Bacterio-phobia
By mati. Filed in Uncategorized |
We have become a culture of bacterio-phobic beings – hand sanitizers, anti bacterial soap, bleach and so on. It’s important, isn’t it? We must keep everything kleen if we want to be healthy, right? Clean, yes, but can all this cleaning be too much of a good thing?
I just found an article on MSN today that talks about the benefit of having a certain amount of bacteria on the skin. Did you know that there is actually a benefit from bacteria? If you don’t, go and check out the MSN article – very interesting reading!!! Evidently, not enough bacteria on the skin will cause immune problems, allergies, eczema and inflammation!
Once you have read this article, I can also add that the use of antibacterial ingredients in consumer products are getting out of hand! Previously, I wrote an article about the use of Triclosan in toothpaste. Triclosan is an antibacterial compound that can make the body oversensitive, or even allergic to potassium. Since bananas contain lots of potassium, you may find that you get a belly ache every time you eat bananas. If this is the case, go and read the label on your toothpaste! And, remember, too, that potassium is what makes your nervous system work properly. So, becoming allergic or oversensitive to potassium can potentially cause serious health problems!
Hand sanitizers also contain triclosan. The cosmetics database group have disclosed recent findings from hospitals which shows triclosan in the bloodstream of hospital workers. But this isn’t the only place you find triclosan.
The last time I went to the supermarket to buy dishwashing liquid, I started reading the labels, and every one of the brands on the shelf contains triclosan. The only one that doesn’t is Clorox’s new brand greenworks – but of course, our local Walmart doesn’t carry it, even though they are supposed to…
What people don’t seem to understand is that it isn’t bacteria that make us sick, it is our susceptibility to the bacteria, or in plain English, our lack of immune response, that allow the bacteria in. If your immune system is strong enough to ward off bacteria, we simply don’t get sick. By wiping out the bacteria in our environments, our immune system doesn’t get to practise its magic, and we’ll get weaker and weaker as a result.
When I was little girl, people were of the opinion that a little dirt never hurt anyone. And, maybe, just maybe, they were right. Maybe a little dirt was just enough to make us strong enough to survive a few bacteria here and there.
Vaccinations and triclosan are certainly NOT the answer. The answer lies in strengthening our immune system naturally, and if a little dirt is needed, we just have to throw away all the products with triclosan in them. Remember, bacteria are natural beings that live on our skin. They are supposed to be there, and if there is a balance between good and bad bacteria we don’t get sick. It is only when we use antibacterial soaps that kill both the good and bad bacteria that the natural balance is upset, and the bad bacteria gets a foothold.
Since everything in life is about maintaining a healthy balance of some kind, forget about antibacterial products. In fact, anything with “anti” in front of it is against life. So, be careful, and read the labels of anything you buy.