Anyone else think we are over sanitizing ourselves into getting sick more often?

As a teacher of many years and a foster parent I can tell you that children or not only sick more often now but have more health issues today. New teachers don't seem able to build up their defense the why we older ones have. They take a lot more sick days than the older teachers and at the same time over using the Germ-X. Can't say why but we are more sick more often. When cold season get here I start taking Air Health with my vitamin and wash my hands often, eat well and go to the gym. I can not remember the last sick day I took. (I teach a PMD class so I come in more direct contact with my students than most teachers).

I think there may be something to this. I read last week a study showed sanitizers only had a small impact to prevent transmission of viruses. That they were mainly transmitted airborne. We still need to wash our hands frequently. There is so much more going on than a bottle of sanitizer. If we are all less healthy do to the amount of unhealthy chems in our environment, what we eat and drink, affecting our immune system, then we are all more subsceptible to illness, sanitizers or not.

I completely agree, for two reasons.

First, the presence of bacteria can cause some illness, but also causes out bodies to create antibodies and fight these "invaders". Less bacteria means we are more susceptible and have less defenses.

Secondly, although alluring, "anti-bacterial soap" can be harmful. By it's own nature, it only kills 99.98% of bacteria - leaving behind only the "Super Bacteria" that are resistant to otc chemicals - with only these left in your sink/on your hands/ etc, they breed exclusively and leave stronger strains of bacteria.

:)