Preventing Showerhead Sickness

How to prevent showerhead sickness, a common trigger for oral and skin microbiome imbalance, with a simple inexpensive technique.

One of the dirtiest things in the bathroom is the showerhead, which can get contaminated with an illness causing bacteria that is easily cleaned out with this simple method.

Did you know one of the dirtiest, most disgusting things in your entire home is the innocent looking shower head in your bathroom even if you use a water filter?

This is because shower filters are designed to remove chemicals like chlorine, not necessarily harmful microbes.

In fact, the typical shower head is probably far more contaminated with pathogenic bacteria than the toilet or sink in the same bathroom!

And to think many of us stand under it most days with water cascading over our heads and even straight into our open mouths if we prefer brushing our teeth while showering.

If this is news to you (it was to me!), you are definitely not alone…

What About Healthy Bodily Terrain?

Most people have no idea that a showerhead, regardless of the model used, is a favorite and very common breeding ground for a dangerous microbe called atypical mycobacteria.

And, while the “terrain” of the body would normally be resistant to this type of exposure when all bodily systems are in tip-top form, who among us is in the same shape physically as our forebears 100 years ago?

Many of us today have endured a nearly continuous toxic assault since birth that significantly weakened immunity, such as childhood vaccines, fluoridated water, processed foods, GMOs, commercial baby formula, pesticides, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, and many others.

The good news is that you can fix the problem today, so this is one less toxic assault on your already overwhelmed immune system.

What is Atypical Mycobacteria?

Atypical mycobacteria are a very common group of microbes that surround us in the natural environment all the time.

They are found in the water and soil. However, they can also be found in the air when they become aerosolized into droplets of water small enough to enter the tiny alveoli of the lungs, such as what occurs during showering.

Despite being in the same family of bacteria as tuberculosis, atypical mycobacteria do not cause this deadly respiratory disease.

These pathogenic bacterial strains can, however, cause other types of serious health problems particularly when those exposed are already suffering from a weakened immune system or underlying illness.

Atypical mycobacteria can cause infections of the skin, lungs, sinuses, lymph nodes, and other parts of the body.

Showering day after day with these pathogenic microbes pouring all over our skin, into our eyes, nose, and mouth is going to be a problem to our health; the only question is when.

All of us have days when our immune system is depressed for whatever reason. It could be a lack of sleep, an illness which has taken hold temporarily, or stressful family or work situations.

Symptoms of infection with atypical mycobacteria include coughing, breathing problems, and increased mucous production. Fever and overall weakness can present as well.  Unexplained weight loss can also occur in extreme situations.

Semi-Annual Cleaning Protocol

The best thing you can do to prevent atypical mycobacterial infections in yourself and your family is to treat the showerhead like anything else in your bathroom:  something that needs to be cleaned regularly!

The kitchen faucet would be a good idea to include as well!

The cleaning process is simple, and you don’t have to do it that often.

Every six months will do just fine! Here’s what to do:

• Twice per year, fill a sturdy plastic bag with distilled white vinegar (preferably nonGMO white vinegar … conventional is made from GMO corn!) and attach one to every shower head in your home. Large rubber bands can be used to secure the bags tightly.

• Alternatively, if it’s easier, remove the showerhead completely and soak it in a bowl of vinegar.
• Leave the showerhead soaking in the vinegar for overnight but at least for an hour. Do not reuse the bag or the vinegar for other showerheads in your home. In other words, use a fresh bag (or bowl) of vinegar for each shower head that needs to be disinfected.
• Finally, remove the bags, dump the vinegar down the sink, and run the shower heads to thoroughly flush them out.

An easy way to remember to do this protocol is to schedule it at the same time you replace the batteries in your smoke alarms.

Note that even with a clean showerhead, it is important to know how to shower properly to preserve and protect the skin microbiome!

Thank you to Mark and Celeste of The Frank Clinic of Chiropractic for sharing this helpful green living tip that all of us can benefit from!

When I learned about this method for keeping showerheads clear of mycobacteria for the first time, I have to admit that I was more than a little grossed out!  I immediately soaked our home’s showerheads as instructed.

Will you be doing the same?

References

(1) Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis

(2) Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) Infections

(3) Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infections