How Often Should You Shower?

PLUS: Surprise $10,000 Bill From A High-Deductible Health Plan

Shots www.boelke-art.de/Getty Images 'Clean' Doctor Says Showers Are Overrated Your skin's microbiome could use a break from soap and cosmetics, Dr. James Hamblin argues in his new book Clean: The New Science of Skin. The physician ditched bathing for five years to harness the power of helpful microbes, and thinks you might do well with fewer showers, too. "We've gotten a lot better, culturally, about not judging people about all kinds of things, but when people smell or don't use deodorant, somehow it's OK to say ‘you're gross’ or ‘stay away from me!’ and it gets a laugh," he says. "I'm trying to push back against the sense of there being some universal standard of normalcy." Hmmm. … OK. Hamblin does think it’s important to suds and scrub hands frequently to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and other infections. And yes, he does brush his teeth. He also uses soap and water to clean his cuts and wears a face mask in public. That’s all important hygiene, he says; bathing the rest of your body often isn’t. Read on to learn more about Hamblin’s take on how to best protect your skin’s ecosystem. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Meg Vogel for KHN Bankrupted By His Job-Based Insurance Matthew Fentress, a 31-year-old cook at a Kentucky senior center, is one of millions of Americans whose skimpy health plans leave them vulnerable to out-of-pocket costs when they get sick that are overwhelming. Though Fentress has always taken jobs that include health insurance, at age 28 he went bankrupt after a bout of flu led to serious heart damage, and he needed hospitalization and a pacemaker. Today he faces yet another $10,000 medical bill – that's a third of his annual salary. Like nearly half of privately insured Americans under age 65, Fentress has a high-deductible health plan that includes huge out-of-pocket costs, a type of insurance that experts say often leaves patients in the lurch.   Read on to learn more about the hidden costs of these health plans. BONUS: 7 Ways To Get Out Of Medical Debt   Shanti Hands for NPR Does Coronavirus Linger In The Air Or Not? Among the mixed messages from the Centers for Disease Control in recent days, there were some changes in online descriptions of how the coronavirus spreads. About a week ago, careful readers noticed a CDC webpage had been tweaked to describe the virus as spreading "most commonly" through "respiratory or small particles, such as those in aerosols." But by Monday, that language had been taken down, dismissed as part of a “draft” that’s still under revision. Here’s why that caused a stir: Aerosols, you may remember, are the tiniest airborne particles expelled from our noses and mouths when we speak, sing, cough or breathe — a fine mist that can remain suspended in the air and travel farther than six feet. That’s as opposed to the larger, heavier exhaled “droplets” that quickly fall to the ground close by. If, as some scientists have suggested, a significant number of people are getting sick from inhaling lightweight, virus-laden “aerosols” that float and linger in the air inside a closed room, that could have big implications for proper ventilation and the people inside those rooms -- offices, classrooms, restaurants, sanctuaries and the like. There’s no real debate among health officials over whether the virus can spread through fine aerosols, reports NPR’s Pien Huang. “They're just not clear whether it's one of the most common ways it spreads.” Read on to learn more about some easy extra steps you can take to stay safe. More of this week's health stories from NPR Hey, People Pleasers: Learn How To Say No   Affordable Care Act To Face A Post-Ginsburg Supreme Court: What’s Next The Latest On Clinical Tests Of COVID-19 Vaccines   We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism on Shots and follow us on Twitter at @NPRHealth. Your Shots editor, Deborah Franklin   What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: shots@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Goats & Soda, Daily News, Best of NPR and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Health emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy