Clean hands and allergies

We recently shared with our Facebook friends a study released by Johns Hopkins Children's Center, indicating that frequent use of Triclosan, a common antibacterial ingredient in hand sanitizers, antibacterial soaps, mouthwashes, and toothpaste, has been linked to increasing allergies in children.  Frequent exposure to the various parabens was also cited.

The results of the study didn't seem to indicate that the Triclosan or parabens were directly linked to the allergies in a cause and effect relationship, but higher urine levels of these products (indicating that the body has absorbed and is excreting more of the chemicals) seemed directly linked to higher allergy markers in the bloodstream.

 If you are concerned about the overuse of these chemicals in your child's environment (or in your environment!) you might want to consider using our KleenHandz Gel.

Our Mercy Gel is laboratory tested to kill MRSA bacteria in vitro, in a petri dish.  Years ago I read of a case study in an elementary school.  Ravintsara, in aloe gel, used  three times a day by all the children in one classroom.  A dab of the gel on their hands when they entered the classroom,  when they lined up to go to lunch, and before leaving for the school bus in the afternoon.  The absenteeism rate in that one class room was dramatically lower than that of the school as a whole.

We combined the two concepts above, adding our gentler antiviral essential oil, Ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora) from Madagascar to our Mercy Treatment Gel.

We can't call it a hand sanitizer.  There are all sorts of governmental regulations and testing that must be done to use that term.  So we call it "Kleen Handz."   Most hand sanitizers have an alcohol base. Alcohol is effective, but also dries your hands.  Kleen Handz gentle aloe vera base soothes your hands, while Lavender and Tea Tree kill bacteria and Ravintsara repels viruses.

It's a more natural alternative to keeping your family germ free.

One consideration.  The results of the study above may be related to what is called the "hygiene hypothesis".... the theory that too much cleanliness, too little exposure to normal environmental pathogens may be what is disrupting children's immune systems and causing the geometric increase in childhood allergies in developed countries today.  In trying to keep our children germ free and safe from all possible bacteria we are preventing their immune systems from developing as Mother Nature intended.

With that in mind, this Grandma says "let them get dirty"... but use Kleen Handz afterwards!