Why Not All Germs Are Bad for Your Health – Part I

Germs are everywhere we go. You cannot touch something, be it a door, a bathroom sink, a remote control, a telephone or a grocery cart without coming into contact with them. When you hear the word “germ” you probably cringe inwardly. While it is important to aim for a clean and healthy environment for yourself and your family you don’t want to go overboard and make it too sanitary – we can’t line in a “bubble.”

Too sanitary? Is there such a thing as too sanitary?! Can hygiene be taken too far?

Well yes, actually it can.

You see mothers everywhere caution their children to not pick up food off of the floor and put it in their mouths, to keep dirty things away from their mouths and to wash their hands. While these are all good practices to get into when it comes to germs we actually do not have as much to fear as we think we do. Germs are not the dreaded evil things that we have been taught to believe they are. In fact some of them are good for us.

Don’t Go Sanitary Crazy!

It is hard to believe but true – germs are not the enemy after all.

When it comes to germs you can go a little crazy in the sanitary department of life. While there are a few exceptions to this, overall germs are good for your health.

This is not to say that you should start getting lazy and sloppy with your cleaning habits. Keeping your environment and indeed yourself clean is important and wise but do not go overboard in your use of antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers. Kids do not need every one of their toys to be antibacterial in nature and every product you buy for your home does not have to contain the word “antibacterial” on the label.

Taking antibiotics when you know that without them you will not recover from an illness quickly is one thing but overusing antibiotics in time will kill off the microbes that the body needs. These naturally occurring substances in the body serve to fortify the immune system. This is one medical science is continuously developing new antibiotics as our bodies can grow immune to some forms of antibiotics.

Benefits of Antibacterial Products:

Antibacterial products are beneficial in some respects in that they reduce the incidence of some infections.

However they also do something that is not so good – they promote the creation of drug-resistant organisms and by so doing, weaken the friendly or good bacteria that our body has. The human body needs to be able to fight off bacteria and viruses on its own. This is how the immune system builds itself up.  A barrage of antibacterial products coming into contact with the skin can make it harder for the body to build up its own natural defenses.

There is more to share on this topic so read part II of why not all germs are bad for your health here to learn more about how friendly germs can make you a healthier person.

Samantha