Passers-by spit. Runners spit. Athletes spit. Drivers spit out their windows. Copious men spit for seemingly no reason.
Now, some of you need to get your head out of the gutter. I’m attempting to be serious here.
I don’t suggest you keep your saliva simply because it’s gross to expel it out to the free world. I suggest you don’t spit because it’s nearly as valuable as your blood.
I learned quite a bit about saliva in my chiropractic education, but I had forgotten most of its wonder. Then, I read Mary Roach’s book, “Gulp.”
The take-home point? Stop spitting.
That instinct you have to suck on your finger after it’s cut? Don’t fight it. Histatins are proteins in your saliva that encourage wound closure.
Stop spitting!
Your mouth is a literal cesspool of bacteria at any given moment. Yet, we rarely suffer from mouth infections. You can thank lysozyme, an antibacterial component in saliva that acts like penicillin to those foreign mouth invaders.
Stop spitting!
Your teeth will erode if exposed to material at a pH of 4 or below. Yet, we eat highly acidic foods, like lemons and vinegar, that are lower on the pH scale. Our teeth are buffered from erosion by that glorious saliva. In fact, people with autoimmune diseases, like Sjogren’s, will suffer severe tooth decay due to a lack of saliva production.
Stop spitting!
Start appreciating your saliva, and make it work for you.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley