Do you think that handwashing over 20 times daily is necessary or be a little bit dirty improve our health?

Some people say that being so clean and washing our hands all of the time is bad and cause allergies. What do you think?

It麓s not necessary unless you get them dirty that often or if you work in a place where they need to be constantly sterile, such as a hospital or restaurant.

Lic.Gregory Kearney Lawson.

yes

No not at all...germs are passed on by touching..might as well stay clean..Purell works too

just wash your hands when you go to the bathroom or touch something very dirty

if your hands are totally clean 24/7, then you will never build up a resistance to minor germs, thus them compiling to form worse germs getting you sick

When you are always clean, your body doesn't take in any germs. Therefore, it has no resistance to them. When it's cold season you will be the first one to go, since others bodies are used to germs, yours is not.

Washing hands a lot of times washes out the good germs. Washing after using the bathroom, working,eating, etc. is mainly the only reason to wash your hands.

That's a sign of a mental illness (obsessive compulsive disorder).

handwashing is the most important aspect in keeping ourselves clean. if you keep on handwashing becomes agood habit or routine and will keep you safe from harmful organisms in our environment.

i used to wash my hands constantly, but i think its better to not wash your hands so much. it may seem healthy to always wash your hands but then you have only a small immune system.

It's bad for you. For one, you'll dry out your hands. For another, you do need some of the germs on your hands (they help fight off bad bacteria). Not all bacteria is bad. And being exposed to bacteria will help build a healthy immune system.

i think being a little dirty does improve health because if ur body is exposed to germs and all that then ur body starts becoming some what immune to them and helps u not get sick all the time.

Hello Beaver,

Being a nurse, I have done research on the topic of handwashing. Actually no, handwashing alone does not cause allergies, unless you are allergic to a specific brand of soap. If you are, then switch to a mild cleanser.

And NO... washing frequently does not hurt your immunity to other germs... Washing frequently PREVENTS illness to yourself and to others. Especially now since it is FLU and COLD season.

If you dont keep your hands clean, then you will spread your germs around to others. Here's a great example... Ever go into a public restroom and noticed someone who Didn't wash their hands after going... Then they touch the door handle... Now anyone who touches that door will pick up whatever germs was on it. Ewww!

So by washing your hands, you are washing away other people's germs that you have picked up...

Don't worry about the good bacteria that lives on your skin normally... It is all over your entire body and will re-multiply on its own.... The point of washing is to wash away the HARMFUL germs that are on your hands.

Everytime you touch your face, or rub your eyes or ears, you are transferring harmful germs.

If you are worried about the skin getting too dry, put a lotion on after you wash.

As long as you dont spend 3 hours at a time washing your hands, then it is not considered a compulsion (as one poster called it OCD). As long as you dont wash them so often that the skin is breaking open and bleeding, then it is not an obsession. so it is not OCD.

Times when you should wash:

1. Before you eat.
2. After using the restroom, every time.
3. If you cough or sneeze in your hand, wash them.
4. Before you touch babies, or young infants. They are susceptible to getting sick from our germs.
5. After you smoke.
6. Anytime you feel that your hands are dirty.
7. More often in Flu/Cold Season... October through March.

While washing your hands may prevent some sickness, a study was done, and it was featured on Good Morning America, that was showing antibacterial handsoap isn't the best soap for you. It does kill bacteria, but it may in fact kill the bacteria too well seeing as it kills the natural bacteria you have on your hands that help ward off disease. As you strip away germs, you are also striping away your body's natural defenses. They contributed being "too clean" to the rise in asthma and allergies among children in the United States. You can't build up defenses if you were never exposed to germs (that's how vaccinations work, you're exposed to a disease in small doses so your body can recognize it and learn to beat it.)

I hope this answers your question.

First of all, are you pregnant?

If yes....well actually either way, you should wash your hands at least 10 times a day for 20 seconds each time. Basically enough time to sing "Happy Birthday" twice. You should also use water heated to 98 degrees.

To be honest I don't know about the relationship between washing your hands and allergies but if there were a relation wouldn't you think that our ***'s would be sneezing quite a bit since they are the cleanest part of our body at any time of the day?

I hope this clears it up.

If you clean too much your body isn't being exposed to all the bad stuff, so it can't build up immunities. A hospital is the cleanest place but also the worst place to get sick. The bacteria/viruses are constantly evolving in order to survive there, so if you get sick they don't have a treatment for that new infection yet.

Excessive washing can cause topical dermatitus. I have that. But what you need to avoid are the antibacterial soaps-especially for showering with.

We need some bacterias to help us to function, and excessive killing off of some needed bacteria has been known to create some problems.

But all in all , washing is very beneficial. Look at the segment from the book listed below:

"What makes this important is the fact that eighty percent of all infectious illnesses, from the common cold to flesh-eating bacteria and lethal viruses like Ebola, are transmitted by touch," writes Tierno, who serves as the director of clinical microbiology and diagnostic immunology at New York University Medical Center and Mt. Sinai Medical Center. "In this light, hand washing emerges as a public-health issue that is every bit as serious as smoking, if not more serious."

120307 6:05

Not only is it bad for you, as everyone else pointed out, it's bad for the world in general. Because people are using so many anti-bacterials, germs are becoming immune to them and developing into superbugs we have no protection against. There's no point in killing reletively harmless germs that our bodies can easily fight off. It'll just hurt us in the long run.

well..
OVER 20 times a day?
thats bad.
it could turn into OCD.
my cousin had it.
he couldnt stop washing his hands.
would'nt touch anything.
and he had to take medication for 2 years.
and still does.
but,
its good to wash your hands..
just not THT much

Washing your hands 20 times a day is ridiculous! That's only for complete germaphobes! And no, it definitley not necessary. The old saying is "what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger."

Well, I believe good handwashing is very good for proper hygine and keeping sicknesses away. Such as the flu and other viral and bacterial sicknesses. On the other hand our bodies need a balance of bacteria to keep our bodies defense system strong. I mean our Immune System. But I do agree with Handwashing after sneezing, coughing, touching food and personal places and other surfaces that children may have touched. Try not to over use Anti-Bacterial Soaps so that your body can have a chance to use its own defenses. Children are major carries of most sicknesses due to not knowing how to properly clean hands and faces after contraction of bacterias or viruses.

its fine to wash ur hand alot