Listerine Mouthwash Benefits

Believe it or not, Listerine mouthwash has been around since 1879, although at that time it was used as an antiseptic during surgery. Apparently it has also been marketed as a cleaning productand as a treatment for gonorrhea . It came into its own as a mouthwash in 1914 and hasn't looked back. Standing the test of time, today it is a top selling brand in the United States and other markets, and has achieved the approval of the American Dental Association, an achievement not to be taken lightly.

Listerine mouthwash now comes in a variety of flavors, mostly variations of mint but also citrus flavor, and formulations include ingredients for tartar control and tooth whitening. Listerine spray, a little spray bottle that can be carried in the pocket, appeared on the market in about 2005. Testing of the product has supported the claim that Listerine mouthwash effectively kills oral bacteria, reduces buildup of plague, and helps prevent gingivitis. There's no question that Listerine is one of the top products in its class for treating bad breath.

Active ingredients in Listerine include thymol, eucalyptol, methyl salicilate, and menthol. It is interesting that, though the product is very effective, it does not contain chlorhexidine, cetylpyridinium chloride, chlorine dioxide, or any of the other chemicals so ubiquitous in other brands of mouthwash. If it were not such a long standing commercial brand, we would probably consider it a natural remedy for bad breath. It does contain one inactive ingredient of concern, however, as does Listerine spray: Alcohol.

The alcohol in Listerine mouthwash is added to dissolve the other ingredients, and to aid penetration of oral plaque on the teeth. In Listerine spray it probably chiefly serves the first purpose. Alcohol does something else, however, that is not good: it dries out the tissues of your mouth. Drying is not good because saliva is one of our main natural defenses against overgrowth of the bacteria that cause bad breath. A dry mouth is usually a malodorous mouth. Many people would recommend, then, that you stay away from mouthwashes and other oral products that contain alcohol. It may be more of a problem with Listerine spray than with the wash: a blast of alcohol into the mouth numerous times during the day, when you are not otherwise brushing or rinsing, is sure to have more of a drying effect. (And by the way, use of an alcoholic breath freshener can cause you to fail a highway breathalyzer test, should you be unfortunate enough to find yourself in that position.)

Though the issue with alcohol is a valid one, Listerine mouthwash works for many people, so it is not a fatal flaw. If you're searching for a trusted breath freshener, by all means try it. If you're disappointed in the results, or if you would rather stay away from the alcohol based brands (Listerine is by no means the only mouthwash to include alcohol), there are lots of other products to try.

Importance Of Preparation Stage

Importance Of Preparation Stage

(Attach from Raymond's Life Blog-http://lifeblog.raywiredweb.com/)

In less than a few weeks time, whether we like it or not, we’ll need to bid farewell to year 2009. I hope all of you have had a fruitful year. Many of my friends are counting their accomplishments and doing their yearly assessment already to plan ahead for 2010.

But what if you have not achieve much this year? It’s alright. You can always start somewhere and the best of course is to start right NOW! However, the year ahead won’t be much different unless and until we take different approaches and apply different strategies in doing things.

So, you would be asking, how should we kick start our plans? Well, honestly, if you don’t have any plan, there would be nothing to kick start with. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

For me, I’m adopting the Gap Analysis concept; First, know where you are! Second, know where you want to go. Third, plan up how to get there!



The first step is truly crucial. Logically, if you are not sure where you are, how sure are you that you’ll reach the destination on time (that if you do at least know where you are going and the way to get there). Some people might refuse to admit their current circumstances due to poor performances or simply because of pride. But whatever it is, we must be true to ourselves, take fullest responsibility of all our actions that have lead us to where we are now. Unless we choose to overcome our circumstances or soon we will be overcomed by our it.

Therefore, how should we actually start our first step in order to have a fruitful year ahead? For me, the best way is to have Goals & Visions written down plainly.

Before that, let’s check out some of the reasons why most people don’t write down their Goals & Visions.
1. They don’t dare to have goals as they have no confident to achieve them.
2. They don’t think that they have the discipline to follow through.
3. They don’t think it is practical. (truly depends on how you structure it)

But in the other hand, there are lots of benefits of writing down our Goals and Visions …
1. You know exactly what you want to achieve.
2. You can review the action plans stated earlier and make adjustments later.
3. It will serve as a reminder. (as we always tend to forget)
4. Better tracking system on your achievements.

I would rather put more weight on preparation stage rather than the executing stage simply because I know things done right in the first place will eliminate much troubles later. Even if things doesn’t go on smoothly sometimes but I believe it will still at least be within our controls.

Abraham Lincoln said this, “If I’m given 8 hours to chop down a tree, I would use 6 hours to sharpen my axe”!

Don’t you agree with Lincoln’s quote? It’s so practical. If the axe is not sharpen in the first place, you might need to pause a few times in order to sharpen it before you can start chopping again. What will happen then? Your work flow and momentum will be disturbed. You will need to re-motivate yourself again and again to start doing the same task.

You might be able to get back the motivation to start over again but would it still have the same intensity as in the first place? What if your motivation fail to re-start? Your job will be left undone and it will be hanging there. What will possibly happen then? First, the half-chopped tree might be dangerous as it might fall anytime (might cause unnecessary trouble to others) or someone else will come and finish the job and claim the credit (you will not only be known as the initiator but also the quiter and someone else will be remembered as the finisher).

If we prepare our foundation work properly, we would have minimize the cracks that might appear later. No doubt problems might still appear here and there or now and then, so, prepare the protocols to troubleshoot that as well!

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come” by Abraham Lincoln.