Hi, Gene, Looking Keen

(Image from wellnessmama)

Swimming against the 2020 cleanliness tide, James Hamblin of the Yale School of Public Health says people bathe too often: [bold added]

"Five years ago, I stopped showering,” begins James Hamblin....In the microorganisms that live on our skin, Hamblin finds some explanation for what he experienced in his no-shower experiment (which, he freely admits, was born more of curiosity and laziness than ideology). After forgoing all the deodorants and cleansers he’d previously associated with cleanliness, he was . . . fine. And he didn’t smell too bad, either [blogger's note: sez who?].

In the 1980's I encountered startup millionaires who wore sandals, let their hair grow to their waist, rarely bathed, and were computer geniuses. One literally held one's nose to do business with them.

They are now in their 70's and appear none the worse for their unusual hygienic habits.

Perhaps Mr. Hamblin is right; leaving good bacteria alone can help one live to a "ripe" old age.