| |
| |
|
Alternative Information |
|
|
|
Plain Soap as a Natural Method of Infection Prevention
It is estimated that 80 percent of communicable illnesses are spread through touch but only about 30 percent of adults wash their hands after using the toilet and still fewer wash thoroughly. The very people who ought to know better are among the worst offenders. Nosocomial infections, or those occurring as the result of hospital caregivers not washing properly, kill 30,000 people each year and sicken another 70,000. In fact, the CDC estimates that as many as 15% of all hospital patients catch some type of nosocomial infection. The vast majority of these illnesses and deaths could easily be prevented by careful, deliberate handwashing with plain soap and clean water. As early as the 1840s a few doctors were championing handwashing to limit disease transmission. In 1843 American physician Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes created a scandal in his workplace by requiring handwashing as a means to prevent childbed fever. Dr Holmes believed that this disease, which killed up to 25% of women delivering in hospitals, was transmitted to women by their physicians. Dr. Holmes wasn't alone in his crusade. A few years later an Austrian, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, observed delivery room death rates of women assisted by medical students to be up to 3 times higher than the death rates of women assisted by midwives. Dr. Semmelweis correctly guess that the medical students were carrying germs from the autopsy rooms right into the delivery rooms. His program of using chlorinated water to wash his medical students' hands brought the mortality rate down to less than 1%. Unfortunately his colleagues were enraged by his actions and ordered the handwashing to stop. Though handwashing was important in years past, it is equally vital today. Sixty percent of America's children are under six years of age and many of them spend a great deal of time in day care or preschool where they are at increased risk for diarrhea illnesses such as rotavirus. According to the FDA, diarrhea is 30 percent more common in day-care children than preschoolers cared for at home. In America the diarrhea from rotavirus is usually short lived but in other parts of the world it is major cause of death in children under five, killing an estimated 5 million children a year. Diarrhea-borne diseases aren't the only issues that a well designed handwashing campaign could help. According to the CDC 22 million schools days are lost each year just to the common cold. Not surprisingly, children who exercise proper handwashing habits miss less school than those who don't. Elementary school children practicing good handwashing technique miss 2.42 days a year while children the same age practicing inadequate handwashing habits miss 3.02 days per school year. In 2004 the Karachi Health Soap Study studied the effects of handwashing education in 36 Pakistani neighborhoods. Researchers found that children who received plain soap along with handwashing instructions had a 53% lower incidence of diarrhea (and a shorter duration of diarrhea when it occurred) than children in the control group. The study also showed antibacterial soaps to be no more effective at reducing diarrhea episodes than plain soap. The Karachi Health Soap Study confirmed the suspicions of many in the natural health industry. Diligent handwashing programs clearly lower the risk of diarrhea illnesses but antibacterial soaps and bath products are unnecessary for most families. Some in the natural products industry have even feared that the every-day use of germ killing products may eventually lead to the development of resistant strains of bacteria. A study by Tufts University looked at the effect of Triclosan, the chemical that makes products antibacterial, on E. coli bacterium. Researchers discovered that Triclosan kills by acting upon a specific bacterial gene. This discovery seems to prove that the threat of future resistance is very real. Unlike antibacterial soaps, which actually kill germs, traditional soaps work mainly by removing germs. The mechanical action of rubbing your hands together dislodges germs so that running water can flush them away. Concerns about creating resistant strains of bacteria have led some disease experts to recommend plain soap and clean water as a disease transmission preventative. Whether those fears are well founded or not it seems indisputable that deliberate, frequent handwashing with plain soap and water is an effective way to protect against person-to-person transmission of some of the most common communicable diseases. Lisa Barger is a traditionally trained naturopath specializing in illness prevention. For information about Ms. Barger's free seminars for churches, day cares and non-profit organizations please see our web site at http://www.LisaBarger.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Alternative - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Mosquitoes? No Itch, No Bite! When you are in the season of the mosquito, it is looked upon with horror for those who suffer allergic reactions. But even if you do not get these reactions it is still looked upon by most as an unpleasant, unavoidable summertime irritant. What Organic Really Means in 2005 The term "organic" is used everywhere. What exactly does that mean?"Organic" refers to the methods by which foods, cottons, woolens, etc. Could You Have Lyme and Not Know It? If you have ever been bitten by a tick, flea, mosquito, gnat, or mite or have been sexually active with someone who has been bitten, then you are at risk for Lyme Disease. Lyme can also be transmitted from mother to unborn child and through breast-feeding. Setting Up Your Office For Health If you work and are spending one third to one half of your day in an office setting then your surroundings there are as important as those in your home. Although we usually have little control over the buildings we work in, being aware of problems that can affect us will enable us to take counter-measures and may encourage the creation of stimulating and nurturing environments. Snoring: A Common Sleep Disorder Sleep consumes as much as one-third or more of the average human's life. Even if people hope for restful sleep, many types of sleep disorder reduce the quality and quantity of sleep. Why You Should Use Fruits for Constipation Fruits are made by nature and are a perfect food. They contain the right balance of nutrients with distilled water. Why Choose Naturopathic Medicine? Naturopathic medicine is a system and philosophy of medicine that has been around for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years. Before the advent of 'conventional' medicine, which uses a wide variety of drugs and surgical procedures, almost every doctor learned how to use herbs, minerals, homeopathy, and other natural methods to treat disease. Feeling Helpless in the Face of Pain? Here Are 4 Ways That Visualization May Be Able to Ease You Back into ControlUsing visualizations to reduce pain may be unlike anything else you've tried. It not only gives you the chance to feel better, but does so in a way that may be able to relieve your sense of helplessness. An Aspirin A Day Can Give You Cancer I want to share a health alert with you. So many people today are taking an aspirin a day - many upon the recommendation of their doctors and many simply because they think it is the "healthy" thing to do. Anal Warts Treatment (Finally, a Medicine for Anal Warts Which Removes Them Completely!) Anal warts treatmentAnal warts, otherwise known as genital warts or venereal warts, are just one of about 80- different strains of the Human Papilloma virus (HPV). Anal warts are extremely common these days. Natural Smoothie Formula to Stop Constipation and Acne Here is how to build a natural smoothie that can stop constipation, relieve acne, improve your skin and give you more energy. The smoothie base is a liquid slurry that can be used to add more natural ingredients. Nature, An ADHD Natural Treatment My mother's warning; "You are going to rot your brain out.. Reiki-Seichem Seichem - The Elemental Healing RaysSince the emergence of Reiki at the beginning of the last century, and its introduction to the west, there have been many variations in the way energy healing is taught. As it has developed, people have added information and understandings and have also had similar experiences to that of Mikao Usui, the man who founded Reiki for the present time. Aromatherapy at Home: Beating the Cold Bug It seems that nearly everyone I know has been either fighting or recovering from a cold or flu these last few weeks. And many of my clients have been asking how essential oils can help them prevent or heal their illnesses. Just The Tea FAQs: Health Benefits (Part I) Hands up all those who can't get through the day without their shots of coffee.. Colloidal Silver - Time For a Comeback? I'm sure you know what it's like to be sick. Stuffy head, running nose, sore throat, coughing, fever, and maybe even vomiting. Bladder Infections "If you let that fiery wise blood just sit there in your belly, great granddaughter," admonishes Grandmother Growth, "you'll get the urge to quench that heat. You'll get a tickle, a twinge, an urgent call. CPT Codes; What are you Getting Billed for? All of us visit some sort of medical office from time to time and some of us make the visit a routine. No matter how many times we go in for a checkup or treatment we usually end up paying a relatively inexpensive co-pay for the services rendered to us. Breathing Your Way To Health Breathing, yes of course we do it, if not we'd be dead, obvious isn't it. But in the far east Breathing techniques have been used for thousands of years. The Sense of Smell and Emotional Response Smell is a specialised chemical sense. It is interesting to note that the olfactory cells are the only place in the human body where the central nervous system is in direct contact with the external environment.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2008 |
