Antibacterial, but at what cost?

My wife and I never buy antibacterial soap for use at home for a number of reasons one of which being that like antibiotics, antibacterial soaps kill all bacteria (good and bad) indiscriminately.  And more and more research shows that healthy bacteria, both inside and outside of our bodies, are absolutely crucial for your health.  Remember without the healthy bacteria sharing our bodies with us, and by sharing I mean physically out numbering us (bacteria to human cells), we would cease to exist!

Aside from that, as if another reason was needed, we choose our soaps as we do all the other hygiene products that we use; organic or at the very least chemical free, sulfate free, fluoride free (toothpaste), paraben free, and anything 'unnatural' free.  Because as you probably know by now non-organic products contain harmful chemicals, some listed and some not required to be, but all harmful none the less.  And this brings me to the driving force behind today's post...  Harmful Chemicals!

The soap you should never use but 75% of households do

The latest research shows that Triclosan, a bactericide used in many products, has been linked to one of the biggest killers today, heart disease!  Of course given the fact that it was first registered with the EPA in 1969 as a pesticide, harmful side effects due to this chemical shouldn't be too much of a surprise. 

These harmful effects include muscle function...
"After mice were exposed to one dose of triclosan, heart muscle function was reduced by 25 percent, and grip strength was reduced by 18 percent. Fish were also exposed to triclosan – about the equivalent dose as would be accumulated in a week in the wild – and this led to poorer swimming performance. Researchers also exposed individual human muscle cells (from heart and skeletal muscles) to a triclosan dose similar to everyday-life exposure, and this, too, disrupted muscle function and caused both heart and skeletal muscles to fail."   Articles on Mercola.com 8/29/12


... and  hormone function.
"A Toxicological Sciences study found that triclosan affected estrogen-mediated responses, and many chemicals that imitate estrogen are known to increase breast cancer risk.³ Triclosan also suppressed thyroid hormone in rats, and this is only one study in an accumulating body of research showing this chemical to be a potent endocrine disruptor."  Articles on Mercola.com 8/29/12

So for these reasons I never use antibacterial soap (at work, at home, or anywhere), it's simply healthier to use water alone if no other soap options are available.