How To Avoid Angular Cheilitis?
One of the annoying things about Angular Cheilitis is that it appears to spring from nowhere and strike indiscriminately. Tracking down any sort of a pattern in the people it infects is nearly impossible so identifying triggers is a thankless task. However one thing that appears to be common in the majority of cases with angular cheilitis is that the immune system is generally operating at a lower than optimal level.
In the case of the elderly Angular Cheilitis is often the result of ill-fitting dentures, and where this happens the cure is obvious. Don’t let bacteria form around the dentures, get them sized properly and the bacteria won’t have a chance to spread and cause multiple problems around the mouth and throat.
A version of the disease that is common in teenagers and young children occurs in winter and is believed to be associated with dryness and coldness. The problem is often accentuated because the natural reaction to dry lips is to moisten them with the tongue. This action not only doesn’t help, it often spreads the infection. The solution to this kind of infection is also obvious, keep the skin around the mouth from getting too dry and where infection occurs treat only the infected area to avoid the risk of spreading the infection.
Where the cause isn’t one of the easy fixes listed above you will need to play specific attention to the immune system and do what is necessary to boost any deficiencies. For the most part this is going to mean increasing your iron and vitamin intake through the use of supplements or your diet. Where you use vitamin supplements look for Riboflavin(Vitamin B2), Niacin(Vitamin B3), Pyridoxine(Vitamin B6) and Cyanocobalamin(Vitamin B12). All of these vitamins are thought to have a direct benefit on the immunity system. Iron supplements are easy to come by, just ask your local pharmacist what they recommend to increase the immune system).
When you look at your diet to increase immunity you need to investigate what foods will deliver Iron and Vitamins - particularly the B vitamins. Leafy Green vegetables are packed with B vitamins, and you can also get them from Fish, fruits, liver, seafood and whole grain bread. The B vitamins will not only help your immune system, but also your nerves, eyes, hair, liver and skin. Some excellent sources of Iron are Pork, Beef or Chicken Liver, mussels, oysters and clams. Most vegetables also act as enhancers to your Iron absorption, so are also going to be beneficial.
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