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| Leave it to NPR’s Life Kit to find the answers to everything we always wanted to know but we're afraid to ask, and enlighten the rest of us in a cute comic format. This week, they looked at how we should be cleaning our bodies, with help from a couple of dermatologists.
Here’s how they answered some common cleanliness questions:
🗓️ How often should I bathe?
Drs. Sonia Batra and Michelle Henry say people between puberty and age 60 or so should bathe daily to wash off dead skin cells, bacteria, dirt, and more. But other research suggests that bathing most days of the week is fine for most people.
🧼Is bar soap or liquid soap better?
Doesn’t matter, says Batra. What’s important is that the cleanser you use is gentle and moisturizing. If you have sensitive skin, pick products without scents or dyes.
🚿Are long, hot showers ok for my skin?
It turns out spending a long time under hot water can strip your skin of its natural protective oils. It can also dehydrate your skin, breaking down the barrier that protects you from bacteria, viruses and fungi. Our experts recommend bathing for 5-10 minutes in lukewarm water.
🛀Are baths sanitary, or are you just stewing in your own yuck?
Henry says there’s no evidence that baths are less sanitary than showers, unless you're really grimy. If you go for a soak, she does recommend rinsing off afterwards.
Check out the comic for more tips, like how to wash a loofah, and how to tell if your body is clean after bathing. And, subscribe to the Life Kit podcast for more on the nitty-gritty of being human.
Plus: In The era of hygiene, 'Clean' author makes the case for showering less |
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One autumn, I found myself in a body without energy. I was eating normally, but it was as if my body forgot how to metabolize food. I stopped going to work, and started climbing into bed in the early afternoon, utterly drained, and sleeping for hours. My thoughts were lethargic too, like I was trapped in the twilight between sleep and wakefulness. And my head ached. Looking in the mirror, I imagined an “ON” button in the center of my forehead, a switch to reboot the system. What was happening to me?
A blood test showed I had anemia, a medical condition that can be caused by iron deficiency and results in the body having too few healthy red blood cells. For me, the solution was simple – taking an iron pill and eating foods rich in the mineral. But it took two weeks to feel normal again.
As a menstruating woman, I was in a high-risk demographic for iron deficiency and anemia.The World Health Organization estimates that about 30% of women worldwide between 15 and 49 years old are anemic, with iron deficiency estimated to be responsible for about half of cases.
But nonpregnant women are usually only tested if they’re having symptoms. As Lourdes Medrano reports for Undark, some doctors are advocating for iron deficiency screenings to become part of an annual check-up for women and girls in their reproductive years, because the condition can be easily overlooked.
The symptoms: Iron deficiency signs can include lethargy, irritability, and pale skin. Pediatric hematologist Angela Weyandsays even before dropping to anemic levels, iron deficiency is linked to problems like anxiety, depression, hearing loss and heart failure – along with other, more subtle changes. And for people who are pregnant, it’s linked to premature births and preeclampsia.
What helps: There’s a lack of consensus around iron supplements for iron deficiency. As for what you can eat to reduce your risk of iron deficiency, the Mayo Clinic recommends iron-rich foods like meat, seafood, beans, and dark leafy vegetables, as well as foods high in vitamin C, like broccoli and kiwis, to enhance iron absorption.
Learn more about iron deficiency frustrations and solutions.
Also: What are the different kinds of dietary iron, and how should I get enough? |
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We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism online.
All best,
Andrea Muraskin and your NPR Health editors |
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