Day 317 of 365 - Are We Too Clean?
When I was a kid, we played outside all the time and ran around barefoot a lot of the summer. We got pretty dirty and didn't think a lot of it. My preoccupation with hygiene is something that developed over time and was amplified in adulthood. At least couple of influences contributed to this.
Our first son was born prematurely and was in the neonatal intensive care unit for 9 weeks. This was a pretty sterile environment. We had to gown and hand wash, probably with antibacterial soap, before we could enter the room. I took this frequent hand washing habit home with me when we brought him home, thinking that I was protecting him from harm by keeping us and the home environment as clean as possible. Then, in the 80's and 90's antibacterial soaps were widely marketed and became common additions to the household.
While we thought we were protecting ourselves and our children from germs by using these products, it now seems that they are not such a good idea. Using those products too often could possibly create antimicrobial resistance, meaning that our bodies are less able to deal effectively with germs and other irritants. Some studies have reported, for example, that there is an association of a higher incidence of allergies in children where schools have implemented the use of antibacterial soap in washrooms. In environments where immune systems have not been regularly challenged with various bacteria and viruses, they tend to become over reactive to common proteins found in foods, grasses and dust, leading to allergies.
It also turns out that studies are showing that using antibacterial soap is no more effective than using regular soap. In fact, using regular soap for hand washing is more effective at getting germs off the skin, because we tend to spend more time lathering and rinsing. It's really the friction of rubbing the skin and then rinsing that are doing the work.
Additionally, now that science is telling us so much more about the constituents of a healthy versus an unhealthy microbiome, around, on and inside our bodies, recommendations to increase rather than decrease our exposure to microbes is becoming common in the health and wellness field. This does not refer to actively exposing yourself to diseases, but refers more to natural environmental exposures. Apparently our exposure to a diversity of microbes in our external and internal terrain determines whether the way our body responds to natural challenges of living is healthy or not.
What is being recommended? Spend time in nature, to get a bio-diverse experience. This, perhaps surprising to those of us who have been hygiene obsessed, is one of the best ways for our body to receive natural probiotics, just through exposure to air, water, plants and soil. Growing and eating your own food, even if it is only a pot of herbs, is another great way to increase natural exposure. If you aren't able to do that, regularly go for a walk in a park or sit on the ground by a tree. In your home, instead of using bleach and antibacterial soaps, use natural soaps, lemon juice, vinegar and essential oils for cleaning.
In the last few years I have stopped using antibacterial soap at home and do use more natural cleaning products. While I still wash my hands many times a day, especially while doing food preparation, at least it's with non-additive diluted soap. I unfortunately passed on my cleanliness obsession to my son who was premature. Despite this, his interests and career choice have been beneficial for his microbe exposure. He is an ecologist and spends a lot of time outside in his work. He and his wife also enjoy hiking and camping, so are frequently outdoors during leisure time. Now, they also have a son, our grandson who is two. That little guy absolutely loves playing outside and getting dirty and his parents are very tolerant of that. Thank goodness! As for me, I'm still a work in progress. I don't know if I'll ever return to the tolerance of dirt that I had as a child, but I suppose it's something I can practice more in my remaining years.
Our first son was born prematurely and was in the neonatal intensive care unit for 9 weeks. This was a pretty sterile environment. We had to gown and hand wash, probably with antibacterial soap, before we could enter the room. I took this frequent hand washing habit home with me when we brought him home, thinking that I was protecting him from harm by keeping us and the home environment as clean as possible. Then, in the 80's and 90's antibacterial soaps were widely marketed and became common additions to the household.
While we thought we were protecting ourselves and our children from germs by using these products, it now seems that they are not such a good idea. Using those products too often could possibly create antimicrobial resistance, meaning that our bodies are less able to deal effectively with germs and other irritants. Some studies have reported, for example, that there is an association of a higher incidence of allergies in children where schools have implemented the use of antibacterial soap in washrooms. In environments where immune systems have not been regularly challenged with various bacteria and viruses, they tend to become over reactive to common proteins found in foods, grasses and dust, leading to allergies.
It also turns out that studies are showing that using antibacterial soap is no more effective than using regular soap. In fact, using regular soap for hand washing is more effective at getting germs off the skin, because we tend to spend more time lathering and rinsing. It's really the friction of rubbing the skin and then rinsing that are doing the work.
Additionally, now that science is telling us so much more about the constituents of a healthy versus an unhealthy microbiome, around, on and inside our bodies, recommendations to increase rather than decrease our exposure to microbes is becoming common in the health and wellness field. This does not refer to actively exposing yourself to diseases, but refers more to natural environmental exposures. Apparently our exposure to a diversity of microbes in our external and internal terrain determines whether the way our body responds to natural challenges of living is healthy or not.
What is being recommended? Spend time in nature, to get a bio-diverse experience. This, perhaps surprising to those of us who have been hygiene obsessed, is one of the best ways for our body to receive natural probiotics, just through exposure to air, water, plants and soil. Growing and eating your own food, even if it is only a pot of herbs, is another great way to increase natural exposure. If you aren't able to do that, regularly go for a walk in a park or sit on the ground by a tree. In your home, instead of using bleach and antibacterial soaps, use natural soaps, lemon juice, vinegar and essential oils for cleaning.
In the last few years I have stopped using antibacterial soap at home and do use more natural cleaning products. While I still wash my hands many times a day, especially while doing food preparation, at least it's with non-additive diluted soap. I unfortunately passed on my cleanliness obsession to my son who was premature. Despite this, his interests and career choice have been beneficial for his microbe exposure. He is an ecologist and spends a lot of time outside in his work. He and his wife also enjoy hiking and camping, so are frequently outdoors during leisure time. Now, they also have a son, our grandson who is two. That little guy absolutely loves playing outside and getting dirty and his parents are very tolerant of that. Thank goodness! As for me, I'm still a work in progress. I don't know if I'll ever return to the tolerance of dirt that I had as a child, but I suppose it's something I can practice more in my remaining years.
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