Germophobia

[catherine]

Does anyone else feel that the current germophobia is antithetical to simple living? Don't get me wrong.. I don't appreciate living in filth, but IMO we've swung way too far the other way.

While I certainly expect doctors and nurses to wash their hands with antibacterial soap when they examine me, I think that people who carry around little hand sanitizers and use them with the fervor of an OCD sufferer is a little crazy. I notice in my work doing qualitative interviews, now the research facilities put out, not only water, but also hand sanitizer. Between interviews they come in with Clorox and swab down the table. I'm hesitant to even put out my hand to shake hands these days. And when I do interviews in which I have to pass materials to the doctors, I will typically make a show of sanitizing my hands just to make him/her feel more comfortable.

I believe in the hygiene theory that attributes some of the growth in allergies to us being "too clean." Also, my permaculture teacher was saying how studies have shown that when we put our hands in dirt, such as when we're gardening, we get a kick of endorphins. But these days, we're all about making sure our kids don't get dirty.

So--fear of germs: how much is too much? Where do you draw the line?

[ApatheticNoMore]

I was surprised to see people say they think bulk bins are unsanitary. I use the bulk bins all the time. I'm not very squeamish.

[sweetana3]

I dont have any issues with doctors and nurses being hyperclean and aware. There are some really bad germs that are spread by medical professionals and I want to avoid that. At home, pretty much anything goes. We are sort of "clean" but I am not afraid of germs. Anyone with pets needs that little ability to ignore most bacteria/germ fears. I mean we all know where the cat tongue has been.

I remember as a kid playing in dirt all the time, like the Peanut's character, and even tasting it. We did not wash our hands all the time at home or school.

[catherine]

I was surprised to see people say they think bulk bins are unsanitary. I use the bulk bins all the time. I'm not very squeamish.

Funny... I remember years ago being in a natural food store with my two "Irish twins" who were about 5 and 6 at the time. They were fascinated by the fresh peanut butter maker. A guy who looked kind of hippie-ish noticed them inspecting it.. and said, "This peanut butter is great! Try it!" and to demonstrate, he stuck his finger under the spout, snagged a big drip of peanut butter off, and licked it. Then he looked at them like, "You do it now!" They just had that "eew, gross!" look on their faces. But I never did hear of anyone getting sick from that peanut butter maker.

[JaneV2.0]

I agree completely. Unless you're Bubble Boy, you were meant to get out in the sun, get dirty, expose yourself to all kinds of pathogens (to build up immunity), and come home to a nice greasy mammoth steak. The mainstream media (and their advertisers) feed on the fears they generate in gullible consumers.

[CathyA]

I'm trying to be less grossed out by things. I think our immune systems do need the stimulation!

When DD got a bad case of mono when she was 18, I read up on it. It sounds like our teenagers get such bad symptoms from it because they aren't exposed to enough germs when they are young. Most people in other countries get the virus as babies, and have no symptoms then.
I do think we over-do "cleanliness" in the U.S. Its probably because if you convince people germs are everywhere, you can sell them anti-germ products.

Its hard to know where to draw the line. Plus, if you're raised to have a high "ick" factor with alot of things, its hard to lose that. I still can't go to a restaurant where I can see into the kitchen though. haha

[sweetana3]

Travel to countries like India and China will or should cure one of germ phobia. We followed normal rules like eat food hot and no salads and no one got sick for over 30 days (note that one the second day I was chowing down on salad at a buffet). I however became a vegetarian when I could not figure out what animal the bones came from. Luckily at the end of the trip is when I discovered how they test milk in cans for quality. (They stick their hands in it and see what it looks like dripping off.) I would still go back. In India, never ever ask to see the kitchen.

Oh, and in Egypt I have great photos of a cow carcas hung in the door of a butcher shop on the street and a cart laden with meat and covered in flies. Did not get sick there either other than a bad case of heat exhaustion. Americans have such worries.

[watergoddess]

Agree. I'm convinced that many of my food intolerances and my body's exaggerated responses are due to many doses of antibiotics and other very strong drugs taken over the years which have wreaked havoc with my system. Ironic, since I was born in a village without electricity, indoor plumbing or any medical establishment of any sort. And I was a very healthy child in that environment. Now it seems every little thing makes me sick. My poor body.

[Wildflower]

They always say wash your hands thoroughly and you won't get sick. Well, I do and still I seem to get every bug or virus going around. It's crazy.

I was on low dose chemo years ago. I washed my hand 24/7 like they told me to do. I still had some type of infection the entire time....if you're on chemo it's hard to even go out in public cause you'll pay a price for it.

[treehugger]

I was on low dose chemo years ago. I washed my hand 24/7 like they told me to do. I still had some type of infection the entire time....if you're on chemo it's hard to even go out in public cause you'll pay a price for it.

There are definitely real reasons and situations where more than hand washing with plain soap is necessary. Patients on chemo and dialysis and those with HIV are examples of that. All the more reason for the rest of us to practice smart (rather than extremist) hygiene and allow our healthy immune systems do their jobs. Healthy people overusing antibiotics and hyper-cleaning hurts society at large and makes daily living harder for the immuno-compromised.

I have certainly seen though that this is a topic that defies logic. I know plenty of smart, otherwise logical people who are germophobes, and all the statistics available will never convince them that they don't need anti-bacterial soap for daily use or that paper towels are not "more sanitary" than reusable hand towels (i.e., healthy people don't actually get sick from using a non-disposable towel), etc.

Kara