JOSH'S CONDITIONS & TREATMENTS BLOG

"Americans Not Obessive-Compulsive Enough," Claim Soap Companies

In a non-biased study that was sponsored by the Soap and Detergent Association, only about one third of the men are washing up after they use the restroom. Women wash up 88 times out of 100. This information was gathered by researchers who slunk around public lavatories and investigated people's habits. (Insert Larry Craig joke here)

  Then the scientists ran to a panel of infectious disease specialists and told on the American public. "Buy soap," these independent scientists added. Judy Daly, the project leader, even suggested that people carry around some sanitizing gel in case there was no soap to be found.

"These are a marvelous addition to plain soap and water," she said. "Using soap will make you sexy and strong," were the mysteriously quotation-marked words at the beginning of this sentence.

Cleanliness is important. It keeps typhoid out of the food supply. It keeps disease-ridden rat/flea combos from depopulating Europe, and it even makes people smell nice. It also lowers the rate of flu and infections.

So why am I making fun of this study?

Men, in general, tend to urinate standing up. There is no man-to-porcelain contact. There is no risk of catching germs or spreading bacteria from that particular exchange. As a man, I would venture to guess that we use the urinal two out of three visits to the boy's room.

Urine, gross as it is, contains toxins, but it is sterile.  If a man were to have what is known as "poor aim," then pre-existing bacteria on the skin could use the urine as a medium for growth.

But that man would already have that bacteria on his skin before he went to the bathroom. Should he have washed up before he went to the bathroom?  So how clean do you need to be at all times and are there any health risks to being so clean?

Some scientists believe that overcleanliness is linked to allergies. Allergies are caused by an overreactive or "bored" immune system. The clean person is so microbe free that the immune system is given nothing to do. The immune system attacks anything that it enters the body that shouldn't be there: Dander, Pollen, Smoke, Homework and Peanuts.

So the next time the soap companies tell you that you need to be cleaner, tell them where they can stick the soap. (In their mouthes to wash out the lies.)

If you want to talk to an allergist about allergies or an infectious disease specialist about infectious disease, click here.

   

A Nail-Biting Cure

The Dutch, known for their liberal democracy and a proclivity for living below sea level, may have come up with the cure for compulsive nail biting. The gadget, a guard that fits over the teeth, makes it impossible to bite nails. Eventually, after many failed attempts, the biter is subconsciously trained not to chomp at his fingertips.

Nail biting causes no long-term damage. It is, however, unsanitary and can lead to infections or warts in the nail bed. Also, if an onychophage puts an oft-bitten finger into his gob, the chances for cold and flu increase.

The biting of the nails is often a symptom of anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder.  Once the nails are bitten off, the biter is often depressed and ashamed of his ragged digits, causing even further anxiety.

Hair pulling, skin picking, blemish squeezing, cheek biting and nail chewing all fall into the category of body-focused repetitive disorders. It is thought that 5% of the population may suffer from these disorders. Sufferers may hide bald spots, self-inflicted lesions, and worn cuticles from friends and family or simply refuse to go into public.

If a loved one has tattered fingertips and he keeps saying, "Oops. I fell into a patch of Venus Flytraps again," and he is not some sort of botanist, but actually a banker by trade. He might be a nail biter.  (Jeff Foxworthy might have written that joke if he were a dermatologist instead of a humorously-mustached southern man. )

In all seriousness, if you know someone who suffers from a body-focused repetitive disorder, they should see an anxiety specialist for stress and a dermatologist to help repair the damage to the skin, nails or hair. To find a doctor near you click here.