[Saoirse]

When I moved to NYC in 1997, I worked for a PR firm on Long Island. Our specialty was crisis and risk management. One example of our cases was when Outback had a massive ecoli outbreak from their steaks. My job was to video monitor every news item, documentary, interview, etc that related to bacteria, contamination, sterilization, antibiotics, etc. I learned a lot about germs from 2 yrs in that job. From countless interviews, studies and documentaries...those that over-sterilize and use antibiotics without need are those that are prone to longer and more straining infections and contaminations. They have proven that the use of antibiotics, anti-bacterial soaps, chronic handwashing, etc will 1. destory those bacteria we do need and 2. weakens our immune system to the point of not being strong of enough to fight off ever changing strains of bacteria.
Doctors who over-prescribe antibiotics for colds, for example, are doing more harm than good to their patients. Virus strains are like cockroaches, they get stronger and meaner and we have to strive to create even stronger drugs... the cycle is menacing.
I, like many of you, grew up in the days of my mother not wiping everything down with clorox, drinking unpasturized milk, fresh eggs from the farm, wild berries on the farm, etc. And even as an adult, I chastised my doctor for giving me antibiotics for a damned cold when all I wanted was a note to give my boss to prove I was, indeed, sick. I still don't use antibacterial soap or gels, won't go to the doctor unless ABSOLUTELY necessary and I don't freak-out over a little mold on my cheese.