In My Cupboard for Winter
Medicinal mushrooms are all the rage. I recommend mushroom extract to my clients who are prone to frequent colds and flus. This product, STAMETS7, was specifically formulated by Paul Stamets for daily immune support. Paul Stamets is arguably the most well-known expert on all things mycology. He is actively involved in research and lectures throughout the world. You can read more on the website fungi.com.
Stamets 7 is available in Australia at Host Defence or iherb.com and other supplement sites.
There are several brands on the market with different blends of mushroom extracts for different reasons including colds, improved sleep, improved cognition and better recovery. Other brands that I recommend include Metagenics, Mediherb, Swanson, MRM Nutrition, Source Naturals and Now Products.
Train your lip muscles
Lack of lip-closing strength leads to mouth breathing1.
Breathing through your nose should be the default way for most of your daily activities. Mouth breathing as default creates a list of problems almost as long as my arm. These include bad breath, dry mouth, frequent colds, dehydration, poor sleep quality, waking unrefreshed, snoring, asthma, feelings of anxiety, low concentration, brain fog, fatigue, low exercise performance, teeth crowding, facial deformities and nasal congestion 234.
Lip strength exercises were taught to children as young as 3 and 4 years in a study by Inada et. al.5 Over the course of 12 months, the lip-closing strength in the training group significantly improved when compared to the control group.
Lip strength exercise in conjunction with standard orthodontic treatment over 6-8 months significantly improved all seven treatment outcome objectives compared to only four when only standard orthodontic treatment were used to improve lip imcompetency6.
In an observational study of 687 healthy children aged 7-12 years, lip incompetence (inability to keep lips together) were found in 36% of mouth breathers7. The authors stress the importance of early diagnosis and treatment for mouth breathing to reduce the risk of Sleep Disordered Breathing (Sleep Apnea).
Lip strength exercises are not only for children. The study by Oki et. al found that 3 minute sessions every other day improved lip strength and seal in older adults in 4 weeks.
Lip exercises you can do:
Tongue Pushing. Keep lips sealed and push the tip of your tongue into the left corner of your mouth, push and release 5 times. Repeat the push and release above the top lip, the right corner and below the bottom lip.
Monkey Face. Hold a small breath of air in your mouth and puff your cheeks. Push the air bubble to one cheek only, hold for 10 seconds. Then push the air bubble above the top lip, hold for 10 seconds. Push the air bubble to the other cheek, hold for 10 seconds. Push the air bubble below the bottom lip, hold for 10 seconds. Do 2 rounds.
Granny Surprise Face. Roll lips over teeth making an “O” shape, raise your eyebrows and hold for the count of 15. Repeat 3 times.
Button Pull Exercise (supervise young children). Thread a thin rope (wool will work) through a button with a diameter of 2.3cm (1 inch). Place the button behind the lips and pull the thread outwards while resisting it with tight lip sea.
Card Pull Exercise. Hold the card tightly between the upper and lower lips and try to pull it out.
Here are some more.
Another major cause of mouth breathing nasal congestion due to allergic rhinitis, or nasal obstruction or deformity8. Mouth breathing in these instances can lead to poor lip strength.
The best reason to breathe through your mouth is…laughing!
Reference:
Saitoh, I., Inada, E., Kaihara, Y., Nogami, Y., Murakami, D., Kubota, N., Sakurai, K., Shirazawa, Y., Sawami, T., Goto, M., Nosou, M., Kozai, K., Hayasaki, H., & Yamasaki, Y. (2018). An exploratory study of the factors related to mouth breathing syndrome in primary school children. Archives of Oral Biology, 92, 57–61.
Campanha, S. M., Fontes, M. J., Camargos, P. A., & Freire, L. M. (2010). The impact of speech therapy on asthma and allergic rhinitis control in mouth breathing children and adolescents. Jornal de Pediatria, 86(3), 202–208.
Choi, J. E., Waddell, J. N., Lyons, K. M., & Kieser, J. A. (2016). Intraoral pH and temperature during sleep with and without mouth breathing. Journal of Oral Rehabilitation, 43(5), 356–363.
Okuro, R. T., Morcillo, A. M., Ribeiro, M. A., Sakano, E., Conti, P. B., & Ribeiro, J. D. (2011). Mouth breathing and forward head posture: Effects on respiratory biomechanics and exercise capacity in children. Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia: Publicaça̋o Oficial da Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisilogia, 37(4), 471–479.
Inada E, Kaihara Y, Nogami Y, Murakami D, Kubota N, Tsujii T, Kiyokawa Y, Sawami T, Yamamoto Y, Ban Y, Oku Y, Oku T, Saitoh I. Lip and facial training improves lip-closing strength and facial morphology. Arch Oral Biol. 2023 Oct;154:105761. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2023.105761. Epub 2023 Jul 4. PMID: 37421827.
Alizade AS, Asadi E, Jafari-Naeimi A, Kalbassi S. Efficacy of the combination of myofunctional therapy (lip exercises) and activator high-pull headgear in the closure of interlabial gap in long-face skeletal class II patients with lip incompetence: A 6-8-month longitudinal randomized clinical trial. Dent Res J (Isfahan). 2024 Jan 25;21:3. PMID: 38425317; PMCID: PMC10899158.
Pacheco MC, Fiorott BS, Finck NS, Araújo MT. Craniofacial changes and symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing in healthy children. Dental Press J Orthod. 2015 May-Jun;20(3):80-7. doi: 10.1590/2176-9451.20.3.080-087.oar. PMID: 26154460; PMCID: PMC4520142.
Nogami, Y., Saitoh, I., Inada, E., Murakami, D., Iwase, Y., Kubota, N., Nakamura, Y., Kimi, M., Hayasaki, H., Yamasaki, Y., & Kaihara, Y. (2021). Prevalence of an incompetent lip seal during growth periods throughout Japan: A large-scale, survey-based, cross-sectional study. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine, 26(1), 11.
The information on mouth exercises is excellent 👏 thank you. I try to only nose breathe but it’s a conscious effort to keep mouth closed … hope these exercises help 😁🤞