Is too much cleanliness making us ill?

I agree; we all need a certain amount of germs in our lives in order for our bodies to learn how to resist them.

There is too much scaremongering these days about cleanliness.

Yes, I think so. We are way too clean these days - all those anti bac products do us no good in the long term. While these products may well kill all those bad bugs, they don't differentiate between bugs, they just kill off 99.9 pc of any bugs. This leaves us no exposure to all those bugs and because we don't get that exposure, we cannot build up any resistance to them. So, when we do come across one, we can get sick.

While there are situations where cleanliness and sterility is vital - such as in hospitals, operating theres etc - in a normal, domestic setting, we shouldn't really be scrubbing it down to the point of getting rid of all bugs entirely.

Of course, bugs do get immune or find ways round our chemicals and medicines and develop into worse things, that is simply a natural reaction to the situations they find themselves in - evolution, if you like. Our cleanliness obsession may have added to these super bugs, but often it is simply a bugs own way of survival of the species. Added to the fact they can get resistant to drugs - this is greatly helped by people not taking a full course of antibiotics, for example.

I only use antibac cleansers on a rare occasion. The majority of the time I just wipe down my worktops with the dishwash sponge. I wash my hands with plain soap and water. I never defrost a chicken in a fridge, it sits out on the worktop till defrosted. I used to have a cat, who would walk over the worktops. I probably could go on, all the 'rules' I break. I have never had any ill effects, no food poisonings, nothing. I too am rarely ill, maybe just the odd cold now and again.

I'm not saying be completely grubby, basic hygiene and common sense is enough for me. As for staving off the cold and flu, well that can be hard to do even if you take decent precautions - all it takes is for some flu ridden person to sneeze in front of you on a bus or somewhere. I doubt an anti bac tissue will help you then!

Yes.

When a baby pig is born the first thing it does is rub it's nose in the dirt. It never gets ill because it quickly develops anti-bodies and builds up an immunity to any disease which may be lurking about in the sty where it lives with mum.

I never use warm air hand dryers and instead wipe my hands on my handkerchief this then gets snorted into by my nose and etc.

People are scared stiff of getting something, when actually if they ate something which fell on the floor of their own kitchen it might even to do them some good.

You'll note that the human child in the early part of life is close to the ground, actually crawling about on it. There is a reason for this. The child is into everything and soon starts building an immune system of it's own.

There's nothing wrong with having the jabs by the way, and the reason why is because Hooping Cough is back big time - something we've not heard since the 1940s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIV460AQUWk

Whooping cough is a killer.

London UK 261012.2005

Bacteria such as Salmonella and e.Coli need all of the following to grow:

- Moisture

- Protein

- Oxygen (not relevant for anaerobic bacteria, but needed for most)

- Neutral pH

- Time

- Temperature (bacteria grow fastest between 5 and 60C)

So, it's actually quite difficult (though not impossible) for your work-top to stay contaminated as it is missing some of these key components. But dishcloths are susceptible as they can meet all the requirements.

You could cause cross-contamination if you wipe down a work-top (without any sort of detergent), prepare a high-protein food (such as meat or cheese) on there reasonably soon afterwards, and then allow time for the bacteria to develop on the food.

This unfortunately is more of a consideration for restaurants as there is often more of a time lag between food preparation and food consumption.

Humans consume millions of bacteria on their food every day - and even deliberately consume some such as probiotic drinks. It's only when the nasty bacteria get to dangerous levels that problems start happening.

I believe the reason we use so much of these products is because we don't use enough soap and water too many people fail to wash their hands after using the toilet, and before we prepare food, basic cleanliness is all we need.You are correct we do need a certain amount of contact with germs so our immune system can build up.

I use dish clothes and t cloths but always make sure their are washed in bleach, I use one in my bathroom and another for the kitchen.

Supermarkets sell these products simply to make money,if people used basic cleaning there would be no need for all these products.MRSA is caused by nurses and doctors dirty practices,I was in hospital recently and watched as two consultants and a registra walked from one patient to another not once washing their hands.

I watched as one of the Surgeons came onto the ward with his scrubs again without washing his hands. Nurses wear their uniforms between home and the hospital surely not the correct procedure especially as one who arrived at the hospital in a car dropped off by husband she hugged her dog before entering the hospital,any wonder MRSA is rife.Perhaps as you say we are obsessed with our health but basic cleanliness is a must in hospital our homes and where ever food is prepared too many times I've seen people in food halls smoking outside then prepping food without washing their hands or sticking their fingers in their mouths putting their fingers inside cup and glasses.

i think we need to come into contact with dirt and germs to build up our immunity.

I work in a public place and im in contact with hundreds of people every day, and I must breath in the germs through the air conditioning all the time.

Im very rarely ill, even with colds, i believe ive built up a good immunity over the years.

it been proven that children who have been brought up on farms, have the best immunity of all.

But I still believe that we need to keep our homes and surfaces clean of germs.

Just dont go over the top.

Everyone's immune system is different. Some people never seem to get infections, whereas others seem to be sick all the time. As people get older, they usually become immune to more germs as the immune system comes into contact with more and more of them. That's why adults and teens tend to get fewer colds than kids — their bodies have learned to recognize and immediately attack many of the viruses that cause colds.

That said common sense tells you to wash our hands after going to the loo,clean veg before using,change sponges and dishcloths frequently.No sense in going looking for germs but being overly fastidious to the point of obsession would b as much to our detriment as being 'manky' all the time.

They reckon the rise in asthma could be down to being too clean.We need to come up against

germs throughout our lives to build up immunity.

We have to strike a balance.

You are correct. We have good germs that live on our skin and helps battle infection. By using antibacterial everything, you're killing these good germs. Also, by being exposed to germs and getting sick, our bodies can build up a natural immunity to them, much the way vaccinations do. If we're never exposed to it, we don't build up those immunities. I've been a nurse in pediatrics for 7 years and I have never gotten sick from the kids, I also don't have antibacterial anything I use. All you need is good hand washing habits, regular soap and running water. That's all.

I think you're on to something. My own opinion is that the immune system works like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. But I am not a medical professional, so take that for what it's worth.

You might also want to look up information on the Hygiene Hypothesis. Basically, it says that by keeping babies excessively clean, and keeping them from coming in contact with normal dirt, dust, dander, pet fur, etc, we never let their immune systems come to realize that these are normal, every day items. Later, when the kids to come in contact with it, their immune systems overreact, and thus trigger allergic reactions.

In Massachussetts -- 1600s -- people were coming as settlers to America. The gutter rats, the lowborn types did very well for themselves in the health department, they were used to the hardship and germs. The highborn, wealthy folk who made the trip over very often did not survive, they were too clean and pampered, they cold not handle the germs and hardship.

I know it may sound silly but I also think central heating made us into weaklings.

Cold houses killed off nasty bugs.

Growing up in a house without heating except for the range in the kitchen & an open-fire in the lounge.

That was it, in a fairly draft-proof 1940s detached house near the moors.

I never caught colds & coughs, like I do now.