milk = sewer gob? Ok, so in the way of background (if even necessary), over the past couple years I've progressively "gone" organic and mostly vegetarian (not for moral reasons, or really health per se... another subject).

As a result I've become very aware of how I smell. Of main concern is breath and sweat. It's interesting to find that (most? some?) healthy people don't stink when they sweat, or have morning breath. I don't, anyway. I usually smell a little like maple syrup from eating fenugreek.

Anyway, about a week ago I drank one of those paper boxes of (organic, and the ingredients read "coconut water") coconut milk. It was good, and I forgot about it. Around this time, though, I wake up with very strange breath. Brushing didn't change it, nor did eating other things, but it went away after 2 or 3 days. I just drank some more and I think my breath stinks again!

I know coconut milk has some unique properties. It's precisely tonic to the human body, and they say that you body doesn't have to process it hardly at all and it goes straight to the blood stream. I've even heard of doctors using it as a substitute for sterile saline (out of the nut it's sterile).

Is it known to make one smell a certain way? Is it a peculiarity of my body chemistry?

Also, now coconuts seem interesting. Know anything about them?

Why am I getting these heart rushes

Barrows — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:10:59 -0800

Every once in a while but at least once a day I get this weird feeling that I just figured out how to describe. Imagine you really have a crush on someone and they unexpectedly enter the room and maybe smile at you - the feeling I get when that happens is similar to this unprovoked random feeling that I'm asking about. Basically, out of nowhere, for like one second, I seem to stop breathing, have a tightness in the back of my throat and experience what feels like a wave of low pressure in the center of my chest. It's a little like what you might call an adrenaline rush or a panic wave but I'm not stressed.... and there's no sudden change in external stimuli. It kinda makes me take a deep mouth breath and then back to normal.

My info: male cuacasian 44yo 200lbs 6ft generally healthy taking prozac wellbutrin and ritalin . yes those last two are stimulating but this is a new feeling and I have pretty good experience with ritalin going back a few years and feel certain that this hasn't happened before for me.

I have a GP and a Psych and will meet with them when I return from travels but what do you MeFites who are not my doctors think?

Movie with invisible space-born breath-holders?!

Vamier — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 08:38:45 -0800

Looking for an old (late 70's, early 80's) movie that I vaguely remember from when I was youngish. The only thing I seem to recall is that there was a family (from space!) that crashed their spaceship in a lake (?) and could turn invisible when they held their breath. Anyone know what this could be?

How can I alleviate this shortness of breath?

Mr Bunnsy — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:11:57 -0800

I feel like I can't take a full breath and can't get to a doctor for a few days. Anything I can do in the meanwhile? Yes, it's a medical question... I am hoping someone can share a similar experience and has advice.

For the last week or so I've been feeling out of breath in the afternoons - feel like I can't inhale all the way, even when I intentionally take deep breaths it feels like I am not getting enough air. This is causing me to feel lightheaded and interfering with my work and leisure time.

I am not congested or coughing, but have the symptoms of a mild cold or allergies: occasionally sneezing, red, itchy eyes, swollen glands on my neck (one is quite hard and a bit painful.) Feel a slight tightness in my chest when I try to breathe deeply but not otherwise. No history of asthma, I'm not particularly stressed, I've been traveling but am back home now so no new allergens there.

It comes on in the afternoons and goes away by evening, and doesn't seem to have gotten any better or worse in the past week. I'm seeing a doctor Tuesday but is there anything I can do to make the shortness of breath go away faster? Or could this be emergency-room-worthy? It really sucks but doesn't seem to be killing me/making me pass out.

Why does gargling with listerine hurt?

shivohum — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:10:21 -0800

Why does opening my throat and *gargling* with listerine, as opposed to merely rinsing like I would when brushing my teeth, hurt a lot? I don't have a sore throat or any other throat troubles I know of. Also, it may be just my imagination, but I feel like whenever I do this I feel these grainy "bits" in the back of my throat, as if there's tiny pieces of something that the listerine has broken down and detached.

Happiness is a warm puppy who's breath doesn't smell like ass.

miss lynnster — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:43:27 -0800

Bad dog breath... what helps? My dog has allergies and a sensitive stomach so I make a point to feed her dog food that's natural. Up until recently her breath has been absolutely lovely... although believe it or not, she also has always had a bit of a burping problem. It has always made me laugh more than anything, though. (She's a dainty little girl dog and always looks almost embarrassed when she burps. Hee!)

Anyhow, all of the sudden when she tries to lick my face I notice her breath is getting pretty stinky. And that's not quite so funny. She is 2 1/2 and has nice white teeth, so I don't think it's tooth decay. Because of her allergies it makes more sense to me that it might be diet... but I'm not sure what to do about it because I'm just glad I have found dog food she isn't allergic to. (When I first got her, she threw up the first three brands I tried.)

In the store, I see all sorts of green bones "for breath" and other stuff... Doggie mints, whatever. I don't know if any of them work. Is there anything natural that I could just add to her diet that would make her breath become better?

Ideas? Have you found anything simple and natural that might help my puppy's breath become fresh? 'Cuz otherwise she's not getting anywhere near my face, which is a bummer because she's freaking awesome.

As always, the obligatory photo of said stinky, dainty dog.

Which Wind Instrument Requres the Least Amount of Lung-Power?

Buddy-Rey — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 16:37:09 -0800

Hi, folks! I'd just like to ask, out of curiosity, which wind instruments (especially brass) require the least effort and wind. I'm thinking of taking up something, but proper breathing is not my strong suit and I'm looking for something less taxing to build it up on. Any help with this query will be most appreciated!

What to do when the doctors shrug their shoulders?

Oriole Adams — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:34:48 -0800

Diagnosis Filter: Looking for opinions of what might be wrong with my mom. (more inside - long) My mom (76 years old) just spent four days in the hospital, after my brother took her to the ER. Her symptoms were a burning sort of pain under the skin in her back, which radiated to the front and in her upper arms. Sometimes the pain was so intense her eyes involuntarily teared up (that is, she wasn't actively crying). She has a history of some heart artery blockage, and has a stent in one artery. She also has a history of pancreatitis.

She was admitted to the hospital and given a battery of tests, mainly related to her heart and also checking for blood clots (she'd developed blood clots on her lungs about 12 years ago after gall bladder surgery). All those tests turned up negative. They gave her Morphine for the pain, and blood thinning IVs just to be safe. Many tests later, and she was discharged last night with both her cardiac specialist and her GP saying whatever it was, it wasn't her heart.

She just phone me and said she's still getting bouts of that same type of pain - it feels like a hot burning pain underneath the skin. It starts in her back, across her shoulders, then radiates to the chest and arms, and now is also going down the backs of her legs. When I spoke with her, she sounded as if she was breathing heavily, and she said that that happens when the pain hits. Her other complaints when it happens are a feeling of pressure in her ears, and a tightness in her jaw, as if she's clenching her teeth (even though she isn't). Her stomach feels slightly upset, but she's not experiencing any nausea.

She's obviously going to have to pursue this with further doctors and tests, but I don't know where to start, what type of specialist (if any), etc. Any ideas out there as to what might be wrong?

"So I notice your breath smells of liquor!"

Kibbutz — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 02:02:53 -0800

Asking for a friend: She works in an office. One of her supervisees has breath that smells boozish. How does my friend tell her to do something about it? Performance of said employee is not an issue, but friend is concerned that other employees and clients who interact with "Booze Breath" may perceive a drinking problem, which would reflect poorly on both the employee and the company. How can this mission be accomplished with minimal damage to feelings?

le grand bleu

6am — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 18:52:39 -0800

How do you learn to hold your breath underwater for longer?

Tell someone they have foul breath?

Brian James — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 16:27:31 -0800

Should I tell someone that they've got extremely bad breath--and if so, how? Question says it all. Just let it go, or try to help someone out?

I know two people who suffer from this problem. I've dealt with both of them over time, so I know that this was not just a one-off thing. They clearly need to see a dentist or something.

The first is a young lady, beautiful, stylish, and charming. I think we're close enough that I can mention it without offending her, but every time we see each other we're out socializing, and I don't want to bring it up, because it would be a downer.

The second case is an older woman, about 60-ish, who I met recently and may be working with on an ongoing project. She's perfectly qualified, except I can barely stand to be within 3 feet of her. We'll be working with some students, who I'm sure will notice the odor, and I'm afraid this could be a deal-breaker.

How many plants do I need to breath?

lucasks — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 22:55:47 -0800

Given an airtight room with bright enough lights to fuel photosynthesis, how many plants would it take to provide an average person, at rest, with sufficient oxygen (assuming it is possible at all). I have tried to google around for resting heart rate O2 consumption and plant / photosynthesis O2 production, but while I can find equations they don't seem to suggest rates. This is just idle curiousity but I really want to know. Thanks in advance.

puke vomit breath

masymas — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:33:00 -0800

Breath issues for tonight's date... Ok, so I just went on my nightly bikeride and ended up spewing chuncks of vomit all over the street and perhaps a couple passing cars. Thing is, I have a date tonight (in 1 hour) and want to be sure this foxy lady doesn't smell puke on my breath. Aside from the expected brush/floss/mouthwash, is there anything else I can do? Please hurry!

Tonsil rocks?

Recockulous — Sat, 21 Feb 2004 10:43:30 -0800

Does anyone ever get little white smelly ball like things in the back of their mouth that either come out after a long time on their own or after intense coughing with your finger pused up against the back of the mouth? Sounds gross I know but I know im not the only person who gets these. I read that they are bacteria and mucus the gets lodged back there and grows. Also people who have had their tonsils removed dont get them. My question is for those who will admit to getting them... how do you deal with them?