Health isn’t just about avoiding disease – it’s about thriving sustainably. As a dentist, public health advocate, and former professional athlete, I’ve learned that lasting well-being isn’t built on extremes, but rather on balance and consistency. In Swedish culture, we call this Lagom – “just the right amount.” As part of The Lagom Method, I incorporate salivary diagnostics as part of the ”toolbox” to manage your health journey.
The Lagom Method: A Habit-Based Approach
Lagom is a philosophy of moderation and sustainability, guiding health, wellness, and daily habits. Instead of extreme diets or rigid fitness regimens, true health comes from small, intentional changes that fit your life.
In my book ORAL : The Swedish Secret to Full Body Health Starting in Your Mouth
I introduce The Lagom Method, a balanced, sustainable approach to whole-body health. It focuses on four key pillars:
- Breathe – How you breathe affects everything from your oral microbiome to your nervous system. Nasal breathing improves oxygen intake, reduces stress, and supports oral microbiome balance.
- Sleep – Quality sleep is the foundation of healing, energy, and immune function. Poor sleep contributes to inflammation, imbalance in your oral microbiome, which can be detected through saliva testing.
- Eat – The what, when, and how of eating impacts everything from your digestion to saliva composition. Whole, unprocessed foods support a balanced oral and gut microbiome.
- Move – Daily movement, not just structured exercise, keeps both your body and mind strong. Physical activity regulates inflammation, stress levels, and systemic health.
How Disease Starts in the Mouth: Understanding Dysbiosis
The mouth is home to a diverse microbiome, a carefully balanced community of beneficial and harmful bacteria that impacts both oral and overall health. When this balance is disrupted – a state known as dysbiosis – harmful bacteria can take over, leading to oral diseases and setting the stage for systemic diseases as bacteria enters and travels through the bloodstream.
Dysbiosis is often the result of lifestyle habits – poor diet, mouth breathing, disrupted sleep, chronic stress, and lack of movement. These factors alter the oral microbiome, lower saliva production, lower the pH balance, and trigger inflammation, increasing the risk of disease not just in the mouth, but throughout the body.
Salivary Diagnostics: A Personalized View of Health
One of the most exciting advancements in health is salivary diagnostics – a simple, non-invasive way to assess oral and overall health markers. Saliva serves as a window into our well-being, reflecting inflammation, microbiome balance, stress levels, and more.
Salivary diagnostics offer a real-time, personalized view of oral and overall health, detecting early imbalances like microbiome dysbiosis, inflammation, and pH shifts. It tracks how breathing, sleep, diet, and movement impact health and identifies dysbiosis early, preventing gum disease and systemic issues.
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- The Lagom Method: A Balanced Approach to Health - March 28, 2025