The most important thing you can do to prevent most any illness is to wash your hands frequently with handmade soap. Washing hands reduces the risk of transmission of viruses and bacteria. It is one of the greatest single advances in medicine. Soap combined with water binds onto grime enabling dirt and more importantly germs to be washed away.
Dr Ignaz Semmelweis in the 1800’s was ridiculed for suggesting the idea of doctors cleaning their hands in-between patients, so much so that he was forced to resign his position. He passed away in 1865 with no change to what he believed could save countless lives. In 1910 it was still not accepted practice to wash your hands and in New York 30 physicians sent a petition to the Mayor protesting about a Josephine Baker M.D. who was promoting hygiene…..they said “it was ruining medical practice by..keeping babies well.”!! It’s only in the last 80 years that it has become common practice for doctors to wash their hands between patients and within surgery.
Handwashing with soap is a life-saving intervention which is in the technological and financial reach of all countries and communities. The belief that “water alone is sufficient” is commonplace in the world, but this is simply not the case. By adding soap it makes this process more effective. It helps to break down the grease and dirt that carry most germs, the rubbing and friction used with washing dislodges them and leaves your hands smelling pleasant, & more importantly hygienic.
Diarrheal infections are the second biggest cause of death in children under five! Handwashing with soap has found to cut this death rate in half! Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent disease, including the common cold, influenza, eye infections, intestinal worms, SARS & even Avian (Bird) Flu.
Handwashing with soap works to interrupt transmission of disease from person to person, through direct contact or indirectly via surfaces. The best times to wash with soap are…
• before/after contact with food…
• when you or someone around you is sick…
• after touching animals and…
• after using the bathroom.
“Most infectious diseases are spread by contact, either person-to-person, or by touching surfaces harboring germs,” said U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. “Proper hand cleaning is the best prevention against communicable illness.”
Most importantly though is washing with Handmade Soaps, rather than Commercial Soaps – why do you say?? Commercial soaps are…
• made in huge batches from detergents, surfactants (chemically derived product that promotes foaming),
• synthetic fragrances and many other synthetic products.
• They strip the natural oils (protective layer) from your skin and…
• have been known to cause skin rashes, dry, chapped skin including eczema.
Natural (handmade) soaps are made in small batches from vegetable oils/fats, these fats contain nutrients which keep your skin healthy, they…
• keep the protective layer of oil that you have on your skin.
Natural soaps retain all the glycerin found naturally in vegetable oils which in turn help to…
• keep the natural moisture in your skin.
This protective layer helps to….
• protect your skin from the effects of the sun and wind, more importantly it…
• helps keep out disease bearing bacteria.
Washing properly with handmade soap will make transmission of disease even harder:
• First wet your hands and apply your clean bar of soap.
• Place the bar of soap back onto a rack allowing it to drain.
• Rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces.
• Continue for up to 15 seconds until you have a decent foam spread all over, use a nail brush for a more invigorating scrubbing action.
• Rinse well and dry your hands.
Taking care of your health, includes eating right, getting fresh air & exercise, and washing well to ward off those sneaky microbes. Naturalus Handmade Soap is your ally on the road to a healthy life!
