By Dr. Mercola
Hand washing is an incredibly simple way to reduce your
exposure to potentially disease-causing germs and reduce your
chances of getting sick.
It’s not the only factor, however, as the state of
your immune system is actually what ultimately determines
whether you stay healthy or get sick when you’re exposed to
germs.
Regular hand washing is important, though, because it can
drastically reduce the germs that get access to your body,
especially when you do it at key times, such as before eating or
touching your mouth, eyes and nose, and after using the restroom
or visiting public areas.
The trick is, hand washing is only effective if it’s done
correctly. This might sound obvious, but a new study found
that most people are not really killing germs when they wash
their hands.
95 Percent of People Are Not Washing Their Hands Correctly
In a study of more than 3,700 bathroom-goers in a college
town, only 5 percent washed their hands properly, in a way that
would kill infection and illness-causing germs.1
Among the rest, 33 percent didn’t even use soap and 10
percent neglected to wash their hands at all after using the
restroom. Others did not wash their hands long enough to be
effective at removing germs.
There were some trends noted, too. Older generations
typically washed their hands more frequently, and for longer,
than younger generations, and women tended to wash their hands
more often, and more effectively, than men.
Still, the study suggests that a lot of people – the majority
– are receiving a false sense of security when they wash their
hands, believing them to be ‘clean’ when in fact they’ve done
little to actually remove the germs…
How to Wash Your Hands Effectively in 5 Simple Steps
If you’re taking the time to wash your hands, you’ll want to
be sure they are, in fact, clean when you’re done. Simply
rinsing your hands with water, or giving a quick scrub with
soap, is probably not enough.
To make sure you’re actually removing the germs when you wash
your hands, follow these guidelines:
- Use warm, running water and a mild soap (avoid
antibacterial soap)
- Work up a good lather, all the way up to your wrists,
scrubbing for at least 15 or 20 seconds (most people only
wash for about 6 seconds)
- Make sure you cover all surfaces, including the backs of
your hands, wrists, between your fingers, and around and
below your fingernails
- Rinse thoroughly under running water
- In public places, use a paper towel to open the door as
a protection from germs that the handles may harbor
Too Much Hand Washing Can be Harmful… Proper Balance Is Key
You’re exposed to germs just about every moment of your life.
And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A child raised in an
environment devoid of dirt and germs, and who is given
antibiotics that kill off all of the bacteria in his gut, is not
able to build up natural resistance to disease, and becomes
vulnerable to illnesses later in life.
This theory, known as the
hygiene hypothesis, is likely one reason why many allergies
and immune system diseases have doubled, tripled or even
quadrupled in the last few decades. Your immune system needs
regular exposure to “dirt” and germs to stay healthy.
If you're healthy, exposure to bacteria and viruses may serve as
"natural vaccines" that strengthen your immune system and
provide long-lasting immunity against disease. If you don’t get
this healthy exposure to germs in your environment, it may end
up making you sick.
So the solution to staying healthy is not to turn
into a modern-day Howard Hughes where you avoid all public
interactions at any cost or disinfect your environment
obsessively. What you want, ideally, is a healthy balance.
You certainly don’t want to expose yourself to disease-causing
germs unnecessarily, and this is why it makes sense to wash your
hands. But you needn’t fear all germs, as some germ
exposure is inevitable, and likely even good for you in the long
run.
You can count on your immune system to protect you, but don't
unnecessarily jeopardize yourself. Without proper
hygiene, one cannot achieve optimal health. Overwashing and
excessive exposure to disinfectants can likewise be a detriment.
It seems moderation is again the key.
Beware of Washing Your Hands Too Often in Arid Environments or
Winter
Your skin is one of your primary defenses against
bacteria, so resist the urge to become obsessive about washing
your hands. If you wash them too harshly, too frequently, you
can extract many of the protective oils in your skin, which can
cause your skin to crack and potentially even bleed. This is
completely counterproductive and only invites trouble…
While it’s rare for infectious agents on your skin to cause a
problem (it is typically only an issue when you transfer that to
your nose, mouth or an open wound like cracked skin),
obsessive-compulsive washing can increase your risk of getting
sick by providing an entryway for potentially dangerous
pathogens through the cracked skin. This is especially true in
the winter or in dry environments where humidity levels
frequently drop below 10 percent. In the summer or in humid
environments, this is less of an issue, but no matter where you
live, be sure that your hand washing is not irritating your
skin, leading to dry, cracked areas that are a perfect entryway
for germs.
Why Antibacterial Soap Is Not Necessary
Another major misconception about hand washing is that you
need to use antibacterial soap. These types of disinfectants are
extremely useful in a hospital setting, but they can do far more
harm than good when used on a daily basis in your home.
Studies have repeatedly shown that regular soap is just as
effective (sometimes even more effective) than antimicrobial
soap for the prevention of infectious diseases. Furthermore,
antimicrobials like triclosan, commonly used in antibacterial
soap, are linked to hormone disruption,
heart disease and heart failure. Using triclosan-containing
products may actually increase your chances of contracting an
infection if you already have a chronic disease, promotes the
emergence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and contaminates
waterways and harms wildlife.
There’s no reason to expose yourself to antimicrobials like
triclosan, as plain soap and water works just as well. In one
study, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine,2
people who used antibacterial soaps and cleansers developed a
cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and
other symptoms just as often as people who used products that
did not contain antibacterial ingredients.
The researchers pointed out that most of the symptoms
experienced by the study participants are typically caused by
viruses, which the antibacterial soaps won’t protect
against anyway. And for the symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea,
which may be caused by bacteria, the people who used regular
soaps had no greater risk than those who used
antibacterial products. So when washing your hands, stick with
good old-fashioned non-antibacterial soap and water.
A Healthy Immune System Is Your ‘Secret Weapon’ to Avoid Getting
Sick
There’s a common misconception that if you’re exposed to a
germ, such as a flu virus, and it enters your body, you’re going
to get sick. But simply being exposed to a virus or bacteria
does not dictate whether or not you’ll get sick – the state of
your immune system determines that. In one study, when 17 people
were infected with a flu virus, only half of them got sick.3
The researchers found changes in blood took place 36 hours
before flu symptoms showed up, and everyone had an
immune response, regardless of whether or not they felt sick.
But the immune responses were quite different…
In symptomatic participants, the immune response included
antiviral and inflammatory responses that may be related to
virus-induced oxidative stress. But in the non-symptomatic
participants, these responses were tightly regulated. The
asymptomatic group also had elevated expression of genes that
function in antioxidant responses and cell-mediated responses.
The bottom line is, in half of the group their immune systems
were able to effectively fight off the virus so they did not
experience flu symptoms. So while hand washing is important,
you’ll also want to be sure you are actively building up and
nurturing your immune system to ‘catch’ any germs that do invade
your body. How do you do this?
Top Lifestyle Tips for Staying Healthy
Healthy eating, regular
stress relief,
exercise, and
proper sleep are the foundations of a healthy immune system.
In particular, increasing your intake of
fermented foods will nourish the healthful
microorganisms in your gut (where about 80 percent of your
immune system resides), allowing it to effectively fight off
pathogenic microbes that find their way into your body.
The culturing process produces beneficial microbes that are
extremely important for your health as they help balance your
intestinal flora and produce a wide range of metabolic
byproducts that benefit your health, e.g. lipoic acid,
beta-glucans, infection-killing bacteriocins, etc. If you do not
regularly consume traditionally fermented foods, a high-quality
probiotic supplement will provide similar benefits. Along with
eating naturally fermented foods and/or taking a high-quality
supplement, it's essential that you avoid sugar, including
fructose.
Sugar feeds the growth of pathogenic bacteria, yeast, and
fungi in your gut, which may actually harm you more than its
adverse impact on insulin resistance. One of the major results
of eating a healthy diet like the one described in my
nutrition plan is that you cause your beneficial gut
bacteria to flourish, and they secondarily perform the real
"magic" of restoring your health and protecting you from the
pathogenic germs that you will inevitably come across in your
day-to-day life.
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.