[Harp-L] Subject: Re: Soaking Harps...

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

.....then you might find this of some interest:
 
 
"Antibacterial Soaps:
Question:  Do antibacterial soaps work better than normal  soaps?

In the Journal of Hospital Infections, June 1995, researchers  from 
Georgetown University declared that handwashing remains sporadic and  ineffective in 
all health care settings and among all types of staff. We know  that effective 
handwashing at the appropriate moments is one of the most  powerful measures of 
preventive medicine available today. It is inexpensive,  non-invasive, and of 
great proven benefit. That _handwashing_ (http://www.drgreene.com/21_67.html) 
 should remain  neglected at the close of the twentieth century -- by health 
care professionals  -- is a disgrace!
One hundred fifty years ago Dr. Semmelweis, fresh out of medical school, was  
a young assistant physician in the maternity hospital in Vienna, Austria. In  
Europe at that time, mortality rates in maternity hospitals ranged as high as 
25  to 30 percent. A postpartum infection known as puerperal fever was the 
main  cause of death. Dr. Semmelweis decided to investigate the cause of 
puerperal  fever, against the strong objections of his superiors who felt that the 
high  mortality rates were normal and non-preventable. 
Semmelweis had a friend who died from a wound infection after performing an  
autopsy on a woman who had died of puerperal fever. His symptoms had been  
similar to those of the infected women. Semmelweis also noticed that the  
obstetric mortality rates were highest in the delivery room where students went  
directly to attend the labor of healthy mothers immediately after dissecting the  
bodies of women who had died of puerperal fever. 
Semmelweis ordered all of the medical students to wash their hands after  
performing autopsies and before examining living women. This was considered by  
the students to be unnecessary and burdensome, but they complied. As a result,  
the mortality rate plummeted to 1.27 percent. Yet Semmelweis lost his job for 
 being a troublemaker. 
He wrote and spoke about the importance of handwashing, but was largely  
ignored. Finally, when a hospital in Pest, Austria, was having a particularly  bad 
epidemic of puerperal fever, they hired Semmelweis to be the chief of  
obstetrics. He instituted handwashing, the epidemic vanished, and the mortality  
rate fell to 0.85 percent for the six years that he remained there. 
Semmelweis published his findings and sent them to all of the prominent  
obstetricians and medical societies throughout Europe. The response was  outspoken 
and antagonistic. The steady rejection by the medical establishment of  
Semmelweis's appeal to reason gradually resulted in his becoming discouraged,  
disillusioned, and depressed. He died in a mental hospital at only 47 years of  
age -- of a wound infection. 
Now, Semmelweis is a hero of medicine. His teachings on handwashing have been 
 validated repeatedly. The benefit has been proven in obstetrics, in 
operating  rooms, in intensive care units, in doctor's offices, and in every health 
care  setting. It has also been proven to be powerfully effective in preventing 
common  infections in healthy children at home and at school. 
Children who wash their hands effectively have fewer visits to the doctor,  
take fewer _antibiotics_ (http://www.drgreene.com/21_646.html) , need fewer  
prescription medicines, have fewer illnesses, and miss less school than their  
counterparts. This has been demonstrated repeatedly. Schools with regular  
handwashing programs have measurably fewer infections in their students than  
schools with sporadic handwashing. Schools without handwashing routines have  
large amounts of fecal _bacteria_ (http://www.drgreene.com/21_527.html)  
detectable on classroom  floors and carpets. 
What does it mean to wash effectively? Children (and adults) must be taught  
to wash their hands at all of the critical moments. These include washing 
after  defecating, after handling diapers, before handling food, before eating, 
and  before feeding children. They must also wash with water and a cleansing 
agent --  not water alone. Even washing with ashes and water, or soil and water, 
has been  proven to be more effective than washing with water alone. 
Is antibacterial soap the best cleansing agent? The scientific studies  
comparing antibacterial soap to regular soap give apparently contradictory  
results. Some studies show it is better, others that it is worse, and others  seem to 
show no difference. Taken together, these studies indicate that  
antibacterial soaps are more effective at reducing infections by some organisms  
(especially staph and strep); they are worse at preventing some types of  infections 
(especially by some of the organisms called gram negative bacteria,  since the 
antibacterial soaps kill much of the beneficial bacteria that normally  live on 
our skin and protect us from some of these gram negative organisms); and  
they make no difference for some types of infections (such as cytomegalovirus  
[CMV], or Clostridia -- the bacteria that cause gangrene). 
For children who are prone to _impetigo_ 
(http://www.drgreene.com/21_204.html) , boils, or _pimples_ (http://www.drgreene.com/21_811.html) , I would 
recommend using  an antibacterial soap. I would also recommend it for people who are 
exposed to a  great many infectious diseases (I use it in my office). For 
others, I would  recommend a gentle cleanser such as Dove, Alpha Keri, Aveeno, or 
Cetaphil, to  avoid dry or cracked skin.  
Far more important than the choice of soap is consistent, thorough  
handwashing. Let the legacy of Semmelweis inspire you to give the gift of  handwashing 
to your children, rather than additional rounds of antibiotics. It  does take 
a little work, but far less than the work it would take to take care  of your 
children during the _infections_ (http://www.drgreene.com/54_20.html)  you 
will instead  prevent.
    Alan Greene MD FAAP  
 
(http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=21&action=sendtofriend&ref=819) 

Elizabeth



"Message: 8
Date: Wed, 18 Jul 2007 12:07:21 -0400
From: Joe and  Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Soaking harps  offlist
To: fjm <mktspot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:  <8883AA59-4EB4-44B9-A83E-7D809E72E06E@xxxxxxxx>
Content-Type:  text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

Never said I  believed it. That was my mother's theory.    giggle
smo-joe

On Jul 18, 2007, at 10:39 AM, fjm  wrote:
>   Let's disregard the evidence that exposure to  pathogens helps  
> establish robust immune systems.     fjm"
>




************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at 
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour