Why Camellix? (see below for the answer!)

Several weeks ago, perhaps a bit longer, I wrote a blog entitled, “What is Camellix?” This is a follow-up to that blog. For those who do not remember or who did not read that previous blog, please keep in mind I am not a science person.

Our MighTeaFlow™ Dry-mouth gum launched out to the public on March 1, 2012. The Augusta Chronicle published an article about Dr. Hsu and the launch of MighTeaFlow Dry Mouth Products. The article contained the information that we are looking to provide free samples to the first 500 people who contact us. Well, people read that and they called. The product has been met with great success, greater even than we had hoped. We had anticipated giving 500 free sample of the gum away in the month of March. Instead, we gave away more than 730 free samples in the first week! People have responded very well to the product and orders have started coming in from around the US.

When I tell others how successful things are going the question is usually, “Why has this product, a simple chewing gum, been received so well? Is dry mouth that much of a problem?” It is. I did not realize myself how big a deal this is or was going to be. However, on the morning of March 1, 2012 when the Chronicle article hit the streets, my office phone started ringing off the hook.

As I answered the calls and began to gather information from the various people calling in, I realized I had no idea of the extent of dry mouth. People were calling who have Sjogren’s Syndrome, diabetes, have been treated for cancer, and many other reasons. By noon my heart was breaking at some of the desperation in the voices of people who were calling seeking help. For those of us who do not suffer from dry mouth of any extent, we do not think about it too much. When we get dry, we drink some water, iced tea, lemonade, or, the state drink of Georgia, Coca-Cola. But, for those who suffer dry mouth, the solution is not as simple.

Someone suffering from dry mouth have trouble talking because their tongue sticks to the roof of their mouth. They cannot sleep at night sometimes because they are so dry. One gentleman called in saying he does not sleep more than two hours at a time because he gets dry mouth so bad at night. And forget about being very active or truly enjoying a meal. Dry mouth usually causes damage to the taste buds. Even more serious, if you are not producing saliva, you are open to auto-immune disease. See, although saliva is composed of 98% water that originates from the blood, 2% consists of important components such as antibodies, electrolytes, mucus, growth factors, antibacterials, antifungals, and various enzymes. Within the salivary glands, networks of capillaries surround the salivary ducts. Blood filters through these capillaries where special duct cells take up blood fluid, over 2000 different proteins, and other molecules mixing it with salivary products and forming saliva. Saliva is important in protecting our mouth from microbes and other invaders. It promotes food digestion, helps heal wounds, cleanses food particles from between the teeth, lubricates and protects the teeth, the tongue, and the tender tissues inside the mouth. It normalizes the acidity resultant from bacterial waste products that initiate tooth decay and gum disease, helps remineralize tooth enamel, and plays an important role in lubricating and tasting food.

See! I told you this was important!!

Now, I said before I am not a science guy and I am not. All that information above I got from the really smart guy at Camellix, Dr. Hsu. (Usually when I hear science stuff, I am reminded of the teacher in the old Charlie Brown cartoons. “wha whaa wa wha wa waa”, but, Steve makes things easy to understand). The thing is, you do not have to be a “science guy” or a “science girl” to understand how large a problem dry mouth is and how important it is to have a solution. This is why we feel it is important to have a product like MighTeaFlow™. We want to have a product people could use without being left with a medicine taste in their mouth or having side effects. There are several other dry mouth products available on the market. However, MighTeaFlow Dry-mouth Gum is the first dry mouth product created by a dental school. Who knows more about the workings of the mouth and the importance of saliva then those who do their work in the mouth of people?

So, remember the gentleman who called and said he had not slept more than two hours at a time because he had such bad dry mouth? Several weeks after he received his free sample he called back to order several packs of the gum. When he called, he told me, “Mr. Trump, I chewed the gum for 40 minutes about an hour before going to bed. For the first time in ten years I slept for at least six hours. I just want to say, God bless you for what you are doing.

So, when asked the question, “Why Camellix?” my answer is, “Why not?”

Dr. Hsu was interviewed by Mr. Tom Corwin of the Augusta Chronicle newspaper. Click the link below to read this wonderful article. Thank you to Mr. Corwin and his photographer for spending some time with Dr. Hsu and the Camellix Team! Georgia Health Sciences University incubator business produces green tea gum to help fight dry mouth

As I was sitting down to write the first blog for our organization, Camellix, I had to ask myself, “Why am I writing this blog? I am an Historian not a researcher or scientist; in fact, I was never very good at science. The only thing I got from college biology is that this is where I met my wife!” However, after doing my homework and looking over some of the research conducted for our products, I realized I am the best to write this introductory blog. Why? Because if I can understand everything we are doing, I can better help others to understand what we do.

The first thing I had to do was to learn about dry mouth, xerostomia and Sjögren’s Syndrome. While this sounds like a daunting task, it is relatively simple to understand. A simple definition of Xerostomia (dry mouth) was completed by the staff at the Mayo Clinic. Simply put, xerostomia is a condition in which your mouth is unusually dry. While dry mouth may seem to be a common problem that may seem little more than a nuisance, a dry mouth can affect both your enjoyment of food and the health of your teeth. Something I never realized myself is that a result of reduced or no saliva can lead to more serious complications or health problems because saliva helps prevent tooth decay by limiting bacterial growth and washing away food particles. Saliva also enhances your ability to taste and makes it easier to swallow. In addition, enzymes in saliva aid in digestion. While xerostomia is not a disease but can be a symptom of certain diseases. It can produce serious negative effects on the patients quality of life, affecting dietary habits, nutritional status, speech, taste, tolerance to dental prosthesis and increases susceptibility to dental caries. The increase in dental caries can be devastating in many patients and therefore special care must be made to control this condition.

Causes for Xerostomia include:

• Medications: Several hundred current medications can cause xerostomia. These include antihypertensive, antidepressants, analgesics, tranquilizers, diuretics and antihistamines c.
• Cancer Therapy: Chemotherapeutic drugs can change the flow and composition of the saliva. Radiation treatment that is focused on or near the salivary gland can temporarily or permanently damage the salivary glands.
• Sjogren’s Syndrome: An autoimmune disease causes xerostomia and dry eyes.
• Nerve Damage: Trauma to the head and neck area from surgery or wounds can damage the nerves that supply sensation to the mouth. While the salivary glands are left intact, they cannot function normally without the nerves that signal them to produce saliva.
• Other conditions: Bone marrow transplants, endocrine disorders, stress, anxiety, depression, and nutritional deficiencies may cause xerostomia.

My next blog will have Sjögren’s Syndrome laid out in layman’s terms.

So, what does Camellix do to assist those who suffer from dry mouth?

First, the name. How did we come up with the name, Camellix? Recently Dr. Stephen Hsu, our company founder and lead research scientist, was flying to China for a visit. As he sat on the plane he was trying to think of a good name for the company he wanted to create. Sitting there in one of those wonderfully comfortable airliner seats Dr. Hsu remembered the Latin term for the green tea plant, Camellix sinesis, the common origin of all teas. Camellix will be offering more products than just dry-mouth products. As Camellix sinesis is the origin for all teas, and a leading ingredient is our products, Camellix, LLC is the origin of MIGHTEAFLOW dry-mouth gum and lozenges, as well as REVITEALIZE anti-dandruff shampoo and AVERTEAX cold sore ointment. Other products will be coming as well.

For the past fifteen years, Dr. Hsu’s research has revolved almost exclusively around green tea and it is little army of chemicals that protect healthy cells. Green tea compounds can help protect against inflammation and autoimmune disease seen in Sjogren’s Syndrome, an actual disease that makes xerostomia seem like child’s play, inactivate viral particles such as Herpes, and regenerate skin cells and repair skin damage, including wrinkles and blemishes. The results are truly astonishing, and we want the world to know and benefit from the products we develop. We want to help the public and Health Care Professionals to better understand green teas healing properties through our many natural products, without side effects.

-Rick Trump, Camellix Director of Business Operations