Don't infect me! - Modern Life Public Health Handbook

Author: (USA) Yang Se, (USA) Gorbachev
Translator: Ningbo, Zhang Hongbin
Country: United States
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: "Bacteria Change Habits, Live Exquisite and Healthy!" Reveals the hidden "life traps" around you that are easily overlooked, unleashes the "bacterial strategy" by renowned experts in the United States, and offers a hygiene guide to help you stay away from bacteria, correct bad habits, and rediscover life. Join the elegant and healthy group starting now! In recent years, infectious diseases such as SARS, avian flu, human flu, and AIDS have emerged from every corner of the earth, targeting us relentlessly! And we, live together with many people every day: greeting, shaking hands, squeezing into a car, eating at the same table, using the same bathroom—various bacteria surround us, always ready to "invade" our bodies. How can we stay away from those pesky pathogens and protect the health and safety of ourselves and our families? This book will elaborate on various aspects, from dining, working, traveling, and living with family, to teach you practical techniques for antibacterial and disease prevention.
In recent years, infectious diseases such as SARS, avian flu, human flu, and AIDS have emerged from every corner of the earth, targeting us relentlessly! And we, live together with many people every day: greeting, shaking hands, squeezing into a car, eating at the same table, using the same bathroom—various bacteria surround us, always ready to "invade" our bodies. How can we stay away from those pesky pathogens and protect the health and safety of ourselves and our families? This book will elaborate on various aspects, from dining, working, traveling, and living with family, to teach you practical techniques for antibacterial and disease prevention.
In 2004, Americans spent over $540 million on antibacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, and laundry detergents. 75% of liquid soaps and 29% of bar soaps on the market are antibacterial. This not only means we live in a country that "avoids bacteria at all costs," but also what else does it mean? It also means most people are wasting money. A study in March 2004 showed that people who used antibacterial soaps got colds, runny noses, sore throats, and fevers just as often as those who used regular soaps. Antibacterial soaps don’t prevent colds because the culprit is a virus, not bacteria.
Don’t Use Antibacterial Soaps
Some manufacturers claim their products have antibacterial properties. In reality, the antibacterial agents in these products, usually triclosan, only serve as preservatives and are present in small amounts. Therefore, most antibacterial soaps you buy lack the strength to kill bacteria completely. Since the government doesn’t require soap manufacturers to list antibacterial ingredients, you can’t know if the product you buy can kill certain bacteria unless you call the toll-free number. (But how long will you have to wait for someone to answer the phone?) Additionally, unless you’re a microbiologist, you can’t tell if the microorganisms in your bathroom sink are bacteria or viruses, or how much product is needed to kill them. Even experiments have shown that triclosan is harmful to human skin cells. So why spend more money on soap that harms you?
Nancy Tam, a history professor at New York University, believes that antibacterial soaps were not designed to combat bacteria but rather to exploit the public’s growing fear of bacteria to make money. "If you have AIDS or other diseases, you should be more careful than others," Tam explained. "But TV ads aren’t aimed at patients; they’re aimed at normal people." Therefore, if you are a "normal" (or just pretending to be normal) person, don’t buy antibacterial soaps.