We Live In a World Full of Microorganisms
According to a 2016 study by University of Indiana biologists Kenneth J. Locey and Jay T. Lennon, there are about one trillion species of microbes on the Earth, and 99.999 percent of them have yet to be discovered. So it’s safe to say our world is dominated by microorganisms.
These microorganisms are not only nice enough to allow us to coexist with them, they actually help us to thrive. We have over 600 species of microbes just in our mouths and one drop of saliva has literally thousands of bacteria in it. To take it a step further, our digestive system from our mouth to the anus contains approximately five pounds of bacteria. That’s heavier than our own liver! Our skin is also covered in microbes. The reality is we have about ten times the amount of bacteria in our bodies than we have cells of our body.
Many of the microorganisms on and in our bodies help us to thrive by assisting in digestion, feeding the cells of our intestinal system, creating important vitamins our bodies can’t produce and so much more.
A World Void of Microbes Can Cause More Problems Than It Helps
What Soap Should You Wash Your Hands With
Most viruses can be destroyed simply by washing your hands with good old fashioned soap and water for 20 seconds. This is confirmed by the CDC’s recommendation for proper handwashing techniques.
If you do not have the ability to wash your hands with soap and water, then you can use 60% or higher alcohol hand sanitizer. Although hand sanitizer doesn’t necessarily kill viruses, it does damage the RNA of the virus so it can’t reproduce itself until you get to a place where you can wash your hands.
Swap Out Your Antimicrobial Soap
So should you toss out your antimicrobial solutions? The short answer is yes. When we use antibacterial soaps, we kill off all the bacteria on our skin except the ones that are resistant to the chemical in the soap. That means when using these chemical soaps, all healthy bacteria die and the resilient bacteria begin to dominate, creating unhealthy and unbalanced flora on your skin.
