Tis the season for sneezing, drippy noses, coughing, and for you, your kids, your neighbors kids, your co-workers and strangers on the street to help spread the merriment by contaminating one another.
Most people's first response to the season is to increase their vitamin intake, start taking echinacea, drink barrels of orange juice and use seventy-two gallons of antibacterial soap a month until the season is over.
It all makes sense, right? Maybe the vitamins, echinacea and orange juice, but not the antibacterial soap. Why? According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, “...it not only kills bacteria, it also has been shown to kill human cells (Eur J Oral Sci 1998 Apr; 106:628-36).”
Men may not care if their skin cells drop dead, but for us women it's a royal nightmare. Think about it, dead skin cells equals prematurely aging skin – the one thing we spend hundreds to thousands of dollars a year to avoid like the plague!
Aside from drying out your skin till you look like an iguana, damaged skin makes you susceptible to possible infections and releases free radicals. The only way to stop free radicals is the use of antioxidants.
If you have to use antibacterial soaps in your job, you can save the life of your hands by using a hand cream that contains vitamins A, C and E. Vitamins A, C and E are antioxidants that work together to disarm, protect and neutralize the damage free radicals cause.
If possible, you should apply it after every wash, especially at night time before bed. Keep a mini-size lotion in your pocket, desk, car or purse so you don't forget to protect your hands.
