The "bateria are the enemy" mentality has always been based in fear.

I personally LOVE cheese too much to hate our little bacteria friends.

"What many people may not realize is that most infections ensure our health instead of compromise it."

THAT is the most important message. We must make certain the next generation is more realistic about the BIG picture.

Thanks

Opening the door for a
return to the Black Death,
plagues of the Middle
Ages etc? No ratshit sandwiches for me, thanks...
I'd agree that there's overuse
of some stuff, but basic
hygiene practices are Good
Stuff. E. Coli and whatnot
are still out there, so yes,
please DO wash your hands...

I work outdoors alot and never get flu shots. I wash my hands of course but never use anti-biotics unless absolutely necessary whereas the people I know that work indoors are always getting sick.

Good article. Lets cut out the childhood health programs because being sick is good for the little buggers. It is also good for the environment for us to give up modern western medical science and go and live like the forest people.

Seems like several people here are taking this simplistically. It is not a question of not fighting off certain infections, it is beginning to recognize that there are symbiotic bacteria and virus that are part of us. Killing all microbes is like killing all predators, seems like it could make you safer, if you are incredibly short sighted and steer after Iron Age Religions.

Cholera can kill. I understand the point to building some 'natural immunity' to less-deadly microbes, but anyone who takes this brief article as all-encompassing advice about how it's OK to not wash hands, to freely eat food on filthy dishes, etc. is seriously making a mistake.

w's parents must have bought antibacterial soap by the 55 gal. drum

It's easy to dismiss real scientific data when TV advertising, with friendly smiles, repeatedly tells us how important antibacterial soaps are. The reality is -- soap alone is all that is needed to kill bacteria. It's the "antibacteria" ingredients in soap that serve the profits of the companies manufacturing the soaps -- special interests that have no regard for the people and environments hurt by their products.

Esprit64, stop using soap, you are killing our bacteria friends and upsetting the balance of nature and the environment. Death is natural, don't fight it, embrace it. Too many people upset the balance of nature. Why do you think that AIDS strikes at the act of reproduction in Mother Africa. Oh, I know, the CIA did that to wipe out my brothers. Bad example, because it was man made to readjust the make up of the humans, just like soap.(I take showers without soap like my ancestors did, nothing the matter with water to clean us). Detergents mass up the rivers as well.

Mark Morford, the very funny writer for SF Gate, has a great column on this. I'm also reminded of a comment that a veteran medical professional I once knew made to me, many years ago: "Brian," he said, "bacteria aren't evil; they're just cells doing their jobs."

There have been other studies that basically say the same thing. This does not relate to sanitation efforts put in place for public health like some of you have confused this with. Dial antibacterial soap is not going to protect you from the Black Death so calm down. No one is advocating that you stop showering or washing your hands, but being overly germ conscious (like using antibacterial everything) can actually be harmful. For our immune systems to function well they need to be exposed to all sorts of things on a regular basis.

"For our immune systems to function well they need to be exposed to ALL SORTS of things on a regular basis", you are nuts Ursula. Modern medicine has increased our life span from 35 years to 76.

My brother, who is a physician, had twins recently and posted signs around the house: Wash your hands before playing with babies!! Which I didn't have a problem with. It was just when I wanted to sit in the grass with the girls and their parents got overly neurotic about germs, bugs, dirt, etc. that I told him that these are robust, young human animals who have their own defenses against sun light and fresh air. When antibacterial advertising madness causes parents' minds to spill into believing the "outside" is dirty and filled with germs to be scared of, i become a tad bit irked. god made dirt, and dirt don't hurt. Modern medicine is a wonderful boon to mankind, but has been known to become myopic at times.

Marshall, sounds to me like you are a hillbilly, getting down with the dirt and the grass. Do you also play the five string banjo Scruggs style? Civilized people do not do such things, at least those of the intellectual class that reads books. Your educated brother is correct.

when we seperate ourselves from nature
we seperate ourselves from God
don't seperate yourselves from God
Let the love flow in

excess of dirt or sanitization is the same evil. humans always adapted to their environment. Rural sheperds in Mongolia don't need to wash their hair in winter as frequently as Newyorkers in summertime, on the contrary, excess of futile sanitization and antibacterial/antigerms in developped (?) countries causes many illnesses in such "civilized" world.

if we compare f.i. the diarreic illness suffered by over-cleaned westerners traveling to africa or latin america, where locals are not so badly affected (of course basic precautions are necessary even for africans or latin american people) we observe an increasing gap between a not so extended risk of diarreic sickness and extreme hypersensibility to even a small amount of risk . there is a balance to keep.

The human body can survive even if a young baby in some city garden is tasting dirt, just as nobody dies after eating oversmelling "Herve" cheese or tasting beef whose proteins cells have been tendered and broken by some bacteria induced "putrefaction" by swelling for days or weeks in a not so cold chamber to become tender under our teeths. Just as when you eat some phaisan or veneer wich MUST stay hanging and "rotting" for days before going to your plate beeing palatable in a fancy restaurant,

so use your common sense, dont follow the Tv rulers, instead read.
take some risks with bacterias,( and f.i. your food) so to enjoy a better life within bacterias.
avoid excess of fear. keep your brain clean, and not only your hands. know your enemy...

if forgot. humans as any specie onnearth follows and adaptation process to his (local) environment. bubonic pleague was extended by lack of scientific knowledge. virus are not bacterias. AIDS (wich is neither a virus, or a bacterial disease, btw) or hepatic viral ilnesses may be caused by lack of hygiene, and ont eh other side of the ladder we have the excesses of chemicals additives, colorants, desinfectants, cleaning agents, we progressively intake by air, food, water, and accumulates in all the world animal or human foetus to be born, so a little rationale would help us all if we could reduce the presence of the overinduced (generally by publicity and big consortiums) necessity of overcleaning futilely

if forgot. humans as any specie on earth follows an adaptation process to his (local) environment. bubonic pleague was extended by lack of scientific knowledge. virus are not bacterias. AIDS (wich is neither a virus, or a bacterial disease, btw) or hepatic viral ilnesses may be caused by lack of hygiene, cerftainly, and the extensuion of illnesses must be reduced following basic rules of normal cleaning or bathing,

on the other side of the risks or causes for human misfortunes we have the excesses of chemicals, additives, colorants, desinfectants, cleaning agents, carciogenics, solvents, dusts, aso ... we progressively intake by air, food, water, and accumulate in all the world's animal or human foetus to be born, so a little rationale would help us all if we could reduce the presence of the overinduced (generally by publicity and big consortiums) necessity of overcleaning futilely.... i f.i. wonder if petroleum cleaning after a contamination of beaches would no be beter left to bacterias residing or returning to the sands beaches, instead of using other chemicals. petroleum is finally a "naturally" produced product always present underground, on the contrary modern chemicals used to clean heavy crude from beaches are toxic, but of course tourism industry on those beaches will never "wait" until worms or bacterias will have slowly cleaned the locally produced overexcess generated by human activity and greed.

To Thurston I'd like to say that I happen to be a well educated individual (with a master degree) and I happen to like to sit in the grass outside. I actually prefer to read books while outside, for that matter. There's nothing wrong with nature, you know.

Thurston, only a real hillbilly would know about the banjo 5 string Scrugg style. You don't fool us. You sound like a dirt farmer yourself. Be loud, be proud Thurston.

Thurston, are you serious? If you are, I'd prefer a hillbilly over a snooty "civilized intellectual class" any day. I'd suggest a barefoot walk in the cool, green grass to that stick out of your...I mean, to get your nose out of a book for a moment!

There are bacteria, then there are parasites, I don't think parasites are in the same class as bacteria in terms of our immune system. But you have to wash everything like crazy anyway.

The rotten raccoons that live around me by the thousands carry a parasite in their feces that is extremely dangerous to those under 5 (brain damage anyone?). The little buggers keep undoing the cover of our sandbox, which we religiously use to keep the cats from pooping in it. The poop, by itself isn't so dangerous; however, they carry another parasite which can cause toxoplasmosis. I think I have to get rid of the sandbox.
All you folks who say "I never get sick" probably don't have little kids in daycare. I have 3 kids (aged 3, 6 & 9) they have been in Daycare and school since the age of 1. All together my 2 older ones are exposed to 500 other kids in school and the younger is exposed to 10 other kids in Daycare.
We've experienced a rollercoaster of illness that continues to this day. Someone is always sick. My sister-in-law calls it a "River of Snot from October to April" and I can't disagree. Add in the gastrointestinal illnesses that come with small children in diapers spreading to the family and you get what I call the "Week-end Weight-loss wonder bugs". Those are now mostly over now that everyone is toilet trained. Add in the routine skin infections that always hit my middle daughter and the pink eye and its totally awesome laundry and bleach fest that hits our house like a chlorine wave at least once a month and I am tired. Oh yeah, did I mention the lice?
We've had a few of those too.
My point in all this is that without the hyper hygiene focus and city life as it is, you'll still get sick, no matter what.
My only solace came from the infectious disease specialist my hubby went to when he caught something from the kids, (caused his liver function to be out of sorts) he said. "You caught it from your kids, are they in daycare? Good, they're immune systems come out like iron"

h, come live in the city. Give up the hillbilly lifestyle. Come out to the Hampstons.

Let's be clear here about the difference between a "normal" infection and a pathogeic strain. Pathogenic strains are very well adapted to killing us. That is not so good for improving long term health. This is why we still need to vaccinate our kids, and treat people suffering from the deadlier infections.
But in the mean time, let your kid eat some dirt. *That* is probably good for him/her.

Stephen, "vaccinate our kids". Don't you know that vaccines have mercury that harms our children. I know that that is the reason that my son goes up the wall some times and other behaviors. President Bush vetoed a bill that would ban mercury in flu vaccines for children despite its known links to autism and other neurological disorders and despite the fact that he pledged in 2004 to support such a move when campaigning for re-election. (Bush is a member of the CFR)

Thurston Howe, you are very condescending. Don't knock living in the hills.

I've been saying this for years! Get those kids out in the dirt!

This article really flew over most of you people's heads. I laugh at your delusions of intellect. It's not saying that you can eat feces, and go though life not being clean whatsoever, it's simply saying that if you live your life in a flippin sterile bubble, and are never exposed to fairly common bacteria, it's probably going to make you sick when (not if) you are exposed to it.