Life coach: should I be drinking more water? In general, you can prevent dehydration by focusing on staying hydrated throughout the day. Keep water with you and drink it regularly, especially if it is hot outside. The basic rule of thumb is to aim for 6-8 glasses of fluid a day but you will need more when it is hot, if you are active or ill. Any fluid (apart from alcoholic drinks) will hydrate the body so it doesn't have to be water - juices, milk, soft drinks, tea and coffee all count towards your daily quota. Q: I brush my teeth three times a day, but still think I have bad breath. I've been to the dentist and I don't have bad oral health. What could be causing this? Lots of things get the blame for bad breath, such as stomach acid reflux, furry tongues and various foods. Garlic and onion-laden curries can be problematic but many of the alleged culprits are actually blameless. Bad breath is very often due to the presence within the tonsils (at each side of the back of the throat) of small off-white lumps called tonsil stones. These are made of dead cells from the lining of the mouth, food debris and bacteria that have the undesirable habit of producing an unpleasant sulphurous smell. Sometimes one can see these tonsil stones on the surface but more often they are deeper within the tonsils. Vigorous gargling with antiseptic mouthwash will get the tonsils clean. The same bacteria are within plaque around the teeth. Dental flossing plus electric toothbrushes are very efficient at getting the crevices clear of food debris, as it needs very little of this residue to cause halitosis. Inadequate fluid intake dries up the mouth and tongue and may cause bad breath, as may dieting, when the body starts to burn fat and produces 'ketones" as a side effect, which have a definite odour. A blocked nose forces you to mouth-breathe and therefore dries up the mouth and tongue. Poor saliva production, which can happen on its own or be a side effect of many types of medication, is another reason for halitosis. Insect bites I, too, react badly to insect bites. My mother, a pharmacist, used to put me in a warm bath of diluted Epsom Salts, which drew out the stings and provided relief. An old-fashioned remedy, but very effective. Joan Abbs, by email My wife and I find that a garlic capsule taken each day is an effective safeguard against insect bites. John Ling, by email It might be worth suggesting to your correspondent that she takes vitamin B1, daily. Anne Sheppard, by email