Soap, naturally!

In the Middle Ages, people had no concept of germs. They certainly couldn't be seen, but the effects of these invisible critters surely made an impact on the health of the people of the times. People died on a very regular basis, due to germs, bringing disease and serious illness upon one and all. Although people were aware of the illnesses brought about by spoiled food, they were unaware of the culprit. They did know that preserving foods with salt and a variety of herbs and spices, prevented many illnesses. However, other diseases and illnesses persisted and remained a mystery, until the age of science matured to the discovery of germs.

The germ became the nemesis of every household, with many a mishap laid at the door of the ubiquitous germ. It was found that the hands were the major transporters of the germs. It also was discovered that cleaning the hands frequently reduced the incidence of illness. Who knows who was the first mother to pronounce, "Wash your hands!" in motherly and righteous indignation? This information is lost in time, but we're still hearing it today, and with good reason.

When you wash your hands out of respect for Mama, a dab of soap never hurts. In fact, soap and hot water is a simple recipe for removing germs from your daily list of worries. They go down the drain, and your now clean hands are free of dirt and grunge and are now less likely to pass on germs that cause disease.

The problem is that, although we now all know better, Mom's old plea to wash your hand before eating has become a simple nagging statement. It's been so long since germ-borne illness has had a major impact on health, Mom's good advice has become time-worn and out of date. No one really believes that fixing and eating a ham sandwich before washing your hands is going to amount to anything dangerous.

Are we back to the Middle Ages mentality? Today, we have salmonella cropping up in eggs, vegetables and meats, causing illness and even sometimes, death as a result of not washing your hands before preparing food. The E-coli bacteria has sickened thousands of people and killed some, simply for a lack of heeding Mom's standby phrase, "Wash your hands, Please!"

Yes, folks, the germ theory has been proven beyond a doubt. Just because we now have new mutations of germs does not negate the fact that germs cause disease. That germs have changed and become more prevalent in newer, more vicious forms doesn't mean the germs of the Middle Ages are not still with us today. The threat of germ borne illness is as viable as it was in centuries past.

Granted, modern medicine has devised complex miracle drugs which can defeat the germs. Unfortunately, the invisible germ has adapted to the times, modifying its capabilities via mutation, to defeat the miracle drugs. At this point in time, the germs are winning on some fronts.

Many of our common germ-based illnesses might be held in check on a very short leash, provided we all get a reality check. Wash your hands after sneezing, coughing, visiting the restroom and prior to preparing food.

After all, we've got running hot water, bars of soap and a minute to spend, sending those nasty germs down the drain.

Natural Concepts Hand Soap

The statement that we are a nation of consumers has never been truer than it is today. If you want merchandise there are no limits on the way you can get it. There are catalog shopping, online, shopping, online auctions, mega mall and superstore shopping and there are small shops and specialty shops. With all the retail possibilities that are available there are times when there seems to be too many choices. I have found myself standing in an hour for half an hour reading labels and trying to choose which item to buy.

I had this dilemma a few weeks ago when I was trying to find a skin care product for my poison ivy. The week before I had been standing in the medicated creams aisle looking for something to help relieve the itching. I was going crazy trying not to scratch. When I did scratch it would begin to hurt. I bought several different lotions that were supposed to relieve the itching. I ended up doing some research and found the home remedy of rubbing the affected area with oatmeal. Within ten minutes the itching was gone and it did not return for eight hours. Now that I was through the itching and weeping stage I wanted something to help sooth and heal the area. I was in a superstore and went to the skin care product aisle. There were so many products that I did not know where to begin. I knew that I did not want anything with a heavy scent because the scented creams I had at home had seemed to irritate the area. I had heard that vitamin E is a good vitamin to promote the healing of the skin and that aloe was a natural soothing ingredient. I thought that concentrating on these two ingredients would narrow down the number of skin care products that would be available. That was not the case. It seems that these are two of the main ingredients in well over half of the skin care product available on the shelves. After about thirty minutes of reading labels my husband came looking for me. He could not believe that I had stayed in one aisle since we walked in the store. He started looking at the different skin care product that was available. He found one that combined oatmeal to sooth the itching, vitamin E to prevent scarring and Aloe and a natural healer. This seemed to cover all the bases so I decided to buy that one. It was unreal to me that there were so many different tubes, bottles and jars. It was one time where there were too many choices. The cream that I did pick had healed the poison ivy.