Dear Beauty Conscious Reader,
You rub hand sanitizer on, and it feels all cold and tingly. You think that tingle is killing off the germs on your hands. But what you’re really feeling is all the alcohol and chemicals absorbing into your skin – and drying it out.
The truth is, hand sanitizers don’t do what they’re intended to do.
A new University of Virginia study tested hand sanitizers on two groups of people.1 One used hand sanitizers every three hours for 10 weeks. The other group just went about their daily lives, as usual.
The result? There was no difference in the viruses on the hands of the participants in the two groups.
And that’s a good thing. Because being exposed to germs can help prevent a ton of health problems. Like heart trouble, for example.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, Northwestern University researchers found that bacteria exposure protected people from high levels of C-reactive protein.
That’s a big deal and it even surprised me a little.
In case you haven’t read this before, a high level of this protein in your blood can cause inflammation. High C-reactive protein has even been associated with diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.2
Bottom line: Not only do you not need hand sanitizers to fight off germs, it’s a very bad idea to use them. What you really need to do is be exposed to bacteria and build a stronger immune system.
Here are a few easy ways to super-charge your immunity:
- Keep your hands clean with good old-fashioned soap and water.
- Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the best ways to fight off bugs – and look your best, too. And with the right levels of melatonin, you’ll have no problem getting eight hours of shut eye. This natural, protective hormone helps you fall asleep and keeps you sleeping deeper throughout the night. To increase melatonin naturally, make sure you spend time each day in bright, natural sunlight. Then go to sleep in a completely dark bedroom. Wear a sleep mask if you have to. You can also buy a melatonin supplement at most vitamin shops. Look for drops, or a sublingual that melts under your tongue. It’s easier to absorb and works fast. Start with 0.5 mg and work your way up to 3 mg max. Take it 20 minutes before you want to fall asleep.
- Natural foods are the BEST source for the vitamins and nutrients you need to prevent colds. Load up on immune-boosting foods like red and pinto beans, blueberries, cranberries, artichokes, raspberries, strawberries, apples, plums, pecans, oranges, and green leafy veggies. These foods will boost your immune power and protect your cells from damage.
- Raw garlic is one of nature’s best antibiotics. And unlike antibiotics, it doesn’t kill off the good bacteria in your gut while fighting off the bad stuff. All you need is a few cloves a day to wipe out germs. You even can create your own natural “V8” by blending some tomatoes, sea salt, garlic cloves, and your favorite mix of veggies.
- Nutrients like selenium have been found to kill off viruses like H1N1. I recommend 50 mcg a day.3
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
1Turner, Ronald B., University of Virginia, Annual Meeting of Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, in Boston, 2010
2McDade, T.W., et al, “Early origins of inflammation: Microbial exposures in infancy predict lower levels of C-reactive protein in adulthood,” Proc Biol. Sci. Apr. 7, 2010; 277 (1684):1129-37
3Yu, L. “Protection from H1N1 Influenza Virus Infections in Mice by Supplementation with Selenium: A Comparison with Selenium-Deficient Mice.”Biol. Trace Elem. Res. May 20, 2010
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