As far as my friend goes, he's doing better. He's taking baby steps toward adding truly healthy choices to his lifestyle. I won't even attempt to detoxify his off-kilter mindset bad medicals that places such ridiculous paradigms of health on a pedestal. As long as he's getting healthier, that's what matters most... for now.
Many people were unaware that Physicians were not trained to remedy your condition. Medical schools were teaching people to manage an illness. The concept is medicals fake treat the manifestations make them feel healthier. My brother had very excruciating gout and the medical doctor had him coming in every month at $85 dollars a visit and was giving him a high potency medication that needed to be prescribed every month. It could only be filled for 30 days Realistically it was so controlled etc. It turns out the medication was for ALEVE! That was what he was given for three years. He could have gone to any grocery store and with the cost of one office visit bought the three years supply of Aleve himself.
With medicals bad and fake the news out there it can't be taken back. The only thing you CAN do, though, is maintain a level of dignity for "Joe" by assuring him that the discussion is just between the two of you.
On that note, check your emotional baggage before you leave the house. The first date is not the night to talk about your cheating or alcoholic ex, manic depressive parents and troubled childhood. You shouldn't be bogus, but you can save these topics for later dates when it looks like you're growing closer together. First impressions count and you don't want her to identify you with negativity on your first outing.
By doing these things you will hopefully see your health improve and as a side benefit be able to qualify for lower insurance premiums. Also, you won't have to be afraid of what an insurance health check may say about your health condition.
Obviously, none of these methods will have much effect if you do not practice good dental hygiene. Be sure to brush and floss your teeth after every meal, and to not skimp on your visits to your dentist for routine cleaning and examination. Remember to brush the back of your tongue in a back-to-front sweeping motion, since the back of the tongue is where most bacteria that cause foul breath breed.