The Dirt on Germs

1. a microorganism, esp. when disease-producing; microbe.

Germs have been known and theorized about since Anton van Leeuwenhoek observed the first microorganisms (or germs) in 1675. Germs were further identified by Lazzaro Spallanzani in 1768 and Louis Pasteur in 1862. From 1862 on the discovery and evolution of germs has jumped by leaps and bounds. And why do I bring any of this up you ask? Because our society as a whole (at least in America) has become germ-o-phobes.

Sure there are people out there that are more germ-o-phobic then others. You see them on movies and shows all the time - Jodie Foster's character on "Nim's Island" couldn't leave her house and always had a stash of Purel close by, Howard Hughes in "The Aviator" insisted on using tissues to pick up objects, so that he could insulate himself from germs. He would also notice dust, stains or other imperfections on people's clothes and demand that they take care of it and of course there is the ever lovable, crime solving character "Monk." Even with these erractic characters there is still the "simple" germ-o-phobe that is our society.

You can not walk down a cleaning aisle in a grocery store without seeing the self evidence of this phenomonon. From Clorox wipes, to dish soap, to floor soap and all purpose cleaners that kill 99.9% of germs. If that wasn't enough, we're told relentlessly as a public to stay away from sick people, wash their toys, blankets, etc. and to cover ourselves in doctor's offices.

Once again, you're probably wondering where I'm going with this bombardment of germs. Well here it is.... WE NEED GERMS! I'm sure you've all heard there are good germs out there, but there are bad germs we need to. In the April 14, 2009 edition of Woman's Day Magazine an article entitled "Allery Nation" states that "more Americans then ever before - 50 to 60 million - have an allergy related condition. What's really alarming though is that more people are becoming allergic to more and more things." The reason for this over allergic society? One of the main ones is our reluctance to come into contact with germs!

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that European children who grew up on farms had higher levels of certain bacteria in their bedding - and were less likely to develop asthma or allergies like hay fever. "Being exposed to germs early - and throughout life - revs up the immune system to do what it's supposed to," says Martha White, MD, director of research at the Institute for Asthma & Allergy in Wheaton and Chevy Chase Maryland. "In fact, kids who go to day care or have older siblings who bring germs home are less likely to develop asthma."

I'm sure we're all shivering by now thinking about the little bugs crawling around in our beds and whatever places we can think of. However, the point is made, if an object is so small we can't see it, and in at least small doses, it is good for us, why are we so ready to get rid of it?

Think of all the shots our children are given, measles, mumps, chicken pox and more. These are serious conditions, but ones you can usually live through. (My mother knows, I lived through the chicken pox, but not without a lot of itching). Though I'm happy not to have to deal with them, I wonder what will happen when my daughter turns fifty or even older and becomes exposed to the chicken pox? Will they kill her then because she was never exposed?

Plus, as we continue to take all these immunizations, you hear in the news over and over about "super bugs" and how they are becoming more rampant among our society. These super bugs are harder to get rid of, we have no natural immunization to them and are more dangerous to us. So why not take a few vitamins and let ourselves get sick?!

Is this whole subject totally gross to think about? Most certainly! However where will society be in fifty years with more and more allergens being found and our society not being able to hold up to them? We will become the aliens in "War of the Worlds" who caught the viruses that inhabit this earth and died from them because they did not have the immunity to protect themselves.

Now, I'm not going to say, don't wash your hands after you go to the bathroom, of if someone's sick don't clean up after them but isn't it worth it to our health to expose ourselves to some of these germs?

So I wish you all Happy and Mostly Healthy Germs!