Do Americans take the concept of being clean to extremes?

Yes

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by Kristy Dean

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Yes, yes, and yes!

How many times a day are there commercials on T.V. that tout some kind of great cleaning product that kills 99.99% of germs? How about the loving mother that grabs a chemical-laden wipe to sop up her infants spilled baby food from a high chair? What about the one where they showed people little bags of "human soil" to gross them out into washing their clothes in bleach?

One of my biggest sayings to my family and friends is "There is a difference between dirt, bacteria, and germs!"

Dirt is good. We use dirt to grow our food in. Dark, unsanitized, nutrient rich soil is where many healthful bacteria are found. We need those bacteria to keep our bodies in balance.

Germs, in my book, are certain pathogens that can do our bodies harm; E coli for example. We ALL have E coli in our digestive tract, it's only when we get larger than normal quanities that our bodies react in a negative way. When our bodies don't have enough beneficial bacteria, even the smallest amounts of these germs cause major problems.

As newborns, our first exposure to good and bad bacteria come from our mothers birth canal. We 'eat' these bacteria, and that is what populates our steril digestive tract. If Mom has an overload of Candida Albacons, the baby will more than likely develope Thrush, a type of yeast infection in it's mouth. If mom has the proper amounts of good AND bad bacteria, it sets up the beginning of a wonderfully balanced ecosystem of bacterial immunity for her baby. If she then nurses her newborn the way nature intended, her child is ingesting even more beneficial bacteria, which in turn feeds more of the good bacteria, and then these bacteria start to keep the harmful pathogens in check.

Imagine now if babies were born into a sterile environment. No good bacteria to populate their mouth, sinuses, small intestines, and large intestines. This child would have no immune system, therefor any harmful pathogen that would come in contact with him would be devistating.

This is where we as Americans go too far. We view any living bacteria as harmful thanks to our overexposure to media hype. We try to completely irradicate all pathogens, good and bad, in an attempt to live in a sterile environment. Our bodies NEED a healthy mix of good and bad bacteria to sustain a healthy immune system. There needs to be an ongoing microbial war in our bodies at all times to build our immunity against foriegn invaders. Obsessive cleaning with chemicals that wipes away all dirt and bacteria is actually making us more prone to disease and ill health. Not only does it destroy our much needed good bacteria, but the chemicals found in these cleaning products and hand sanitizers are absorbed through our skin, ingested by mouth, and breathed in through our sinuses and lungs. It then travels through our bodies and kills the good bacteria in our mucos membrains causing sinus problems, breathing broblems, digestive problems, environmental and food alleries. It also puts an enormous strain on our liver, adrenal, and endocrine systems; all necesary for optimal health.

I have a friend who was a long haul truck driver. He would be out on the road for days at a time. He was exposed to billions of bad germs while on the road, but never became ill. He said it was because of his "Protective Crust". As crazy as it sounds, he never bathed while on the road...EVER! He washed his hands after using the bathroom and before eating, but that was as far as it went. He said that he felt too exposed to germs when his skin was clean. Keeping a layer of dirt, his natural body oils, and beneficial bacteria on his skin kept him safe and healthy for all the years of driving he did. That is the exact opposite of what we, as Americans, have been taught over the last 50 years or so. "Cleaner is better" is not always the case, and the sharp increase in allergies, digestive problems, and overall ill health should be evedence enough to make anybody think twice.

I have a filter that removes chlorine and chemicals from our showering and drinking water. I use natural soap and water for cleaning my house and washing my clothes. I wash my hands after using the bathroom and before preparing food and eating. I have always let my kids get as dirty as they want. When we are camping, my motto is "the more dirt you eat, the healthier you are", which has turned out to be true. We have never gotten sick in any way, shape or form by eating larger than normal amounts of mountain dirt and not showering for three or four days.

So go out, get dirty, and enjoy good health!

Learn more about this author, Kristy Dean.
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