Why are people so afraid of germs?
With the overuse of antibiotics, and stores selling a variety of “hand sanitizers” that I can’t even keep track of – this is doing more harm than good in the long run, isn’t it?
I always think back to a friend of mine who had a baby right after highschool. She insisted that everyone sanitize their hands before and after handling the baby, although he was a perfectly healthy child. I remember thinking “you are probably compromising your child’s immunity by doing this, more than someone touching him with ‘dirty’ hands.”
Is our fear of germs getting worse and, in turn, is that making things worse for us in the long run? Either by compromising our immunity or by encouraging “super-bugs?”
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Media hype. It started with simple television ads in the 60’s for products like Listerine (which supposedly killed cold germs…they had to publicly recant.) It’s just snow balled from there. The media recognized their ability to freak people out over nothing, and they play it for all it’s worth.
And yes. I believe it’s doing us more harm than good, both physically and psychologically.
Yes our fear of germs is getting worse. Have you seen the enlarged pictures of dust mites in ads? Marketing for filters and cleaning products is all designed to play on these fears.
Hand sanitizers are very bad for everyday use.
Also antibiotic soaps.
Look at the hygiene of dogs and cats. They very rarely get sick.
The excessive use of antibiotics and vaccines is likely making people weaker while the bacteria and viruses get stronger.
My “favorite” is for Clorox wipes where they show those animated, super sized bugs on everything, the kid’s toys, the phone, as though we’re all gonna DIE if we don’t get rid of them!
It’s a fetishistic kind of thing. We humans are very superstitious. Even when we know the science, we can take the science and make it into an excuse for superstitious ritual.
I’m a slob and I will outlive you all!
What amazes me is how people can so blithely ignore their own common sense. I once had a friend who was a germaphobe. Man, she was always preaching about germs and stuff! but she loved to camp and cook over an open fire. At one point she made the comment, “I can’t believe the things we tolerate in our food when we camp!”
I said, “What does that tell you…....”
They are coming to get you. Watch out!
Another I agree with @dutchess_lll also. She said what I wanted to! (thanks!)
Personally, I am not afraid of the average germ. I just hate getting sick. I have struggled against an unidentified bacterial infection for almost 20 years, causing me pain both physically and emotionally. Getting a cold on top of it is more than I want to deal with.
Having said that, I do not carry around hand sanitizer, I do not clean everything with bleach or antiseptics. Just reasonable measures are nice.
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@noelleptc Ironicaly there is a theory that schleroderma is an infection, there has been success with antibiotics done under Dr. Terentham in Boston. But, I don’t believe there has been a larger randomized double blind study, all antidoctal. Some theorize that it is not the infection fighting agent in the antibiotics that seem to give relief, but rather an anti-inflammatory affect. But I tend to believe it is a bacteria.
@Dutchess_III One does. Basically complete relief while taking it. Observable by thers, not just how I feel. Well, I have to wait until about the 5th day for it to kick in like most antibiotics it does not relieve symptoms the first day. But a few days after stopping the drug I get sick again. I did an IV that helped a lot for a while, but then it got bad again. Frustrating. I am inquiring about taking antibiotics for several months. I dread it. I have resisted taking meds as much as possible, because I think it is so pointless, if I just get sick again when I stop. Just not kicking out the infection enough of something? Possible I need a combinations of antibiotics?
There are two kinds of germs and between them they are responsible for most human illnesses. People hate being sick.
That fact makes it easy for the advertising industry to exploit our fears and convince people to use their germ fighting products to avoid getting sick.
@JLeslie Wow…scary. Simply because when the infection comes back it’s stronger than it was before…..what do the Dr’s say?
@Dutchess_III I don’t think it is necessarily stronger but I am terrified that one day It will build resistance to that drug and I will have nothing, it terrifies me. I figure if I ever get a cure it is on that drug at a higher dose, or longer dose, or combined with another med. Doctors don’t know what to do. My current doctor trying to treat me, has one other patient just like me. It’s kind of a long story, that I won’t go into detail here. I figure lots of people have untreated infections. I think it explains a lot of autimmune diseases personally. Think Lymes, ulcers, rheumatic heart, doctors were not treating as an infection, until someone proved it was an infection. If an ulcer patient had noticed an antibiotic he took for something else happened to relieve his ulcer symptoms, doctors would have said it was a coincidence 30 years ago.
Have you talked with other doctors?? I mean, I’m sure you have but…
@gondwanalon So maybe if we all started licking our own butts, we wouldn’t be so sickly? I can’t reach! Teehee.
i asked a similar question about 8 months ago, something like “is our society too obsessed with antibacterials and hand sanitizers?” or something similar.
Antibacterial is everywhere. There is even antibacterial Windex. they say by killing the weak germs we are doing the stronger germs a favor.
I have a cousin that adopted a baby and she was one of those “you can’t touch the baby until you wash your hands.” i have a friend who breeds cats (that’s another story) and she does not want you to touch the kittens unless you wash your hands. my daughter is 3½ and i never made people wash their hands first, i did not sanitize her bottles, I was not crazy about making her environment as germ free as possible, and she only got sick once when she was 12 months old.
I try not to use antibacterial soaps, don’t use hand sanitizers.
my question (i just put it into search bar) was “Do you think our society is too obsessed with germs, bacteria, anti-bacterials?”
More importantly, how fucked up is this? To me, that’s a huge danger to our herd immunity and people aren’t angry enough about it.
@Simone_De_Beauvoir And why do the animals need all those antibiotics? Because they’re cooped up and penned in together too tight and they’re sickly. And with all those antibiotics and chemicals in the meat we eat, Americans still wonder why we’re sicker and fatter than we used to be.
@Simone_De_Beauvoir Horrible. I buy chicken and eggs from non antibiotic chickens, but the beef and pork I buy I have no idea.
Anyone out there that does use antibacterial products that want to weigh in?
@Dutchess_III I don’t know if you count this, I do use products with leach in the bathroom, but, I do not consider that an antibiotic, or antibacterial cleaner per se. I consider it an antiseptic. I only use it in my toilet, and in the shower once a month.
@JLeslie Well, that’s logical. I often use Clorox in my cleaning water, like for the floors and counter tops. If nothing else, it sure makes it smell like you’ve been cleaning!
@Dutchess_III I would guess an antiseptic does not cause resistant germs. This is me just guessing with the bit of biology I know. To me an antiseptic is killing a germ like killing a spider with your shoe. Splat, done. It would take probably 100,00 years of evolution for the spider to develop a shell like a turtle to have the ability to fight my foot. As opposed to me killing it with a spray to weaken it’s immune system or have trouble reproducing. Not sure if the analogy really holds, but that is how I think about it.
It works! Common sense prevails.
Because many don’t know about their benefits. Mothers exposed to farms, particularly to barns and farm milk, while pregnant confer protection from allergies on their newborns for example. Researchers have isolated the substance in cowshed dust that possibly protects farm children from developing allergies and allergic asthma.
I wish I’d known that a few years ago! We would have moved into a cowshed during my pregnancies!
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