Germs

Germs

OK. Germs are a thing. They exist. They can make you sick. Fortunately we have this cool thing called an immune system to mitigate the effects of germs on our health. But, wait. Suddenly we have chemicals that kill 99.9% of germs in our environment. We carry hand sanitizer with us. We can't touch things in public spaces because of germs. Women squat over public toilets, or spend time laying down toilet paper all over the seat so they don't come in contact with people's germs. We have antibiotics to kill germs in our bodies. For awhile there, walk-in clinic doctors had pre-written pads of antibiotic prescriptions which they handed out as a matter of course, almost before the patient had finished describing their symptoms.

We have become germ-phobic and, in the process, diminished the efficacy of our immune systems. Just as immunizations against things like whooping cough and polio work by introducing small amounts of the offending organisms into our systems to prime our immune systems to fight those microbes, daily exposure to common germs works to equip our bodies to fight an onslaught. As we sterilize our environments we reduce our opportunities to develop anti-bodies to combat hostile organisms. As we automatically respond to all illnesses with antibiotics, we give those hostile organisms the opportunity to evolve into super-bugs that are untreatable. Fortunately, the medical profession is recognizing this and are, generally, less automatic in the antibiotic response. But as the sterilization of our homes and workplaces has progressed, so have rates of allergies and asthma.

Marketing has played a huge role in this evolution. Nasty little animated germs are shown to inhabit our homes and we are urged to eradicate them. If we do not, we are bad parents, bad housekeepers, bad people. New parents are encouraged to boil everything baby comes in contact with. No germs! No germs! It's a wonder we aren't advised to boil our breasts before baby nurses. But contact with the real world, and its real germs, is essential for the development of a healthy immune system.

Personal hygiene is a good thing. Washing your hands after using the toilet, covering your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing, brushing your teeth, washing out open wounds and so on... but we have become neurotic about germs. Many people go far above and beyond these basic acts. Just as helicopter parenting prevents a child from learning strategies to cope in the world, sterilizing everything prevents bodies from developing any defence against common organisms.

The message here is...chill out. Don't overdo the antiseptics and antibiotics. Accept that into every life some germs must fall. And they will actually make you healthier in the long run.