Germs are a good thing!

I will be the first to admit I am definitely not part of the "Lysol generation". I can't remember the last time (if ever...) that I bleached my children's toys. I may sweep my house but I don't mop the floors more than once every few weeks. And I have absolutely no problem with letting my boys play in the mud and the dirt outside.

Now, let me add the disclaimer that I am not nonchalant about health. I make sure that our family has regular doctor's visits, I make sure my children stay out of things like the compost heap, the toilet, and the trash. And everyone ALWAYS washes their hands after they go to the bathroom. I make sure that we are a sanitary family.

This culture's obsession to with being "overclean" has gone beyond impractical - it's become a health issue. Our overuse of antibacterial products has created "superbugs", germs with resistance to antibiotics. Diseases like tuberculosis, once controlled with antibiotics, are becoming deadly again. As one of my cousins, a forensic lab worker, pointed out, we use products which kill 99.99% of germs, but the .01% that survive breed.

One way to stop this alarming trend is cut back or cut out the use of antibacterial products. If you need to clean something like, say, a cutting board used for raw meat, use bleach diluted in water. If you use hand sanitizer (I use it for occasional roadside diaper changes), use it sparingly and wash your hands with soap at the next opportunity. Use regular soap, not antibacterial soap. And avoid the myriad of "anti-virus" products that have come about due to H1N1 (swine flu).

Another way to prevent the development of superbugs is to limit the use of antibiotics. Doctors are partially to blame for this, but so are paranoid patients who think every cough can be cured with antibiotics. Antibiotic use should
be limited to bacterial diseases that will become severe without treatment (strep, sinus infections).

The best defense against germs, then, is resistance. And the only way to build resistance is exposure. I let my six month old play on the (gasp!) unmopped floor. So long as there is nothing he can eat (wood chips) or anything that would make him sick (kitty litter) on it, I don't care. Are there germs? You bet! Am I going to bleach my floor because he might come into contact with them? No, in fact I hope he gets germs on him, so his body will stay healthy. When I had my first son, I was still in college. I attended a university with 30,000+ undergrads and regularly let my son crawl on the floor of the "mother's lounge" in the bathroom. My son never got sick while we were there. Save for the occasional cold, he hardly ever gets sick now. his immune system is hearty because of exposure.

Now here is the exception: of course, there are some children and adults who are immunocompromised in some way. These individuals need to be much more cautious in what they expose themselves to because of the risks to their health. So I say, for the sake of those who cannot expose themselves, all of us who are otherwise healthy, let's brave the occasional bout of flu or cold and stop creating superbugs which threaten all of us.

Tip of the day: A wonderful plant that is purported to help boost your immune system and can clear up colds faster is echinacea. It's a hardy flower that can be grown in a wide variety of climates and can be grown in a home garden for use as a tea (usually the roots and stem are used). Brew a tea of echinacea, peppermint and some honey to help your throat, sinuses and cough feel better.