I went to the dermatologist
the other day and received a prescription for a topical anti-inflammatory and an
antibiotic to treat what was believed to be either adult acne or folliculitis.
Rather than trying one medication for 6 weeks and then switch to the other if I
saw no results, the doc wanted to give both a try simultaneously. While reading the warning label for the
antibiotic I was alarmed by the following:
If you experience any of the following
symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
Changes in your skin or nails that may be signs of infection
with a fungus
For the past year
that I have been practicing Jiu Jitsu, I have been using antibacterial soaps,
thinking it was essential to prevent the exchange of micro-organisms like
bacteria and fungus. As it turns out, I may have been doing myself a grave
injustice. After searching the National Library of Medicine and reading studies
performed at the University College Cork in Ireland on Science Daily, I was
pretty convinced.
First I believe I
should clarify that there is a difference between antibiotic and antibacterial.
Antibacterials kill various forms of bacteria while antibiotics typically inhibit
the growth of various micro-organisms, including bacteria and fungi. Antibiotics
are administered to treat bacterial infections by making their environment inhospitable,
resulting in the eventual demise of the bacteria strand. Bacteria and fungi have an interesting dichotomy
on our bodies. They both tend to be prevalent in warm moist areas of our
bodies. In many circumstances, healthy bacteria can prevent the spread of
fungus infections by fighting for the same real estate as the yeast. Therefore
they are constantly in a population war. The faster bacteria multiply, the
slower fungus can grow. Look at the warning label for any antibiotic, like Clindamycin, and it will
probably state to discontinue use if you encounter a fungus infection. It is a safe assumption that if inhibiting the
growth of bacteria can cause fungus to thrive, then killing bacteria with an antibacterial
soap could make your feet seem like an all inclusive vacation resort for
fungus.
Soaps like Defense, that
specialize in using natural ingredients like Tee Tree Oil to fight fungus are
great but are not typically readily available in your local market. Instead of
paying the premium for these specialty soaps online, I usually find myself trolling forums and seeing recommendations for
antibacterial soaps like Dial and Safeguard. I know tons of fellow Jiu Jitsu enthusiasts
use these same antibacterial soaps, so I just wanted to make sure that you do
the research before buying a soap that may effectively cause the same think you
are trying to prevent.
