Dear Reader,
I bet when you are in the soap or detergent aisle at the store you notice that the majority of soaps on the shelves are labeled as anti-bacterial. And like most people, you probably think they are better for you.
But anti-bacterial soaps don’t protect you from anything. In reality, they actually boost your risk of allergies, and other illnesses, including asthma. And we’re constantly adding new anti-bacterial products to our cleansing arsenals, giving us a false sense of cleanliness.
I tell my patients that using anti-bacterial soap not only kills off harmless bacteria – it leaves the room for left over bacteria to grow stronger.
Most bacteria are harmless and you just don’t need to protect yourself from them. Your body’s immune system has the power to fight them off. So all you’re really doing is killing bacteria that don’t pose a threat, leaving the rest to multiply.
Science agrees with me… A double-blind study by researchers at the Annals of Internal Medicine found that those who use anti-bacterial soap enjoyed no preventive benefit over those who used regular soap.1
And recently, the conservative American Medical Association rejected the idea that these soaps are good for you. Here’s what Myron Genel, chairman of the AMA’s Council on Scientific Affairs said: “There’s no evidence that they do any good and there’s reason to suspect that they could contribute to a problem by helping to create antibiotic-resistant bacteria.”
In fact, using anti-bacterial soap regularly can cause the following health problems:
- Runny nose
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Boils
- Conjunctivitis
So remember… your skin is the largest organ in your body. It will absorb whatever you put on it – including the chemicals and antibiotics you get from anti-bacterial soaps.
And instead of wasting money and time on anti-bacterial soaps, try using soaps with natural ingredients, instead of chemicals and dyes. You’ll find the best ones at health food stores, but they’re available everywhere.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1 Larson EL. Effect of Antibacterial Home Cleaning and Hand Washing Products on Infectious Disease. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2004, 140(5)321-329.