Latex or nitrile gloves are mainstays in our fight against the spread of infection and in our promotion of wellness throughout medicine. Their use ranges from the simplest procedures in a wellness checkup to the complexities of the operating room. We have come to rely on the reassuring sound of a glove snapping into place on a health worker's hands before an exam, giving us confidence that both the health worker's and the patient's exposure risks are being reduced.
Not that long ago in our history, our understanding of illness blamed evil spirits or bad drains for bad health. Now the microscope has brought the rapidly proliferating world of microorganisms both to light and to the public's consciousness. And with this scientific awareness, there is a drive to eradicate the physical beasties we have discovered.
Naturally, a gut reaction to watching magnified bacteria colonize at their incredulous rate is the desire to immediately stamp them out. Household marketing strategists are fully aware of this shock and awe effect and have manipulated it to play on our deepest insecurities about being 'invaded' and playing host to 'body snatchers'. Apart from the widespread use of clinical antibiotics, there is now an endless promotion of anti-bacterial cleaning agents for the body and home, including latex gloves, available on grocery shelves.
Perhaps it should not be too surprising to learn that the scientific world in now warning us that we may have gone too far in our battle against everyday bacteria. The rise in autoimmune disorders may in fact be associated with our over-cleanliness. The hygiene hypothesis, a scientific line of thinking that is gaining lay support, submits that we are compromising our immune systems by not maintaining a bacterial balance that is essential to good health. Some parents are taking this idea to heart and as a result, are removing antibacterial cleansers from the house and encouraging their kids to play in the dirt to strengthen their immune systems.
It is quite likely that even a very rational person's skin will crawl when taking a close look at the lively demonstrations of cutaneous life as in the video entitled Our Skin is a Zoo at www.science.tv. Brace yourself for an edgy presentation about a world you might have preferred to know less!
The video's sound bite, "at any given time there are as many bacteria on our skin as there are people on the earth", is something we should learn to be comfortable with. If after watching this, we can learn to let a quick case of the heebie-jeebies pass over us and then be obsessed no further than regular bathing with ordinary and not antibacterial soap, we will be the stronger for it. - 30309
Not that long ago in our history, our understanding of illness blamed evil spirits or bad drains for bad health. Now the microscope has brought the rapidly proliferating world of microorganisms both to light and to the public's consciousness. And with this scientific awareness, there is a drive to eradicate the physical beasties we have discovered.
Naturally, a gut reaction to watching magnified bacteria colonize at their incredulous rate is the desire to immediately stamp them out. Household marketing strategists are fully aware of this shock and awe effect and have manipulated it to play on our deepest insecurities about being 'invaded' and playing host to 'body snatchers'. Apart from the widespread use of clinical antibiotics, there is now an endless promotion of anti-bacterial cleaning agents for the body and home, including latex gloves, available on grocery shelves.
Perhaps it should not be too surprising to learn that the scientific world in now warning us that we may have gone too far in our battle against everyday bacteria. The rise in autoimmune disorders may in fact be associated with our over-cleanliness. The hygiene hypothesis, a scientific line of thinking that is gaining lay support, submits that we are compromising our immune systems by not maintaining a bacterial balance that is essential to good health. Some parents are taking this idea to heart and as a result, are removing antibacterial cleansers from the house and encouraging their kids to play in the dirt to strengthen their immune systems.
It is quite likely that even a very rational person's skin will crawl when taking a close look at the lively demonstrations of cutaneous life as in the video entitled Our Skin is a Zoo at www.science.tv. Brace yourself for an edgy presentation about a world you might have preferred to know less!
The video's sound bite, "at any given time there are as many bacteria on our skin as there are people on the earth", is something we should learn to be comfortable with. If after watching this, we can learn to let a quick case of the heebie-jeebies pass over us and then be obsessed no further than regular bathing with ordinary and not antibacterial soap, we will be the stronger for it. - 30309
About the Author:
About the author: An experienced glove industry insider, Jen is editor for an online store specializing in Latex Gloves Sales and Support, and their web library for grappling with gloves. Read and add to this resource, Learning to Cope with Latex Gloves.
