The communities of beneficial
bacteria that live in our intestines, known as the gut microbiome, are important
for the development and function of the immune system. Bacteria suffer from
negative public relations. You probably associate bacteria with the three D’s:
dirt, disease and death. Bacteria are certainly involved in dirt, disease and
death, to which we should add decay.
Harmless and beneficial bacteria far outnumber harmful varieties. Thousands of
bacterial species live commensally in humans, and many provide health benefits
to humans, aiding in digestion, for example, or helping to prevent the
establishment of colonies of pathogenic bacteria. Because they are capable of
producing so many enzymes necessary for the building up and breaking down of
organic compounds, bacteria are employed extensively by humans—for soil
enrichment with leguminous crops , for preservation by pickling, for
fermentation (as in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages, vinegar, and certain
cheeses), for decomposition of organic wastes (in septic tanks, in some sewage
disposal plants, and in agriculture for soil enrichment) and toxic wastes, and
for curing tobacco, retting flax, and many other specialized processes. Bacteria
frequently make good objects for genetic study: large populations grown in a
short period of time facilitate detection of mutations, or rare variations
Last year, a female patient died from a bacterial infection that doctors believe
she contracted during an extended stay in India.Upon returning to the United
States for medical treatment, she was given a diverse cocktail of 26 different
antibiotics.Samples of the bacteria were analyzed and doctors concluded that it
was “resistant to all available antimicrobial drugs.”
The revelations come from a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.In it, they speculate about the impending dangers of these resistant
bacteria, along with the significant fatalities that could be caused if spread.
The origin of this bacterial strain is difficult to trace, but the authors of
the report believe the woman acquired it while vacationing in India.As of next
year, thanks to a recent FDA ban, you will no longer be able to buy commercial
antibacterial soap.This particular decision is a great one. Here are couple of
reasons why.
Antibacterial soap manufacturers use a marketing ploy called ‘alarmism’ to prey
on hygiene-obsessed consumers.
The whole thing about killing 99.9% of all bacteria?You’ll only achieve numbers
only in a highly controlled lab. In the real world, antibacterial soap kills a
mere 46-60% of hand germs.
“Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the
spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are better than
plain soap and water,” says Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for
Drug Evaluation and Research. “In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial
ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term.”
Yup, that’s right. The next point bares all the nasty details.
Remember the phrase ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?’
Well, imagine a little bacteria hanging out on a desk. A human hand swoops in,
wielding a cloth. On that cloth is water and ‘99.9% effective’ soap. It picks up
the bacteria and its 10 million buddies. In theory it should be dead. But it’s
not, because that soap contains only sub-lethal levels of antibacterial
ingredients. Instead of dying, the bacteria develop a resistance to those
ingredients. It’s now a superbug – harder to kill.
So, Stop Using unnecessary Antibiotics and Save Beneficial Bacteria they are
knocking for help.