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SALT LAKE CITY — The world of health and medicine can be confusing to many parents. But Nurse Suzy is here to help clarify some of the issues that are important to you and your family.
This week's question deals with keeping your home clean and safe without overdoing it.
Question:
Over the years, many news organizations have done stories on "the dirtiest things." They go test everyday things we use — like purses, cell phones, door handles, etc. — to see how much and what kind of bacteria is on them. Some of the results are pretty scary. But I've also heard people say that we should let our kids come in contact with different germs, otherwise their immune systems won't develop properly and they'll be sick all the time. What is your opinion?
Answer:
Instead of focusing on finding the dirtiest things we touch every day, we need to focus on the cleanest things we touch and how they got that way. When we kill bad bacteria we also kill good bacteria, which can create a big problem.
Don't misunderstand what I am saying. Obviously, dirt needs to be cleaned up. But we need to quit being so obsessed with clean because that obsession is creating superbugs that no antibiotic can kill.
Think of a parent you know who cleans everything and refuses to have their children be exposed to anybody that does not pass their germ-free criteria. It's been my experience that those children are sick all the time. The main reason for that is their bodies have not been exposed to any germs and therefore struggle to fight common viruses or bacteria.
Another area of concern is antibiotic overuse. When people take antibiotics for every little illness — or take an antibiotic only until they feel better, and then stop before the prescription is complete — they create a drug-resistant organism for their bodies. At that point, all the germ decontamination in the world will not help keep them from getting sick.
Antibiotics can be lifesavers, but misuse has increased the number of drug-resistant germs. CLICK HERE to see how this affects you and what you can do to help prevent antibiotic resistance. -Mayo Clinic
Working in the medical field, I have seen this over and over again. We cannot cure everything, and it is not the medical community’s fault for every bacteria our bodies cannot fight. Drug-resistant bacteria is just that: drug-resistant. We cannot create new drugs faster than bacteria can create new drug-resistant organisms.
The best way to kill germs is to practice good hand washing and basic cleaning. When people overdo cleaning they create a new environment inside their bodies for bacteria and viruses to live in. In most cases, they will not even know they are infected until they become rundown and get sick.
Suzanne Carlile, "Nurse Suzy," has been a nurse since 1982. Her main focus of nursing is Critical Care areas and Nursing Education. She holds a master's degree in nursing, is a Certified Emergency Nurse, and a member of NNSDO Intermountain West Chapter.
