COFFEE CORNER

The Discovery of "Halitosis" (1926)

Product: Listerine

Story: Listerine antiseptic had been a product of the Lambert Company since the 1880's, but was never particularly successful. By the 1920's - the early years of Prohibition - it's most attractive feature to consumers was its 25% alcohol content.

In 1926 the company decided to boost sales by creating an ad campaign around one special feature…but what could the product actually do? No one was sure, so they gave it to a chemist to find out. His list of Listerine's benefits included an unfamiliar term: "Removes Halitosis."

     "What's that mean?" the president asked.
     "Bad Breath," the chemist replied.
     "Perfect!" said the president.

Armed with a scientific-sounding name, Listerine pioneered a new advertising approach: presenting bad breath as a crippling social disease that Listerine could (of course) cure. Their ads showed endless situations in which Halitosis spelled business and romantic ruin.

Sample Ad: (Photo of a woman staring into a mirror) What Secret Is Your Mirror Holding Back? "Night after night, she would peer questioningly into her mirror, vainly seeking the reason. She was a beautiful girl and talented, too…yet in the one pursuit that stands foremost in the mind of every girl and woman - marriage - she was a failure.

"Many men came and went in her life. She was often a bridesmaid, but never a bride. And the secret her mirror held back concerned a thing she least suspected - a thing people will not tell you to your face…. Halitosis!"

Results: In a few years, the company's profits increased 4,000%

Uncle John's Absolutely Absorbing Bathroom Reader #12
By the Bathroom Readers' Institute

Tea Fights Bad Breath, Mouth Bacteria

Health Benefits of Tea

A cup of tea warms the soul and freshens your breath, and even fights infections. Two new laboratory studies add to mounting evidence of the health benefits of tea.

In the first study, conducted at Pace University, green tea extracts were mixed with several different kinds of bacteria, including those that cause strep throat and tooth decay. The researchers found that green tea was effective at fighting bacteria by inhibiting their growth.

“Our research shows tea extracts can destroy the organism that causes disease”, says lead researcher Milton Schiffenbauer, PhD, a microbiologist and biology professor at Pace University in New York City, in a news release.

In fact, the same study suggests that green tea boosts the effectiveness of toothpaste and mouthwash in fighting viruses. Toothpaste and mouthwash had very little virus-fighting effect when mixed with bacteria; however, when green tea extract was added, 99% to 100% of the bacteria disappeared.

What’s responsible for the health benefits of tea? Teas contain polyphenols, which are antioxidants that protect human cells from damage. Flavonids are a group of polyphenols that occur naturally in tea. It is suspected that high levels of these polyphenols in the body can fight viruses as well as cancer, including pancreas, colon, bladder, prostate, and breast cancer.

In all cases, tea polyphenols inhibited the growth of bacteria by 30% and reduced the production of compounds that cause bad breath.

The study suggests that rinsing with black tea keeps plaque from forming and destroys acids that cause tooth decay.

“Besides inhibiting the growth of pathogens in the mouth, black tea and its polyphenols may benefit human oral health by suppressing the bad-smelling compounds that these pathogens produce,” says lead researcher Christine D. Wu, PhD, professor of periodontics at the University of Illinois, Chicago, in a news release.

By Jeanie Lerche Davis-WebMD Medical News

Kick the Couch Habit

Thirty minutes, four times a week is all the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) is asking of people’s leisure time in order to stay healthy. Sounds pretty reasonable, right?

According to a recent poll taken by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), an estimated 60% of adults aged 18 and older report they do incorporate some bone strengthening, weight-bearing exercise into their free time.

A good way to start might be as simple as waling with friends during your lunch hour, attempting the long haul up the stairs, or an afternoon break spent getting weeds out of the garden.

Other activities geared toward working bones and muscles against the forces of bone breaking gravity include:
· Jogging
· Soccer
· Dancing
· Hiking
· Impact Aerobics
· Cross-Country Skiing
· Tennis
· Roller-Blading

As with any new exercise program, consult with your physician before starting. To contact NOF for more information on bone health call 202/223-2226 or visit them on the Web www.nof.org.

A.K.
Access, August 2000

An Orange A Day Helps Prevent Gum Disease!

The vitamin C gained from eating an orange a day helps prevent periodontal disease, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Peridontology. Study participants who consumed their recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C, which stands at 60 milligrams per day (mg/day), consequently decreased their chances for developing periodontal disease.

The study's researchers developed periodontal disease indicators to help track the daily vitamin C intake for more than 12,000 adults. Based on those indicators, adults who consumed less than 60 mg of vitamin C in addition to using tobacco products had a greatest incidence of developing periodontal disease. In addition, researchers found that individuals who consumed less than 60 mg of vitamin C were also one-and-a-half times more likely to develop gingivitis.

For nearly two centuries, conventional wisdom has told scientists that a lack of vitamin C was connected to periodontal disease. However, this study confirms that link.

Access, December 2000