HEALTH

Caution: Killing Germs May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Our war on microbes has toughened them. Now, new science tells us we should embrace bacteria.

By Jerry Adler and Jeneen Interlandi | NEWSWEEK

Oct 29, 2007 Issue

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Discuss

Posted By: nobody22202 @ 03/01/2008 4:03:06 PM

Comment: Im not a biology major yet, but your essay includes pretty good evidence to back up your beliefe, weather it be a theory or not. Until Crazy Horse (what a name by the way) can come up with a better essay that is more believable, i think horses shouldnt critice a well written paper. Dont take this comment as a insult of your intelegence CRAZYHORSE, merely a challenge.
P.S.
Try to be a little more open minded next time you read, and you may learn a few things.
Posted By: Lebowski @ 02/25/2008 3:08:17 PM

Comment: These hooligans below me are such fools. they dont appreciate the true power of germs and how much of an affect they have on this community. We must UNITE against people like this and spread our knowledge to people who care.
Posted By: jcizzle666 @ 02/25/2008 3:05:39 PM

Comment: what r u a racist?
- Posted By: cherrytree111 @ 02/25/2008 15:06:12
  
  Comment: yes
  - Posted By: jcizzle666 @ 02/25/2008 15:08:07
    
    Comment: DONT BE A SMART ASS, ILL CREAM YOUR MOTHER F***EN ASS. THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPELS YOU B****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted By: cherrytree111 @ 02/25/2008 3:02:33 PM

Comment: idk my bff jill?
Posted By: jcizzle666 @ 02/25/2008 3:02:03 PM

Comment: word, what iz wit all da hate in da world? why cant bacteria and humans just get along?
Posted By: cherrytree111 @ 02/25/2008 2:59:32 PM

Comment: nm homie dear lord baby jesus
Posted By: jcizzle666 @ 02/25/2008 2:58:57 PM

Comment: yo cherrytree111, what up homie?!?!?!
Posted By: jcizzle666 @ 02/25/2008 2:57:37 PM

Comment: yo dawg, whatz crackin?!?!
Posted By: cherrytree111 @ 02/25/2008 2:54:08 PM

Comment: OMG!!! LOL!! jkjkjkjkjk rofl tmi idk my bff jill
Posted By: BrettJ @ 11/07/2007 7:55:44 AM

Comment: How about we go along with this freakshow and stop sanitizing abattoirs worldwide! I'm sure we'll all be the stronger for it! It would be great on an evolutionary level to have the indigestion of a Hyena!
Posted By: BrettJ @ 11/07/2007 7:52:15 AM

Comment: How about we go along with this freakshow and stop sanitizing abbatoirs worldwide! I'm sure we'll all be the stronger for it! It would be great on an evolutionary level to have the indigestion of a Hyena!
Posted By: Marjory @ 10/29/2007 2:06:25 PM

Comment: Wow what a great article and kind of scary to think the drugs we take can actually be bad for us. Reading it reminded me of all the natural cures I have in my cabinet and I looked up information on the olive leaf as it is supposed to eliminate the bad bacteria without destroying the good stuff as mentioned in the article. I think there are lots of natural cures available and I with Newsweek had mentioned some of the others as well.
Posted By: Marjory @ 10/29/2007 2:05:43 PM

Comment: Wow what a great article and kind of scary to think the drugs we take can actually be bad for us. Reading it reminded me of all the natural cures I have in my cabinet and I looked up information on the olive leaf as it is supposed to eliminate the bad bacteria without destroying the good stuff as mentioned in the article. I think there are lots of natural cures available and I with Newsweek had mentioned some of the others as well.
Posted By: Robert1947 @ 10/26/2007 7:05:44 AM

Comment: Vitamin D is a powerful antibiotic that kills superbugs.
See http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/newsletter/2006-june-july.shtml
Posted By: louliejo @ 10/25/2007 1:20:58 PM

Comment: This gives new meaning to nature vs. nurture. It's neither; its about your microboes! Could explain why identical twins raised apart have such similar cravings.
Posted By: lauriehess @ 10/24/2007 10:42:44 PM

Comment: My daughter is almost 21 years old and when she was a child, "superbugs" were known. Medical advice then was not to give antibiotics automatically with a cold or flu, as had been done, creating the superbugs. I am surprised this is still an issue 20 years later.
While living in Springfield Missouri 12 years ago, I encountered a mother who told her daughter to take one of the antibiotics in the medicine cabinet. I.e., they did not complete their course of antibiotics, also creating a resistant strain of bacteria.
Posted By: lauriehess @ 10/24/2007 10:41:56 PM

Comment: My daughter is almost 21 years old and when she was a child, "superbugs" were known. Medical advice then was not to give antibiotics automatically with a cold or flu, as had been done, creating the superbugs. I am surprised this is still an issue 20 years later.
While living in Springfield Missouri 12 years ago, I encountered a mother who told her daughter to take one of the antibiotics in the medicine cabinet. I.e., they did not complete their course of antibiotics, also creating a resistant strain of bacteria.
Posted By: lauriehess @ 10/24/2007 10:41:00 PM

Comment: My daughter is almost 21 years old and when she was a child, "superbugs" were known. Medical advice then was not to give antibiotics automatically with a cold or flu, as had been done, creating the superbugs. I am surprised this is still an issue 20 years later.
While living in Springfield Missouri 12 years ago, I encountered a mother who told her daughter to take one of the antibiotics in the medicine cabinet. I.e., they did not complete their course of antibiotics, also creating a resistant strain of bacteria.
Posted By: hollymop @ 10/24/2007 10:40:04 PM

Comment: All I can say is - Duh!! It took this long for suposedly intelligent scientists to figure this out??? This should be just plain simple logic. The immune system is like your muscles or any other part of your body. If it doesn't get a good workout - it gets weak. It is the "germaphobes" out there that don't get it. There is good general sanitation (and hospitals should clean up their act ), but to clear up a mis-conception - studies have shown that it isn't the bathrooms, floors or surgical instruments in a hospital that are the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that the nurses and doctors forget to wash there hands! That is the very first thing you are taught about infection - it spreads if you don't wash your hands.
However - when it comes to resistant bacteria - there is the fact that there are some people that just don't understand simple biology. If the human body was meant to be "germ free" our entire digestive system wouldn't work the way it does! However - I am not surprised that so many think the best way to kill something is to bleach it to death. Well - I have news for you. I have actually SEEN mold and bacteria growing in a bleach soution!! How?? I'll tell you how. The organisms ADAPTED so that they could survive! It's what they do. It's ALL they do. Life finds a way....period. That means you have to use the way the body works naturally to combat these germs. It is a living organism, too. It can fight a great many things better its own way. It is an amazing system that we don't even fully understand, but somehow we seem to think we can improve on it. So far - that line of thinking hasn't worked out so well.
Posted By: pumpkin1217 @ 10/24/2007 10:39:01 PM

Comment: Oh please. MRSA is something that has been around now and is just as dangerous as the flu. And unless you are a wrestler or football player *and* the locker room is a biohazardous waste area you have no real reason to worry if you just wash your hands once in a while. Simple sanitation can keep you from getting sick. And by the way small children are likely to put things in their mouths that shouldn't be there and Germ-X stays on your hands for a while. So you may have one more reason there to not let your children use waterless soaps.
Posted By: JPhokie @ 10/24/2007 10:29:35 PM

Comment: My only problem with this article is that the title implies that this is news. Anyone who has logical reasoning and does not have OCD would know that germs are not necessarily bad for you. Yes, some of them are. But if you are exposed to germs properly, you will have a much better immune system than people who constantly disinfect everything. Growing up, my house was always clean but not germ free and I haven't been sick since I was very young. I honestly have to blame all the cleaning companies who jumped on the "germs are bad" bandwagon and made every cleaning product under the sun to get rid of bacteria. While I do feel that several parents are too protective about their children getting germs, I would not blame them. There are so many advertisements saying that germs are bad. What about the commercial that says "even when someone in the house isn't sick, bacteria is still being transferred" with all the gross squiggly "germs" spreading all over everything? That commercial is almost gross enough to make me want to go disinfect everything. But guess what, this article is correct! We need bacteria to stay healthy and this is not something that was just discovered.
- Posted By: CrazyHorse @ 02/25/2008 20:55:39
  
  Comment: im not shure that thats accurate, if people didn't think that germs were necessarily bad for you, "Germ-X" would not have been invented
Posted By: krysv @ 10/24/2007 10:29:27 PM

Comment: most of us grew up with out all the antibactrial junk and we were all just fine. What happened to soap and water, and children being able to play in and eat dirt. I grew up getting to live life with out wondering what germs I may have touched. Where went the fun days of getting to experience life even touching nasty junk on the ground, bugs and even dog poop. We have replaced all this with antibactrials and we've weakened our immune systems
Posted By: krysv @ 10/24/2007 10:25:30 PM

Comment: Hello most of us grew up without all this antibacterial stuff and we survived. What happened to kids playing in the dirt, eating it, touching everything from bugs to dog poop. People have becomed too crazed with all of this antibacterial junk. Yeah it may be good but it is weakening our immune systems.
Posted By: ZZNBMommie @ 10/24/2007 10:22:54 PM

Comment: I had to write a letter to my daughters school, and print out my "so called" proof of why I would not allow her to use GermX in kindergarten. I told them that a good hand washing would sufice and that in no way was she to use this. Oh ho ho looks like I was right! I also allow her to run a low grade fever, with out providing fever reducer (duh, our bodies produce fevers to kill the infections), I don't allow her doctor to prescribe antibiotics and while every other child in her class was out last week with the stomach flu she was one of two other children in attendance. Side note, the other children are from places in the world where over sanititation has not taken effect and their parents are also not "germaphobes"
- Posted By: JPhokie @ 10/24/2007 22:35:17
  
  Comment: To go along with this comment, I recently graduated college where I lived in a dorm for two years and an apartment with one person the other two years. Germs never bothered me; I know we need them for our immune systems. While in the dorm my first year, the flu was going around right before finals. Almost everyone on my hall was in bed for at least two days because of it. I was one of only a few people who did not get sick. I finally had a few symptoms but they were no worse than a minor cold.
Posted By: hollymop @ 10/24/2007 10:10:46 PM

Comment: Well - all I can say is - Duh!!! It took all this time for scientists to figure that out?? This should NOT be a surprise - it's just plain, simple logic. Your immune system is like your muscles or any other system in your body. If it doesn't get a good workout - it gets weak. Again - Duh!!!
Posted By: Sissie @ 10/24/2007 10:07:39 PM

Comment: That is the most insane notion that people are carrying around MRSA! This is a "superbug" that kills and so called "experts" are misleading people as to the seriousness of this disease. This is NOT the same bacteria that people carry around on their bodies and it is certainly NOT normal flora. Over protection is not the problem here. The problem is that we have some "experts" who are idiots and instead of taking responsibility for what they do not know, they are making an attempt to mislead the public into thinking these bacteria are normal flora. The article may be well-written but it is filled with ignorance. The best way for mothers and fathers to handle this "superbug" is prevention. Also, hospitals are going to have to clean up their nasty floors, bathrooms, patients' rooms, surgical rooms and equipments, etc. There needs to be constant cleaning with a clorax solution daily, all day. This nastiness is going to have to go and scientists need to start doing their jobs and stop blaming mothers for over protecting their children! That ignorance is dangerous and fatal!
Posted By: OOLTEWAHCABIN @ 10/24/2007 10:01:36 PM

Comment: EVERYONE'S CHEMICAL MAKEUP IS DIFFERENT. THIS SUMMER MY HUSBAND WAS ATTACKED EACH TIME HE EMERGED FROM THE CAR BY MISQUITOS. THEY ENCIRCLED HIM HE COULD NOT GET AWAY THEY WENT UNDER HIS PANTS LEG AND DOWN HIS SHIR T. BUT THEY NEVER BOTHERED ME AT ALL EVEN IF I WAS STANDING NEXT TO HIM STRANGER THAN FICTION.
Posted By: OOLTEWAHCABIN @ 10/24/2007 9:58:25 PM

Comment: everyone is different . this summer my husband got attacked by misquitos each time he emereged from the car. they never bothered me at all . something about him attracted them to him but not me wonder why. they would even for under his pants leg and down his shirt it has been really strange
Posted By: ralphboston @ 10/24/2007 9:38:19 PM

Comment: Modern, pharmaceutical American medicine is killing all of us, slowly but surely. I have just had a bout with acid reflux, a few small ulcers and gastritis. I was ruled negative for H. Pylori, and now I'm thinking this may not be such a good thing. I have eschewed my primary care physician and gastroenterologist - both working at a major Boston hosptial - for a chiropractic naturopath. She cured me (and readjusted my entire skeletal system without any painful treatments) of most of my gastro symptoms in 6 weeks with a digestive enzyme supplement after ordering me to stop taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) , which I did, with haste, as they were making me worse. I'm sure my stomach had been deprived of necessary microbes by the PPIs, as well as all the ridiculous diets I tried. I truly believe that the enzymes I am taking are working in tandem with natural bacteria in my stomach to promote a natural balance, and I feel better than I've felt in years.. On another note, I watch with horror as young mothers are bacterially over- protective of their children who will be prey to all types of diseases once they venture into the public with no natural microbial defenses. There is no talkiing to these young mothers, however, even as more and more of them are watching their children suffer from uncanny alergies, asthma and mysterious aliments. I have no answer for them, unfortunately, primarily because they are not asking - they believe they are totally right disinfecting everthing include the air breathed in by their kids. They are creating the disinfected and thus unprotected environments in which their children live, and through which they are being weakened. By the way, I totally agree with J B Stahl that this article was exceptionally written.
Posted By: Joseph B. Stahl @ 10/24/2007 8:55:37 PM

Comment: Never mind the content, which is excellent, this is an unusually well-written article, for which the authors deserve high praise..

JBrandeisS@msn.com
- Posted By: CrazyHorse @ 02/25/2008 20:50:33
  
  Comment: True
Posted By: Nessa @ 10/24/2007 8:36:57 PM

Comment: I am a fourty eight year old femaie which also got the MIRSA Staph infection. I got it from a eperderal that was done for a female surgery in September 2006 at Riverside Hospital. I went through three IV antibotics which I was allergic to all. The last one took my muscle and desire for food away. I was unable to hold anything down or in me. I took three times a day IV meds to allow my liquids to stay with me. Lets get more involved in our own health care like I had to for Family Doctors don't always listen. Thanks for William Coker , Dermatologist got me to the Right Doctor and I am doing well today.
Posted By: TexasTruBlu @ 10/24/2007 8:19:10 PM

Comment: This isn't anything particularly new. Studies have shown that children who are raised with pets in the home are less likely to suffer from animal allergies. If we allow our children to become exposed to the lower less toxic levels of microbes, then their immune systems learn how to deal with them efficiently. And the side effects of antibiotics go far beyond just superbugs. My son has dental problems that can be laid directly at the feet of over zeralous use of anitbiotics at a crucial stage in his infancy.
Posted By: wytnyt55 @ 10/24/2007 8:03:20 PM

Comment: These contaminants may be plentiful, but you don't need to be bombarded by them. Especially with kids around, as anyone knows that they can spread germs faster than greased lightning. Dr. James Marsden, Regents Distinguished Professor of Food Safety and Security at Kansas State University has shown, after estensive testing, that the environmental technology that I carry can eliminate 99.99% of airborne and surface pathogens, including MRSA, and a whole host of others too numerous to mention here. For more info, email me at wytnyt55@freedomin4steps.com.
Posted By: kate hutson @ 10/24/2007 7:58:14 PM

Comment: a month ago i was working as a flight attendant and a coworker flying with me told me she had MRSA. I didnt think any thing about it.She told me i couldnt get.Now hearing every thing about it and how severe it is i am woundering if she should be flying?
Posted By: angelbabybedding_com @ 10/24/2007 7:52:50 PM

Comment: I think sanitizing the most harmful or most bacterial places in the community and the home is a very good idea. I have raised my children on fruits and vegetables, vitamins and a heck of a lot of brita water. My daughter (9 years old) has had one cold (NOT treated with antibiotics) and my son( 5 ) has never been sick. Definately wash hands a lot. Build the immune system with the proper diet and exercise; and when sick try hard not to use antibiotics. I do not believe the way to a healthy immune is to live in filth.
Posted By: Kdodge423 @ 10/24/2007 7:25:16 PM

Comment: I have been trying to tell people this for years! Back in school, I was the only one never sick (and essentially still am- maybe a cold a year). Do I use sanitizers? NO! I was a college student- do you think my place was disinfected? Ha, yeah right (maybe where the beer or random shot was spilled). You have to let your body build its immune system, just like you would if you were lifting weights. You don't automatically think you can lift 400 lbs. from the get go there, so why would you think if you keep all the little things away your body will be able to handle a serious threat?
- Posted By: gleno @ 10/24/2007 20:53:27
  
  Comment: im the same im never sick i do get a cold once a year but thats it im 43 and not seen a doctor in over 15 years as for meat i like a little raw hambuger i just take a some out of the pack and eat it
  it never made me sick i like it
  Saliva E. coli is bull its not the meat its you
  - Posted By: CrazyHorse @ 02/25/2008 20:40:40
    
    Comment: who are you, a wayman, to criticise a study done by people infinitely more qualified to talk about the subject than you?
Posted By: Kdodge423 @ 10/24/2007 7:24:28 PM

Comment: I have been trying to tell people this for years! Back in school, I was the only one never sick (and essentially still am- maybe a cold a year). Do I use sanitizers? NO! I was a college student- do you think my place was disinfected? Ha, yeah right (maybe where the beer or random shot was spilled). You have to let your body build its immune system, just like you would if you were lifting weights. You don't automatically think you can lift 400 lbs. from the get go there, so why would you think if you keep all the little things away your body will be able to handle a serious threat?
Posted By: marbleworksawalke15 @ 10/24/2007 7:06:05 PM

Comment: The author is a poet - "Their ancestors began colonizing you the moment you came into the world, inches from the least sanitary part of your mother's body, and their descendants will have their final feast on your corpse, and join you in death." I would not try to live without them, I could just eat them up"!!
Posted By: marbleworksawalke15 @ 10/24/2007 7:04:07 PM

Comment: It is as though we are one symbiotic community - we need the bacteria, and many of them need us. The author of this article is a poet - "Their ancestors began colonizing you the moment you came into the world, inches from the least sanitary part of your mother's body, and their descendants will have their final feast on your corpse, and join you in death." Thank you for that !
Posted By: imagoro @ 10/24/2007 7:03:19 PM

Comment: Great article Jerry Adler. The only problem I had with it, is that it seemed to sensationalize the misinformed fact that we should embrace all bacteria. The subtitle of the peice lends itself to that idea. I understand that it is meant to hook readers but informing the reader is also important and these days many people skim rather than read. It doesn't seem to be really stated matter of factly that "researchers now believe the key is exposure to a wide range of harmless germs" until page 4. Many people still don't understand this. We need to understand that our relationship with bacteria is a complicated one and that antibacterial products are not bad because they kill bacteria in general but because they kill both bad and good bacteria without distinction. Unfortunately I think it was not "a brief vogue for intentionally exposing youngsters to disease" but something that is still very popular. Other than this point, I thoroughly enjoyed the article. Thanks!
Posted By: imagoro @ 10/24/2007 6:55:58 PM

Comment: Great piece Jerry Adler. I found this very interesting. But I think you are helping to perpetuate the idea that all bacteria should be embraced by your subtitle "new science tells us we should embrace bacteria". Maybe it would have been more apt to say "new science tells us we should embrace good (or helpful?) bacteria". It wasn't until page 4 of the article that the fact was stated that "researchers now believe the key is exposure to a wide range of harmless germs". Unfortunately many people still believe that exposure to any kind of bacteria is helpful which caused as your article states "the brief vogue for intentionally exposing youngsters to disease". I don't really think this was a brief vogue, many parents and adults in general still don't understand that its not helpful to use antibacterial soaps and hand sanitizers not because it kills bacteria, which one should be exposed to, but because it kills both bad and good bacteria across the board. The complexity of the bacteria question is never really understood by most people and I think journalists and scientists should do their best to lay out the truth of the situation. While I understand that the more sensational a title you create the more readers you will attract, I think that mentality should be balanced with a commitment to informing the populace. Otherwise I found this to be a great informative article.
Posted By: Nian Li @ 10/24/2007 6:49:05 PM

Comment: A very interesting article! I am an acquaintance of a Daoist master named He, Binhui. I have been his student for over 3 years now. He is well known in China for medical qigong. One of the concepts he teaches is that we should learn to get along with bacteria, not try to wipe them out.

It is encouraging to learn of research and articles being published in JAMA that supports this notion. It is also gratifying to learn of these things in a major publication such as Newsweek.
Posted By: penny'sthoughts @ 10/24/2007 6:48:32 PM

Comment: The Pediatrician I had 40 years ago knew what she was talking about when she told me it was not necessary to sterilize everything around the children..she said they needed to build their won resistance to germs nd bacteria.
If the children were sick she did not give them antibiotics unless it was really necessary.
Today Parents insist on antibiotics thinking they are the cure all....
Look at how many "Anti Bacterial" products are sold, not giving our children the opportunity to
build up their own defense.
Posted By: Nian Li @ 10/24/2007 6:42:22 PM

Comment: This is a very interesting article. I am an acquaintance of a Daoist master named He, Binhui. I have been a student of his for over 3 years now. He is well known for medical qigong in China. Part of the training he gives is the idea that it is better to be exposed to the bacteria and "get along" with them than to try and wipe them out.. It is encouraging to see articles like these at all...and more so in a major publication like Newsweek..
Posted By: nvsmom @ 10/24/2007 6:31:05 PM

Comment: It was a good article, and the first that I have read that backs up what I have always said, " If you kill all the germies in and around you...how do expect your body to fight off the bad ones?" I was raised a country girl! Played in the trees, fields, grasses, ponds and with all of the animals. I licked the salt blocks left for the neighbors cows, drank out of the trough where our horses drank and ate my sandwich sitting on the low rail in side our pig pen. I never missed a day of school due to illness. EVER! I have never had the flu! EVER! I have two colds a year. One when the season changes in the fall and the second in the spring when it changes again (heck, could be allergies). You may think its gross, but I still do not wash my hands after I use the rest room. (My mother taught me to pee in the toilet, not on my hands!!!!!). Why would I? If I do, do you think I have made myself sterile in a public restroom? As soon as the soap has rinsed away, and I dry them....guess what? A million germs have just settled back on them. Warm and still slightly damp from washing, what a perfect place for germs to grow. Everything you touch, every where you breath and everything you eat and drink has some form of germ or bacteria. I for one am a clean person. I harbor no serious health threat to you or your children. On the contrary, you are probably carrying or harboring for more bad stuff because you have killed all the good. I have never bought one of the gel sanitizers...never will. I laugh at people that i see wiping down handles and shopping carts and walk away, shaking my head and thinking you are nuts if you think you are protecting yourself or your kids by sanitizing yours every time you around people (or animals). Get a grip, people! Don't let the government turn you into an idiot so they can sell you so stupid product. Use your common sense....ya know, the brain inside your pretty little heads. Obviously, if you have a cold...stay home, I don't want it. If you have a disease (cancer, COPD, and the such) take care and cover your mouth and nose, I don't want to risk weakening your already delicate immune system. My kids are healthy (thank goodness) I don't swipe them down. I allow the germs to live because most of them protect them for the really bad ones. Thanks for letting me have my say.
- Posted By: CrazyHorse @ 02/25/2008 20:35:55
  
  Comment: did you say the GOVERMENT would turn you into an idot so they (the goverment) can SELL you products? Do you realize that the goverment does NOT sell soap? Also, cancer is non communatible genius, you dont need to cover your mouth and nose unless you just don't want other people to see your tumors.
Posted By: literati408 @ 10/24/2007 6:09:21 PM

Comment: Endthesickness--I applaud your overall message, but some of what you said is misleading. Colds are viruses (the rhinovirus), NOT bacteria--two completely different organisms. Antibiotics are specifically for killing bacteria. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics, because they are not bacteria. Using a cold as part of your argument against over-prescription of antiobiotics is noble, but only if you know the reason why. Yes, your body will pull through a cold just fine on its own, but not because you leave antibiotics alone--it'll pull through on its own because cold VIRUSES have been around long enough to have become a lot less serious than they used to be.
Posted By: literati408 @ 10/24/2007 6:04:39 PM

Comment: Wow, Justmethinking--you are so far behind, you think you're first. Give you any open forum, and I'll bet you have something anti-gay to say. What's next--pumpkin carving? Go back to school, take a science course or two. Blood, mucus, tissue, and babies come out of vaginas. Mucus, vomit, bile, and saliva come out of mouths. Bacteria are everywhere and have been for a lot longer than we have (although something tells me you don't believe that, either). I'll also bet you have no idea how many billions of microscopic mites there are in your carpeting, drapes, and dishtowels...or your eyelashes. The media are getting tired of reporting the same old thing every day, so of course they're going to jump on the one or two studies that--shiver me timbers--report a rise in ANYTHING, be it bedbugs or staph infections. There's something alarmist about it, sure, but no more so than usual. How many people do you know who contracted SARS? Perhaps you should take your head out of your own "out hole" long enough to stop prattling on about what other people put in theirs. Ignorance like yours is the only real filth in this world.
- Posted By: sienna1300 @ 10/24/2007 19:04:01
  
  Comment: Wow, literati408---you assume Justmethinking does not accept the evolutionary process as a scientific fact because he displayed a certain amount of ignorance and/or intollerance? What kind of ignorance and/or intollerance have you just displayed with your assumption?
- Posted By: sienna1300 @ 10/24/2007 19:00:01
  
  Comment: Wow, literati408---you assume that Justmethinking must not accept evolution as a scientific fact because he displayed a certain amount of intollerance and/or ignorance? What type of intollerance and/or ignorance have you just displayed with that assumption?
Posted By: endthesickness @ 10/24/2007 5:51:53 PM

Comment: Ok, People I just have to say that this whole "MONSTER BUG" that is in the news seems to be bothering everyone. Well, I would like to enlighten everyone with this idea.....
STOP USING ALL THE LYSOL AND GERMEX....
Why might you ask.......
WELL...
Germs are nessary for the human body to build immunity...YES....
I said it , you need to touch a few door handles and even shake hands with a stranger and leave your hand ALONE.
The reason all of our children are at risk for this "SUPER BUG" is because the physicians are over prescribing ANTIBIOTICS.

SO......The next time you decide you are sick...and need some ANTIBIOTICS.....Think before you run to the Doctor for ANTIBIOTICS.

The reason ANTIBIOTICS are even subscribed is to "help your immune system pull through" but you see, the thing is, You likely to kick the cold you have all by yourself.

Fevers over 102 F , by all means go...but if your just feeling lousy, REST...
REST......REST
Your body is feeling like crap because its busy fighting off the cold you have.
Posted By: endthesickness @ 10/24/2007 5:49:44 PM

Comment: Ok, People I just have to say that this whole "MONSTER BUG" that is in the news seems to be bothering everyone. Well, I would like to enlighten everyone with this idea.....
STOP USING ALL THE LYSOL AND GERMEX....
Why might you ask.......
WELL...
Germs are nessary for the human body to build immunity...YES....
I said it , you need to touch a few door handles and even shake hands with a stranger and leave your hand ALONE.
The reason all of our children are at risk for this "SUPER BUG" is because the physicians are over prescribing ANTIBIOTICS.

SO......The next time you decide you are sick...and need some ANTIBIOTICS.....Think before you run to the Doctor for ANTIBIOTICS.

The reason ANTIBIOTICS are even subscribed is to "help your immune system pull through" but you see, the thing is, You likely to kick the cold you have all by yourself.

Fevers over 102 F , by all means go...but if your just feeling lousy, REST...
REST......REST
Your body is feeling like crap because its busy fighting off the cold you have.
Posted By: HidraGirl @ 10/24/2007 5:44:17 PM

Comment: People also need to be aware that if they are getting recurring boils they may have Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). HS is often misdiagnosed as a Staph infection. However unlike Staph and MRSA, HS is *NOT* contagious. If you are getting recurrent boils in inverse areas and have been diagnosed as having a Staph infection I recommend you investigate the disease Hidradenitis Suppurativa.

http://www.hs-foundation.org
http://www.hs-usa.org
Posted By: fihuang @ 10/24/2007 4:55:44 PM

Comment: Unfortunately, advertisements for products such as Lysol and Chlorox try to scare parents to keep everything sanitized. I am more worried about the products in Lysol than I am of the rhinovirus. The same goes for these anti-bacterial soaps. Years ago they had an ad campaign on the New York City subways, scaring the people who were holding to the bars or the pole, when the reality is that metal breeds very little bacteria, and most of that bacteria is harmless and probably good for developing our immune system. Let us not even forget about the environmental damage caused by manufacturing, shipping, and disposing these products. Using products that are usually meant for hospitals and other medical facilities for the every day home is completely unnecessary. Commons sense hygiene is important, but people who chronically wash their hands need to think about people in the rest of the world who barely have enough water just to drink, cook, and bathe. As for Mr. Sansoni from the Soap and Detergent Association, why do you make all of these soaps anti-bacterial, when the research has shown that they do not make a difference. Soap works by lifting dirt off skin, which prevents bacteria from breeding. By adding triclosan, a topical antibiotic, you are adding an unnecessary chemical that does very little to keep hands any cleaner than they should be. As I mentioned before, your industry's advertising has contributed to this germaphobic anxiety that exists in this country. This has prevented children from developing their immune system properly, and, most likely, this has probably contributed to the increase in allergies in this country. It is just not natural for us to live in a germ-free environment; instead, we have to learn to co-exist.

Flora Huang, BA (Biology), MPH
Posted By: fihuang @ 10/24/2007 4:54:57 PM

Comment: Unfortunately, advertisements for products such as Lysol and Chlorox try to scare parents to keep everything sanitized. I am more worried about the products in Lysol than I am of the rhinovirus. The same goes for these anti-bacterial soaps. Years ago they had an ad campaign on the New York City subways, scaring the people who were holding to the bars or the pole, when the reality is that metal breeds very little bacteria, and most of that bacteria is harmless and probably good for developing our immune system. Let us not even forget about the environmental damage caused by manufacturing, shipping, and disposing these products. Using products that are usually meant for hospitals and other medical facilities for the every day home is completely unnecessary. Commons sense hygiene is important, but people who chronically wash their hands need to think about people in the rest of the world who barely have enough water just to drink, cook, and bathe. As for Mr. Sansoni from the Soap and Detergent Association, why do you make all of these soaps anti-bacterial, when the research has shown that they do not make a difference. Soap works by lifting dirt off skin, which prevents bacteria from breeding. By adding triclosan, a topical antibiotic, you are adding an unnecessary chemical that does very little to keep hands any cleaner than they should be. As I mentioned before, your industry's advertising has contributed to this germaphobic anxiety that exists in this country. This has prevented children from developing their immune system properly, and, most likely, this has probably contributed to the increase in allergies in this country. It is just not natural for us to live in a germ-free environment; instead, we have to learn to co-exist.

Flora Huang, BA (Biology), MPH
Posted By: Evagation @ 10/23/2007 4:41:58 PM

Comment: Thank you, Newsweek for your fantastic article. I've had Crohn's Disease for almost twenty years (and I'm only 26) and I have been trying, for years, to explain to people that the rise in auto-immune diseases like mine is at least partially related to our super-sanitized worlds. Most people do not realize that, as organic beings, we need germs in our systems to perform vital functions necessary to our life. Asthma and other auto-immune illnesses became widespread, global problems when we completely removed ourselves from nature and trapped ourselves in sterile, artificial environments. We were never meant to live in such environments, as organic creatures, we were meant to live in an organic environment that would expose our bodies to germs and give our bodies a chance to acclimate to them. Our immune systems are truly amazing and, if we expose them to the right microbes, it will only make our immune system stronger. (I don't want this comment to come off as preaching that everyone should expose their kids to all germs--the article made it very clear, and I completely agree with Jessica Sach's assertion that we must be careful to expose ourselves to the "good" microbes.) Thank you Newsweek, again, for bringing people's attention to the harm we are doing to ourselves with our overly sanitized environments.
Posted By: Evagation @ 10/23/2007 4:41:48 PM

Comment: Thank you, Newsweek for your fantastic article. I've had Crohn's Disease for almost twenty years (and I'm only 26) and I have been trying, for years, to explain to people that the rise in auto-immune diseases like mine is at least partially related to our super-sanitized worlds. Most people do not realize that, as organic beings, we need germs in our systems to perform vital functions necessary to our life. Asthma and other auto-immune illnesses became widespread, global problems when we completely removed ourselves from nature and trapped ourselves in sterile, artificial environments. We were never meant to live in such environments, as organic creatures, we were meant to live in an organic environment that would expose our bodies to germs and give our bodies a chance to acclimate to them. Our immune systems are truly amazing and, if we expose them to the right microbes, it will only make our immune system stronger. (I don't want this comment to come off as preaching that everyone should expose their kids to all germs--the article made it very clear, and I completely agree with Jessica Sach's assertion that we must be careful to expose ourselves to the "good" microbes.) Thank you Newsweek, again, for bringing people's attention to the harm we are doing to ourselves with our overly sanitized environments.
Posted By: bsansoni @ 10/23/2007 10:27:54 AM

Comment: In Newsweek's press release for this story and in the on-air promotions (Newsweek on Air, MSNBC), the reporters are making all kinds of claims about antibacterial soaps and cleaners that aren't backed up by the facts. We've seen no real-life evidence that these beneficial products are contributing to the MRSA problem or to antibiotic resistance at-large.

What is not being emphasized enough is the major real-life contributor to much of the antibiotic resistance problem: the misuse and over-prescription of antibiotic drugs.

Clearly, when it comes to dealing with the staph infection problems we're seeing, common sense hygiene practices need to prevail. But we can do without the headline hype that can discourage the use of beneficial hygiene and cleaning products.

Brian Sansoni,
VP-Communication
The Soap and Detergent Association, Washington, D.C.
www.cleaning101.com
Posted By: MelvinBear @ 10/22/2007 1:16:27 PM

Comment: Enter Your Comment
Posted By: MelvinBear @ 10/22/2007 1:15:55 PM

Comment: first of all, the reason alcohol works as an antiseptic is because unlike normal antibiotics which are comprised of chemical compounds that specificially target and inhibit the normal activities of certain proteins, enzymes, and cofactors, an alcohol solution draws water out of the cells (bacteria, germs, etc) thus killing them. basic biophysics where a cell has a high concentration of water relative to an alcohol solution thus the water molecules will diffuse down the gradient and out of the cell. that's how alcohol works to disinfect!

Secondly, if cleanliness is the answer, then why is it that hospitals have the most dangerous/pathogenic forms of germs, bacteria, etc. when they are routinely cleaned and disinfected? It's because of the evolution via mutation by the germs, bacteria against the antibiotics!
Posted By: wooliewonka @ 10/22/2007 11:46:51 AM

Comment: Unfortunately, children are very vulnerable and probably so are teachers. My son is a fifth grade school teacher and has had pink eye, round worm, etc. He washes his hands very frequently and still gets exposed. He says it comes with the job, but these super bug stories are frightening. Hopefully, medical science will come up with something to treat these infections.
Posted By: Justmethinking @ 10/22/2007 11:24:25 AM

Comment: OK, I am not going to disagree with you, but I would like to point out that while your statement, "But bacteria never surrender; if there were one salmonella left in the world, doubling every 30 minutes, it would take less than a week to give everyone alive diarrhea." is probably accurate, for it to actually do that every person in the world would have to come stick their fingers in the germs and then ingest it. You statement was concocted to be alarmist, and is not indicative of reality. I will continue washing my hands and sanitizing when I feel like doing so. "I" do a good job when cleaning them and it has cut down on my sicknesses since I started being effective at it several years ago. No, it won't give me eternal life. I don't expect it to. But there has been no evidence of any of the germs on my hands that die from alcohol contact, evolving or morphing into an acohol resistant germ. These different infections that are occuring are the direct result of people who aren't clean, who don't complete their medicines, who gather and spread filth because they are uncivilized. Note the recent reports (alarmist again) of bed bugs re-infesting the U.S. Did they suddenly appear out of thin air, cast there by a magic spell by a gay Dumbledor? No... They were carried there by humans who are not clean, who care little or nothing about others.

No, we can't irradicate germs. But we can and should educate people to be cleaner. And yes, I was trying to annoy people with the Gay Dumbledor statement above. Did it bother you.? Too bad. "That' group is part of the worst filth offenders and you know why. (In an out door)

Likely this will not be posted. If it is, then good. If not, then I know where Newsweek stands in relation to morality versus depravity.
- Posted By: 2cents @ 10/22/2007 12:34:46
  
  Comment: Wow "justmethinking", are you saying that the gay community is the most responsible for spreading germs?! That sounds pretty "alarmist" to me. Get a grip guy. Let's keep this discussion on topic.
  With regards to bacteria not evolving alcohol resistance, that is because of the way in which alcohol works. It denatures all the proteins of the microbe. There is no protein that can withstand this. The bug will die quickly and completely regardless of what proteins it is made of. Antibiotics target individual proteins to disrupt the function of a part of the bug???s metabolism. Many bacteria have alternate, or backup systems to get around the attack. Also just one cell in a million with a mutation in that target protein will render the antibiotic ineffective against it and that one little cell will grow to replace the other cells that died. A resistant strain is born. It has nothing to do with "unclean people" and everything to do with the way antibiotics and genetics work. It is bound to happen. But, you are right in that the most effective thing we can do is to maintain good hygiene habits.
  - Posted By: JackDrewA @ 10/22/2007 20:03:06
    
    Comment: to paraphrase some ancient wisdom: let he who is without bacteria cast the first...
Posted By: SpoonerWV @ 10/22/2007 10:46:30 AM

Comment: Very, Very good article - informative, readable, pertinent, thought-provoking without being alarmist.

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