Could Your Mouthwash Be Raising Your Blood Pressure?

If you have high blood pressure, stop blaming salt for a second because the problem might be your mouthwash, actually. Yep, I know this sounds ridiculous, but your tongue is home to bacteria that make nitric oxide, and nitric oxide is what tells your blood vessels to relax. No nitric oxide, blood pressure goes up. Now, here's the crazy part. Millions of people waking up every morning, use strong antiseptic mouthwash, kill those bacteria, and then wonder why their blood pressure keeps climbing. I had patients walk into my office with elevated blood pressure. We test the nitric oxide level. It's low. Of course, we support the nitric oxide production, and sometimes we watch that number improve within minutes. The wired part, your cardiologist may never look at your tongue, but I do because the mouth isn't separate from the body. It's the control center nobody paying attention to. Follow me if you want the things nobody taught you about your health.