Posted by Joe
| September 23, 2009
| Comments
The LIVESTRONG.COM Development team staying strong with sanitizer.
Hand Sanitizer is becoming a bigger trend by the minute—and with flu season on the way, and the Swine Flu epidemic earlier this year, it seems like it'll be hard to keep hand sanitizers on drug store shelves (seriously, if you don't already have stock in Purell, buy now).
But I know from school that there is such a thing as good bacteria and bad bacteria—and we need to be exposed to some bacteria in order to build a strong immune system.
My wife, who works in the medical field, says that overuse of hand sanitizers can deplete your hands of the bacteria needed to fight off certain yucky things…like fungus.
A recent NY Times article by Tara Parker Pope focusing on ways to stave off the flu, says that scientists watching a group of Cal Berkeley students studying, found that on average the students touched their eyes, noses, and lips 47 times during a three-hour period, which is once every four minutes. And that's when they were stationary! Think of what you do every day at work. You get a cup of coffee, sit down and type at your desk. You might have lunch at your desk (which is supposedly filthy), shake a new employee's hand, and rub your eyes— all without ever knowing that you're exposing yourself to potential infection.
So I want to know what you think. Are you willing to risk infection in order for yourself or your children to build up your immune system? Or are you going to slather on the sanitizer and just accept the fungus among us?
Sound off in the comments.
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Joe
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