Dirt! It Does a Body Good

I've always said "a little dirt never hurt anyone". That's right up there with my mantra: organization is the enemy of creativity.
Who knows if they're true? Who cares? What I really mean is to not feel guilty choosing to write, socialize, run barefoot through the grass or watch an entire season of CSI in one sitting without feeling guilty that the clean laundry hasn't "put itself away".

Get friendly with your chaos. That's my thinking anyway. I also think that viruses are uninvited guests and if treat them hospitably and yes, talk to them they'll leave eventually and possibly better off for making their acquaintance.

What do you say to a virus? Be a good host and remind them to be a gentle guest. They are after all simply another living organism stopping by on its way somewhere else.

Encounters with germs and illness is what leads to building immunities and stronger immune systems. While attacking these squatters with antibiotic eviction notice seems like a good idea in the short term, like an encounter with anyone things escalate when someone or something feels threatened.

So more antibiotics becomes more superbugs. And the next uninvited viral guest shows up with a crowbar and a bad attitude, expecting (and deserving) an unenthusiatic welcome.

I love it when science deigns to back up my own peculiarities. Tell your mom cleaning your room may actually be bad for your health!

Researchers have been exploring cleanliness as an allergy cause for several years. The argument that too-clean environments contribute to allergies is called the "hygiene hypothesis." Generally, the idea is that exposure to germs and infection helps build the immune system, which can protect against allergies and asthma.

(They haven't yet figured out talking to germs helps but I'm a patient woman.)

When you're concerned about allergies (particularly asthma) you may try to remove whatever causes the allergic attack. It's logical to assume that purging your house of allergens such as pollen, dust mites, and pet hair is a good thing. But all that mopping, sweeping, air freshening, and spray cleaning could actually increase the risk of allergies and asthma.

Cleaning Products? Could they be causing asthma?

Researchers reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine: According to a study of more than 3,000 adults who did not have asthma when the study began, using cleaning sprays more than once a week can trigger asthmatic attacks, and the risk of asthma increased as the use of sprays increased. Sprays that could lead to asthma and allergies include glass cleaners, furniture cleaners, and air fresheners.

A little more dirt could be just what the doctor ordered.