Sunday, November 18, 2007

I Know You Are A Grown Up But You Still Need To Remember To Wash Your Hands

Photo found here.


With all the concerns about spreading staph infections I thought it was a good time to remind ourselves of one simple strategy for helping us to stay healthy. This one is an easy one but there are things you should know about. This may be a refresher for some but I bet a lot of you are going to learn at least one thing you didn't know. Below is an article by Dr. Mercola with some good points to remember.


Wash Your Hands

Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. If your immune system is strong, it should be able to fight off the virus if it does enter your body, but washing your hands provides a bit of extra protection.

Be sure you don’t use antibacterial soap for this--antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. You can read my recent article on hygiene mistakes for more information.

Instead of antibacterial soap, identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to. Local health food stores typically carry a variety of natural soaps.

You may have noticed that I didn’t mention getting a flu shot. This is because the flu shot, and the newly released FluMist nasal vaccine, are not the answer to avoiding the flu.

The "experts" will use fear to motivate people to get a flu vaccine, but this is yet another health care illusion. Let's be clear, flu can definitely be a killer disease and is not something that should be easily dismissed. But, remember that flu shots don't prevent illness--never have, never will.

The flu vaccine can actually weaken the immune system and make you more predisposed to the illness. And the side effects of FluMist, cough, runny nose/nasal congestion, irritability, headaches, chills, muscle aches and fever, sound just like the symptoms of the flu. If you decide to get the nasal flu vaccine, you will get not only a live flu virus in each dose but also table sugar and MSG, which are fraught with their own problems.

Plus, research has shown an increased risk of Bell palsy following intranasal flu vaccination, according to the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS). The makers of the nasal flu vaccine in the study decided not to market it the following season due to the risk. According to GACVS, the greater risk of Bell palsy following immunization with this vaccine may have been due to specific vaccine components, or simply to use of the intranasal administration route. It is therefore possible that such complications of vaccine administration may also apply to other nasal vaccines.

The flu vaccine, whether in the shot or nasal form, is worthless at best and should be avoided. Not only are they loaded with toxic chemicals including mercury and aluminum, but many people come down with the flu shortly after receiving the shot. This is because it actually weakens the immune system, making the person more predisposed to the illness. I have never received a flu shot and haven?t missed a day of work due to illness in over 20 years.

The bottom line is to lead a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating right, exercising, getting adequate sleep, and addressing stressors, year round. Again, consider reading my new book and implementing my diet and health program into your life (the book is guaranteed for life or your money back!) If you do, chances are you'll never have to worry about coming down with the flu.



In another article he said the following......


Don't Use Antibacterial Soap


Somewhere along the way the public began to believe that regular soap wasn't good enough--they needed antibacterial soap. Well, antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good.

Triclosan, an antibacterial compound that acts as the active ingredient in most antibacterial soap, not only kills bacteria, it also has been shown to kill human cells (Eur J Oral Sci 1998 Apr;106:628-36). Antibacterial compounds are in nearly half of all soaps sold in the United States, which is likely contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Many traditional medical circles now accept the hygiene hypothesis, which centers on the idea that children need to be exposed to some bacteria in early childhood in order to strengthen their immune systems. Children who are not exposed to common bacteria, which are wiped out by antibacterial soap, may be more prone to allergies and asthma.

This is not to say that you shouldn't wash your hands, only that you shouldn't wash them with antibacterial soap. It would be wise to identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to. Local health food stores typically carry a variety of natural soaps.

1 comment:

Shannon said...

Great info! Thanks for passing it on! I also have never received the flu shot and never will.