Kill Those Bugs!!!!
By Dr. Lisa DeForest
If you visit your local store and look in the soap, detergent, or health and skin care aisle; you’d swear that monster bacteria are on the loose and lurking to hunt down your family. Products labeled extra-strength bacterial fighting agents make you think of filthy disease-breeding germs that have to be stopped at once. We as misguided consumers are intent on spraying, squirting and smearing all forms of antibacterial agents in and around our homes as well as on ourselves and our kids. These products are designed to remove disease-causing organisms from external surfaces before they can enter the body.
We are learning that this is not healthy as we have been lead to believe. There are a number of reasons for this, including the growing awareness that these products are contributing to the alarming problem of bacterial resistance that was initially linked to our indiscriminate and improper use of antibiotics.
Many experts are suggesting antibacterial products can be divided into two groups - one that is considered safe to use and the other that is the cause for alarm. The safe group is referred to as “non-residue producing antibacterial agents”. These are most often the type of products we clean our hands with when soap and water are not available. These products immediately kill bacteria and then quickly evaporate. These include antibacterial products made from alcohols, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and chlorine bleach.
The real trouble makers are in the second group, termed “residue producing agents” which are chemicals that linger on surfaces impregnated with them. These long-lasting residues will continue to kill benign bacteria and increase the growth of resistant strains long after target bacteria have been removed. These chemicals are used in toothbrushes, toiletries and detergents, pens and many children’s products.
Research shows there is a higher percent of allergies, asthma, and eczema among kids who have been raised in super sanitary conditions. We are forcing Mother Nature to create super bugs, to be resistant to our antimicrobial residue all over the American home. My suggestion is to use antibacterial products in a careful way, only in homes with immune compromised vulnerable patients.
What to do? As a conscientious consumers we can avoid buying the residue producing antibacterial products for everyday use. Scrubbing with plain old soap and water removes virtually all the bacteria. It is debatable that the use of antimicrobial and antiviral products is the right thing to do. Concerns have been raised that the widespread use of antimicrobials may play a role in promoting antibiotic resistance, a growth public health threat. The AMA, for instance, has urged the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the use of antimicrobials in consumer products. You decide: you can rinse you hands with plain tap water for 2 seconds and get rid of rhinovirus; it’s not hard to get rid of.
Just off the press, a study at University of East London showed Tea Tree Oil to be an effective and more predictable alternative to antibiotic treatment in treatment of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). Tea Tree has been used for centuries for use of skin problems of all types.
This column is for information only and no part of its contents should be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, recommendation or endorsement by Dr. DeForest.
