Anti-Bacterial Soaps Do More Harm Than Good
By Al Sears, MD
If you think anti-bacterial soaps are somehow "better" because they kill bacteria, there's something you should know: They don't protect you from anything. In fact, they may increase your risk of allergies, including asthma.
What's more, there's no proof these soaps are more effective against germs than regular soap. Even the conservative American Medical Association agrees. Myron Genel, chairman of the AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs, had this to say, "There's no evidence that [anti-bacterial soaps] do any good and there's reason to suspect that they could contribute to a problem by helping to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria."
You see, anti-bacterial soaps kill off only weak strains of bacteria, leaving the strong ones to multiply. So when you use these soaps, you're actually contributing to the cultivation of new strains of super-strong bacteria.
What's more, you don't need to protect yourself from common bacteria. Your body has a natural relationship with the bacteria you encounter in your daily life - both the good and the bad. By fighting off the bad guys, your immune system gets stronger and more resilient.
Keep in mind that your skin is your body's largest organ. It will absorb whatever you put on it - including the antibiotics in anti-bacterial soaps. So choose regular soaps instead - those made with natural ingredients and without the addition of dyes or other chemicals.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]
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It's Fun to Know: Sleeping in Tokyo's Cybercafes
Cybercafes offering private rooms with unlimited Internet access and comfy chairs - and sometimes even showers and microwaves - have become popular in Tokyo for overnight stays. Businessmen... the homeless and working poor who cannot afford the city's high rents... nightclubbers who missed the last train home... are taking advantage of these affordable accommodations. They are lured by rates as low as $11 a night, cheaper even than the city's well-known "capsule hotels."
(Source: Reuters)
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Word to the Wise: Bellicose
"Bellicose" (BEL-ih-kose) - from the Latin for "war" (Bellona was the Roman goddess of war) - means "aggressively hostile and eager to fight."
Example (as used by Alan Brinkley in a New York Times review of Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot): "[John Kennedy's] inspiring American University speech in the spring of 1963, calling for peaceful cooperation with the Soviet Union, was followed weeks later by a bellicose denunciation of Soviet power in Berlin."
Michael Masterson
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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2060, 06-05-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
If you think anti-bacterial soaps are somehow "better" because they kill bacteria, there's something you should know: They don't protect you from anything. In fact, they may increase your risk of allergies, including asthma.
What's more, there's no proof these soaps are more effective against germs than regular soap. Even the conservative American Medical Association agrees. Myron Genel, chairman of the AMA's Council on Scientific Affairs, had this to say, "There's no evidence that [anti-bacterial soaps] do any good and there's reason to suspect that they could contribute to a problem by helping to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria."
You see, anti-bacterial soaps kill off only weak strains of bacteria, leaving the strong ones to multiply. So when you use these soaps, you're actually contributing to the cultivation of new strains of super-strong bacteria.
What's more, you don't need to protect yourself from common bacteria. Your body has a natural relationship with the bacteria you encounter in your daily life - both the good and the bad. By fighting off the bad guys, your immune system gets stronger and more resilient.
Keep in mind that your skin is your body's largest organ. It will absorb whatever you put on it - including the antibiotics in anti-bacterial soaps. So choose regular soaps instead - those made with natural ingredients and without the addition of dyes or other chemicals.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Sears, a practicing physician and the author of The Doctor's Heart Cure, is a leading authority on longevity, physical fitness, and heart health.]
______________________________
It's Fun to Know: Sleeping in Tokyo's Cybercafes
Cybercafes offering private rooms with unlimited Internet access and comfy chairs - and sometimes even showers and microwaves - have become popular in Tokyo for overnight stays. Businessmen... the homeless and working poor who cannot afford the city's high rents... nightclubbers who missed the last train home... are taking advantage of these affordable accommodations. They are lured by rates as low as $11 a night, cheaper even than the city's well-known "capsule hotels."
(Source: Reuters)
______________________________
Word to the Wise: Bellicose
"Bellicose" (BEL-ih-kose) - from the Latin for "war" (Bellona was the Roman goddess of war) - means "aggressively hostile and eager to fight."
Example (as used by Alan Brinkley in a New York Times review of Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot): "[John Kennedy's] inspiring American University speech in the spring of 1963, calling for peaceful cooperation with the Soviet Union, was followed weeks later by a bellicose denunciation of Soviet power in Berlin."
Michael Masterson
__________________________________________________
These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2060, 06-05-07], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.
posted by Oak Stone at 6:28 PM
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