Health & Beauty Ingredients - Triclosan
I am often asked what health & beauty products I use and why. What people are really asking is, "Are the products I use OK?" There is no right or wrong answer, because not everyone has the same needs. Different products provide different solutions to some common... and some unique... problems.
This entry begins a discussion on the various ingredients found in health & beauty products. Some of the ingredients will be "traditional" (e.g., mainstream products found at the supermarket), and some will be "natural" (e.g., the type of products usually found only at the health food store). There are some crossovers, and I think those can be useful for people focused on more healthful lifestyles.
The goal in these entries is not to chastise any brand(s) or to tell you which products to buy; my aim is to help you be a smarter consumer and to urge you to read the labels on health & beauty products the way you do with packaged food products.
We begin with triclosan, which is found in everything from hand sanitizers to soaps to toothpastes.
What is it?
Triclosan is a wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent. This means it can attack a wide number of bacteria and fungi.
Why do I care?
The use of wide-spectrum antibacterials -- and the overuse of antibiotics in general -- is thought to be the main cause of the rise of so-called "superbacteria," which are immune to antibiotics. An example is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA.
Please explain.
Sometime in the last 15 years, western society has become very focused on germs. And it's no wonder: germs are the cause of illness. The problem is a question of moderation. The human immune system is a "smart system;" it learns from what it has encountered. That's why you are immune to chicken pox once you get them. If we completely eradicate germs from our immediate environment, the immune system is unprepared when germs are encountered in our daily life (which they will be, eventually).
To complicate the problem, bacteria are also a "smart system." If a colony of bacteria encounters an antibiotic, and not all of them are killed, there is the possibility that the information about the antibiotic is passed along to the next generation, which can become immune to that antibiotic. This is how "supergerms" are created.
Another issue is that all bacteria are not bad, but triclosan doesn't distinguish between good and bad bacteria. The human digestive system can not function properly without the beneficial bacteria that live in our gut, helping us to break down food.
Finally, all that triclosan in soaps, toothpastes and lotions gets washed down the drain and into rivers and oceans. Antibiotics not disposed of properly (and overmedication, which leads to antibiotics going through the human body and into the toilet) also end up in the water system. I know many people look specifically for chicken and dairy products not treated with antibiotics; what about your fish?
What's the take-home message?
I personally don't use products with triclosan in them. I keep a clean house, and I practice good personal hygiene, but I don't focus on germ eradication.
People with depleted immune systems, such as HIV+ individuals, have to work with their doctors to determine how best to maintain their own households. The general population does not need a germ-free world; in fact, a germ-free world is actually counter to a healthy life.
Brush your teeth at least twice a day with triclosan-free toothpaste. If you brush properly, this is as effective as using antibacterial toothpastes and toothbrushes.
Wash your hands for 20 seconds with regular old soap everytime you use the bathroom and before you eat. Germs leave your hands by bonding with the soap bubbles and being physically rubbed off. Triclosan has nothing to do with cleaning your hands.
Check the ingredients on any health & beauty products, including hand sanitizer. Most sanitizers use rubbing alcohol, but some use triclosan.
Finally, the recent uproar over flu virus has pushed some people to use antibacterial products. Viruses are not, and never have been, killed by antibacterial products. Only bacteria and fungus are killed by products like triclosan. In fact, some of our body's immunity against viruses is actually powered by bacteria, so when you annihilate your body's bacterial population, you might be leaving yourself open to viral infection.
The last word.
There's nothing wrong with a clean world. But we don't live in hospitals (in fact, overprescription of antibiotics has led to supergerm problems in many hospitals). The world is -- and always will be -- full of germs. And that's OK.
If you keep a clean house and practice good hygiene, you are ahead of the game. By sharing your environment with germs, you're actually strengthening your immune system and practicing a holistic lifestyle.
Wishing you much health!
This entry begins a discussion on the various ingredients found in health & beauty products. Some of the ingredients will be "traditional" (e.g., mainstream products found at the supermarket), and some will be "natural" (e.g., the type of products usually found only at the health food store). There are some crossovers, and I think those can be useful for people focused on more healthful lifestyles.
The goal in these entries is not to chastise any brand(s) or to tell you which products to buy; my aim is to help you be a smarter consumer and to urge you to read the labels on health & beauty products the way you do with packaged food products.
We begin with triclosan, which is found in everything from hand sanitizers to soaps to toothpastes.
What is it?
Triclosan is a wide-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal agent. This means it can attack a wide number of bacteria and fungi.
Why do I care?
The use of wide-spectrum antibacterials -- and the overuse of antibiotics in general -- is thought to be the main cause of the rise of so-called "superbacteria," which are immune to antibiotics. An example is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA.
Please explain.
Sometime in the last 15 years, western society has become very focused on germs. And it's no wonder: germs are the cause of illness. The problem is a question of moderation. The human immune system is a "smart system;" it learns from what it has encountered. That's why you are immune to chicken pox once you get them. If we completely eradicate germs from our immediate environment, the immune system is unprepared when germs are encountered in our daily life (which they will be, eventually).
To complicate the problem, bacteria are also a "smart system." If a colony of bacteria encounters an antibiotic, and not all of them are killed, there is the possibility that the information about the antibiotic is passed along to the next generation, which can become immune to that antibiotic. This is how "supergerms" are created.
Another issue is that all bacteria are not bad, but triclosan doesn't distinguish between good and bad bacteria. The human digestive system can not function properly without the beneficial bacteria that live in our gut, helping us to break down food.
Finally, all that triclosan in soaps, toothpastes and lotions gets washed down the drain and into rivers and oceans. Antibiotics not disposed of properly (and overmedication, which leads to antibiotics going through the human body and into the toilet) also end up in the water system. I know many people look specifically for chicken and dairy products not treated with antibiotics; what about your fish?
What's the take-home message?
I personally don't use products with triclosan in them. I keep a clean house, and I practice good personal hygiene, but I don't focus on germ eradication.
People with depleted immune systems, such as HIV+ individuals, have to work with their doctors to determine how best to maintain their own households. The general population does not need a germ-free world; in fact, a germ-free world is actually counter to a healthy life.
Brush your teeth at least twice a day with triclosan-free toothpaste. If you brush properly, this is as effective as using antibacterial toothpastes and toothbrushes.
Wash your hands for 20 seconds with regular old soap everytime you use the bathroom and before you eat. Germs leave your hands by bonding with the soap bubbles and being physically rubbed off. Triclosan has nothing to do with cleaning your hands.
Check the ingredients on any health & beauty products, including hand sanitizer. Most sanitizers use rubbing alcohol, but some use triclosan.
Finally, the recent uproar over flu virus has pushed some people to use antibacterial products. Viruses are not, and never have been, killed by antibacterial products. Only bacteria and fungus are killed by products like triclosan. In fact, some of our body's immunity against viruses is actually powered by bacteria, so when you annihilate your body's bacterial population, you might be leaving yourself open to viral infection.
The last word.
There's nothing wrong with a clean world. But we don't live in hospitals (in fact, overprescription of antibiotics has led to supergerm problems in many hospitals). The world is -- and always will be -- full of germs. And that's OK.
If you keep a clean house and practice good hygiene, you are ahead of the game. By sharing your environment with germs, you're actually strengthening your immune system and practicing a holistic lifestyle.
Wishing you much health!
posted by Liisa at
4:30 PM
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