Date:01/07/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/07/01/stories/2009070154580500.htm
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Karnataka

Relook in personal hygiene


The term "hygiene" is derived from Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation. Elaborate codes of hygiene can be found in several Hindu texts such as the Manusmriti and the Vishnu Purana. The Indus Valley Civilization with its hallmark civilisations like Mohenjodaro and Harappa had elaborate sanitation systems and codes of hygiene.

Today, after 5000 years, we in India, are still ignorant or rather indifferent to improving our sanitary hygiene factors . One of the most dispensable habits still prevalent in India is that of using our hands to clean after our daily bowel movement. We don’t seem to realize that the very act of touching the excreta/faecal matter with our hands exposes us to the spread of some of the most dangerous diseases on earth – Hepatitis, Typhoid, Cholera, Diarrhea, Gastroenteritis etc.

We might rationalize by saying that we use soap to clean the hands, but research at CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) has clearly shown that soap does not remove all the pathogens and you might need to use alcohol based cleansers to get rid of these germs.

Also, invariably the soap is reused, thus this contaminated soap further helps in colonizing the hands with Gram-negative bacteria like E coli, Salmonella, Shigella and other Enterobacteriacaea.

Then there is the additional danger of germs penetrating under our nails/skin pores which are very hard to remove after any form of cleaning.

Microbial growth on a cultivation plate, A- without washing with soap; B- After washing hands with soap and water; C- after disinfection with alcohol

The important question that comes up therefore is whether there is any need to contaminate the hands with faecal matter in the first place.

Today’s technology has found a simple solution to this issue with the introduction of ATTACHABLE BIDETS. These easy to install devices can be fitted onto any Western Commode and offer a wide range of benefits thus making mugs, health faucets, jets, toilet paper look like what coal powder was before the advent of toothpaste.

The Attachable Bidets works on the principle of cleaning you from below with a jet of water from specially designed retractable nozzle(s) , that can be operated very conveniently by just turning a knob or pressing a button next to you.

Just 10 seconds are enough to give you a thorough cleaning and a refreshing experience without ever having to dirty your hands with excreta. A simple test using a tissue after your first wash is enough to convince you regarding the efficacy of this device.

The Bidets come in different designs and features and can be Manual or Electronic. They are very affordable with a starting price of Rs.1790( including taxes).

Attachable Bidets have been recently introduced in India by a Singapore company and has been welcomed by many users .

You can obtain further information from their website www.mansha-enterprises.com or call 91-80-41640471/ 91-9880009450

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