You already know about parsley, so I don't know how much else I can help.  I find some teas help, some make it worse.  Green and red teas are ones I find beneficial.  A  mint doesn't hurt either (like a candy, gum won't do much if it's not your mouth), but it doesn't really deodorize the way parsley will.

I also tend to get bad breath frequently, for a different reason.  It's because of my nasal polyps and allergies.  Post nasal drip can cause bad breath, as do my frequent sinus infections.  Luckily for me, my husband doesn't seem to mind, although sometimes I wish he'd warn me before I go out somewhere!  (I swear, he has the worse sense of smell).

I've never heard of lactose intolerance causing bad breath.  If you have reflux and you've eaten dairy, I suppose that could cause a sour milk smell.  I'm not sure how healthy it is to be constantly taking antacids.  If it's just for a short while before you get into your doctor it should be fine, but it it's going to be a while before you get in I would consider not taking them every day.

Since you have ruled out dental hygiene, the best advice is seek medical attention but here is a list of things you could ask your doctor to investigate...

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic

Dry mouth. Saliva helps cleanse your mouth, removing particles that may cause bad odors. A condition called dry mouth (xerostomia) can contribute to bad breath because production of saliva is decreased. Dry mouth naturally occurs during sleep, leading to morning breath. Dry mouth is even more of a problem if you sleep with your mouth open. Some medications can lead to a chronic dry mouth, as can a problem with your salivary glands.

Diseases. In about 10 percent of bad breath cases, the bad odors do not come from the mouth (extra-oral halitosis). For example, illnesses, such as some cancers and metabolic disorders, can cause a distinctive breath odor as a result of chemicals they produce. Diabetes and kidney or liver failure can lead to a fishy smell. Uncontrolled diabetes can also cause a fruity breath odor from chemicals called ketones. And chronic reflux of stomach acids (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD) has been associated with bad breath. In addition, some medications — such as those used to treat high blood pressure, psychiatric conditions, or urinary problems — can indirectly produce bad breath by contributing to dry mouth. Other medications may be broken down in the body to release chemicals that can be carried on your breath.

Mouth, nose and throat conditions. Another source of bad breath is the nasal passages. For example, bad breath is associated with sinus infections because nasal discharge that drips from your sinuses into the back of your throat (postnasal drip) can cause mouth odor. Sometimes bad breath can be traced to upper and lower respiratory infections, or ulcers in the respiratory system. And malformations of the oral-nasal cavity, such as cleft palate, can lead to bad breath because they provide ideal environments for bacteria to multiply without being disturbed. Bad breath can occasionally stem from small stones that form in the tonsils. These stones can be covered with bacteria that produce odorous chemicals. Bad breath in young children is often traced to a foreign body, such as a toy or piece of food, lodged in a nostril.

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Besides seeking medical attention, here are some suggestions from the Mayo Clinic  you could do at home that you didn't mention ....

Brush your tongue. A tongue scraper is more effective than a brush for reducing odors that originate from the tongue. Another option is to use a toothbrush with a built-in tongue cleaner on the back. These brushes reportedly work just as well as scrapers.

Drink plenty of water. To keep your mouth moist, be sure to drink plenty of water — not coffee, soft drinks or alcohol, which can lead to a drier mouth. Chewing gum (preferably sugarless) or sucking on candy (preferably sugarless) also stimulates saliva, washing away food particles and bacteria. If you have chronic dry mouth, your dentist or doctor may additionally prescribe an artificial saliva preparation or an oral medication that stimulates the flow of saliva.

Adjust your diet.  Decrease alcohol and coffee intake and avoid other food and beverages that can precipitate bad breath. Eating fibrous foods can help.

Use a fairly new toothbrush. Change your toothbrush every three to four months, and choose a soft-bristled toothbrush.

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As to the sour milk smell, you may indeed have to give up milk and cheese products.  You may not be lactose intolerant but instead lack the proteins that combat the natural bacteria in these products (How to Get Rid of Bad Breath Naturally). 

Of greater concern is the possibility of Celiac and/or gluten intolerance.  You might want to check that one out as well. 

You may not be aware of medical conditions because through trial and error you have learned to avoid certain foods that will cause flare ups - often food dislikes have a sound physical basis and should not be ignored, particularly in children.

LB....

I do hope you haven't been sticking things up your nose ;-)

It's actually a prescription antacid, twice a day for a month -- it's the second time I've had this prescription this year, due to a couple weird issues.  I don't take antacids at any other time.  I'm not convinced about the acid reflux disease diagnosis because I've never had heartburn in my life.

But we have lots of teas... I'll give that red / green tea a try...

Hmm... interesting...

I wasn't sold on lactose intolerance either, cuz bad breath is the only symptom I get from dairy products.  That lack of proteins could be a possible cause.

I do most of the things on that list already, though we've decided the next step in this trial and error is to up my water intake significantly and to work more vegetables into my diet.

Thanks!

Hi YW - I came across this info, which seems pretty interesting, to me at least!

http://www.badbreathfear.com/BadBreathReport.pdf   The part about the tongue & proper cleaning technique was interesting.

I think I recall you saying at some point that you wear hearing aids.  So that got me wondering how/if that might affect air flow into your throat, and whether that might in any way influence the micro-environment there to support more growth of anaerobic bacteria - they're the particularly stinky ones.   That was also in the Mayo Clinic stuff.

Did you look into candida (yeast) overgrowth at all?  Sometimes that can also cause bad breath - but there are many more symptoms that you would notice.

Good luck with sweetening up    Keep us posted!

I dunno if anyone even remembers this topic, but I have some progress...

I saw my doctor and we eliminated everything he could take care of, so he sent me to an ear-nose-throat doctor and... I FINALLY have an answer!

My bad breath is caused by my tonsils.  Your tonsils have little grooves in them called crypts -- mine are especially deep -- and for people with deep crypts, food particles get stuck in there and rot.  So the bad smell is rotting food bits in my tonsils.

I can either wash my tonsils every two days or so with a water pick (used for cleaning plaque off teeth) for the rest of my life or suffer through some surgery and get my tonsils out.  I chose surgery.  Just waiting for the date!

As I was scrolling to read, I knew what I was going to say and by the end it was resolved. Just within the last couple weeks Dr Oz had one of his embarassing things episodes. A man stood up and said his wife had horrible bad breath "bad enough the dog would not kiss her". Dr Oz went right for the tonsils. Mentioning this to a friend he said he had one turn into a major infection. Dr Oz also reommended a water pick

Welcome back YW! I'm glad you figured out what was going on! I hope that the surgery goes smoothly and that you have breath that smells delicious when its' over.

Often the organisms(healthy bacteria )that live inside our selves are necessary to maintain good health. Whatevr  they are, the solutions recommended to many problems caused by an imbalance of bacteria is to eat extra amounts of fermenting food. Living yogurt, sauerkraut. etc.  Just make sure that what you buy  is not processed in a way that destroys the bacteria in these food.

You can get some prodicts that have extra ammounts of bacteria, Kaffer (sp)  or something like that is a kind of awful tasting yogurt that has much more bacteria.

Personnaly I perfer trying solutions like this that are natural because at best it is unlikely to harm us, and as well it restores our diet to a balance that existed before we started eating heavily processed food, that remove certain nutirents that unbeknown to us have some sort of role in maintaining health. 

After using certain medicines, my breath smelled like sulfer, and I found by changing my diet to include fermenting foods, and more green vegitables help. 

Other than insulting our taste buds you are likely to risk no bad side effects.

Glad you have a plan youthworker. Wishing you well with your surgery!

Hello YouthWorker,

How bizarrely ironic that is eh?

Your crypts smell like, well,  death I guess.

Popsicles, Jello and Ice-Cream!  I'd have gone that route also.  I hope your recovery is quick and relatively pain-free.  I still remember the after affects of having mine out roughly 42 years ago.

I hope that your sugery goes well.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Have you ever been tested for Helicobacter Pylori or more commonly known as H.pylori?

People who test positive for it suffer from bad breath and can also end up with stomach ulcers. This maybe also behind the acid symptoms which your dr has diagnosed as acid reflux. The test is a very simple swab and the treatment an overdose of certain pills for a couple of days. Regards

Hey Thessalonian -
Yup, I've been tested for H Pylori and it came back negative.

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I got my tonsils out on Monday, so I'm the midst if Popsicle filled recovery! Apparently the healing is supposed to get super painful in the next couple days... But hopefully it's not too bad!

Thankfully my partner is loving the chance to tend to my every need - so I'm being pampered here!

Good to hear you're being deservedly pampered YW!  Hopefully your throat is feeling better, and sweet breath will follow!  Wishing you well in your recovery.  C.