Germ Warfare
They lurk everywhere, from your toilet bowl to your cereal bowl. But is total annihilation the answer?
My health column for the July issue of sharedVISION magazine.
Once, when I was eight years old, I was sitting on the toilet and eating my favourite cookies. I had one cookie in each hand and the rest of the box on the floor. And then my mom walked in. Although this happened 35 years ago, the memory of her disgust still triggers my anxiety.
I was reminded of this experience recently when watching television. In one hour I saw an ad selling antibacterial hand and body soap, another telling me I should use a product proven to eliminate 99.9 per cent of the bacteria in my home (all the way down to the U-bend of my toilet), and a third saying I should eat a special yogurt that has bacteria added to it. Continue Reading »