Some germanophobes believe the world is constantly invaded by small, microscopic creatures such as bacteria that outnumber humans a zillion to one. To combat this sense of impending doom, humans have mounted a counterattack in the form of antibacterial products. The sheer volume of antibacterial products lining the shelves of Harris Teeter warrants respect. Products such as soap, alcohol-based hand gels and eco-friendly produce scrubs can all be antibacterial.
As the germanophobe movement continues to grow, there is an ever broadening market for cootie killers. There is also, however, a growing amount of evidence to suggest this trend toward sterility is detrimental to our health.
Many studies on the efficacy of antibacterial hand soap have shown no advantage to paying more for antibacterial products - provided, of course, that people wash their hands for at least 20 seconds before rinsing. Other studies have demonstrated that these soaps might be worse in the long run because they weed out susceptible bacteria which leads to stronger, resistant strains. In fact, some suggest that the recent increase in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infections in non-hospitalized populations might be the result of us scrubbing away all the weaker Staph strains and replacing them with more virulent forms.
Additionally, the incidence of allergies has been on the rise during the past decade, a phenomenon also linked to our increasingly sterile environments. The reasoning is that allergies are our bodies' way of overreacting to harmless particles in our environment. Normally, the body encounters something harmless, reacts to it and eventually learns that whatever the particle was, it's nothing to be scared of. But if our bodies are not exposed to those harmless things often enough, they will continue to react to them. Many studies have shown that children raised on farms have far fewer cases of allergies, asthma and eczema, compared to children who grow up in microcosms free of micro-organisms.
The same studies prophesying doomsday as a result of our ignorant application of antibacterial products, however, offer one glimmer of hope. The use of alcohol-based hand gels - ubiquitous in Student Health and hospitals - are known to be an effective means to remove germs when soap and water are not easily accessible, such as in daycares, on playgrounds and at restaurants. Keep in mind, though, that while these things can sanitize your hands, they don't clean off the dirt, instead just killing whatever might be living in it.
The bottom line is to stop paying extra money for expensive antibacterial soap. Use plain soap and water for 20 seconds to get your hands clean without running the risk of increasing bacterial resistance. Also, keep in mind that germs are necessary. In fact, we have many that inhabit our skin and gastrointestinal tract as natural flora and are actually needed for us to digest things properly. The presence of normal flora in our GI tract is the reasoning behind probiotics, which help to maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in your body. Dirt and grime we are exposed to as children decrease risks of developing lifetime allergies. But, at the same time, it's not a bad idea to stash some Purell in your bag on the way to the library, just in case!
Katie McBeth is a University Medical student. She can be reached at k.mcbeth@cavalierdaily.com.
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