February 2013 The AC Phoenix 13
Are Toilet Seat Covers Re
ally Necessary?
When you enter a public bathroom and, on the wall, you
see a dispenser filled with toilet seat covers...do you
take one of them?
Hamlet was wrong. To cover or not to cover—that is the
question!
On the one hand, there's an undeniable"ickfactor" when
it comes to sitting on top of something that countless
bare-butted strangers have sat on before you—espe
cially if you spot bits of water, urine or (worst of all) feces
on the seat. So part of you is probably eagerto do what
ever you can to shield yourself from germs and avoid
getting yourself wet and/or soiled.
But on the other hand, seat covers are generally made
of porous tissue paper that is laughably thin. They have
to be that thin, or they might clog toilets. And don't let
the waxiness of the paper fool you—if there is liquid on
the seat, it is likely to bleed through the cover. So anoth
er part of you is probably thinking. How protective can
these covers truly be? And even if a germ does touch
me, could I really get a disease that way?
So I went straight to the top of the heap to get to the, er,
bottom of things, calling Charles Gerba, PhD, a profes
sor of environmental microbiology at The University of
Arizona in Tucson—because he is widely known as "Dr.
John Raye Goes Back
Home
By John Raye
[continued from frontpage]
national spokesman for the company. We relocated to
North Carolina, leaving Washington, D.C., and the Forev
er Living Company.
Now, 25 years fater, I'm heading back home—back to
Forever living and the miracle-healing, kosher-balai cer
tified Aloe Vera Gel, this God sentjaroduct that extended
my mother's life, and greatly impacted my life.
Miss Rosie, my wife of 50 years, has fully recovered from
a massive right brain stroke. I am a 7- year cancer survi
vor. The late Warren Sledge who had been wheel-chair
bound for 9 years, regain his ability to walk, a fact he at
tributed fully to the Aloe Vera gel.
Of course, we cannot make, as you know, any medical
claims. But I know, my wife knows, Mr. Sledge's family
knows, and many others can bear witness to the life-sus
taining properties of the Forever Living Aloe Vera gel...
the "real McCoy"
I know what I know—so after 25 years, I am back where
I started; so this time there will be no second-guessing,
no turning back. I am hear to sound the alarm. We are
going to deal with some of these chronic health issues
that have plagued our community far too long. And we
Germ" for his extensive research about bacteria and or
ganisms covering public surfaces.
THE MUCK OF THE MATTER
In essence, here's what he told me: "I don't know of any
scientific data on this specific topic, but based on my
past germ research, in my opinion, most toilet seat cov
ers are useless," he said.
First, we discussed what sort of germs you might find
on a toilet seat. If you've bought into the common mis
conception that toilet seats carry sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs), you've been fooled. The organisms that
cause STDs, such as the viruses that cause herpes and
AIDS and the bacteria that cause gonorrhea and syphi
lis, can't survive on cold, hard toilet seats for more than
a few minutes, Dr. Gerba said. So by the time someone
leaves a stall and you're ready to sit on the toilet, odds
are, those types of germs are dead.
Other germs can survive on a toilet seat indefinitely,
though—such as fecal bacteria (including E. coll) and
the MRSA bacterium (methicillin-resistant Staphylococ
cus aureus), which can be transferred from a person's
skin to the toilet seat.
But how, exactly, would those types of germs infect you?
"I suppose it's physiologically possible, but the chances
of it happening are very, very slim," said Dr. Gerba,
For example, one way forfecal bacteria to be transmitted
to your body would be for you to have an open sore—
but you'd have to have an open sore on your buttocks or
the back of your thighs in the specific place where the
germ happens to be situated on the toilet seat. Another
way would be by doing a poor wiping job—as you move
a wad of toilet paper toward yourself, you accidentally
brush by the toilet seat (collecting the germ) and then
accidentally let the toilet paper touch your urethra. A
third way? Perhaps you acqidentally touch the toilet seat
with your bare hands.. .don't wash your hands properly
are going to repair both our physical and financial health
as well. I make no apologies for making money—after all
this is a business, and the biggest business in America is
the sick business. •
Therefore, we are organizing a national team of Forever
Living distributors/customers. We want you to Join us.
There is no Joining or sign up fee. And you order as you
see fit. No pressure, no hassle. Note these facts:
• Forever Living is now doing business in 150 countries.
•There are over 10 million Forever Living distriburors
worldwide
• There are over 300,000 distributors in Nigeria
• Nigeria was ranked no 4 in the world in total sales for
2011.
At this point I need you to google: Forever Living Prod
ucts Nigeria. Then click on: ABOUT US. Study the site.
Now, you tell me, we are here in America and totally
absent from what is the biggest business in the Mother-'
land! What's wrong with this picture? What does Moth
er Africa know that we here in the land of "the free, the
brave and the broke", do not know?
My goal now is to repeat what we did 25 years ago—to
build the largest group of African-American distributors/
customers in Forever Living. I declare that I will not be
detained, denied, depressed or disappointed because I
am given, "the NO word". I n fact, the more "No's" I get, the
more excited I become, which provides an opportunity
for me to, "eliminate with extreme prejudice" such indi-
with soap and warm water after you finish going to the
bathroom...and then later touch your nose or mouth
and ingest the germ.
MRSA is a little more concerning, because research has
shown that it can spread from simple skin-to-skin con
tact (as opposed to through a bodily opening), but Dr.
Gerba said that even though it has been found on toilet
seats in hospitals, there is no direct evidence proving
that anyone has ever contracted MRSA by sitting on a
toilet seat.
So, again, is it possible to get infected by a germ from
putting your bare buns on a toilet seat? "Theoretically,
yes, but realistically, no,"said Dr. Gerba.
Even if the risk for infection were high, how much pro
tection would a toilet seat cover provide? I talked with
Dr, Gerba about how most toilet seat covers are porous,
one-ply pieces of tissue and how bits of feces and urine
(and therefore germs) can easily bleed through them.
He said that a toilet seat cover is likely to provide pro
tection only if it's not porous—so the only ones likely to
protect you are those nonporous plastic covers that ro
tate around the seat before a new person sits down (the
bathrooms in Yankee Stadium in New York City, for ex
ample, have these, as well those in the Louis Armstrong
New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana).
WORRY ABOUT YOUR KITCHEN, NOT YOUR BATH
ROOM
Dr. Gerba left me with this food for thought: Accord
ing to his research, far more dangerous germs exist on
kitchen surfaces, such as sinks and counters, than on toi
let seats, whether in public or at home. E. coli bacteria,
for example, are 200 times more prevalent on cutting
boards than toilet seats, he said. "It's actually safer to
make a sandwich on a typical toilet seat than a typical
cutting board," he said.
Hmm.. .no thanks! I'll keep cooking in the kitcheni
viduals from my address book (no pun intended).
As I celebrate my 72 birthday, I clearly do not intend to
beg, bagger, bug or bother anyone. I'm only dealing with
the ready, willing and able. So here's my offer.
Go to this site and sign on with us:
Johnrayelivingright.myflpbiz.com
Sign up. There is no fee to sign up. You are under no pres
sure or obligated to, "buy something every month". You
purchase everything at wholesale cost, same as me....
and whenever you feel the need to do so.
If you are not feeling well, physically or financially, then
you need to get with me, or be a blessing to someone,
somewhere in this country. This is a "we thing" not an "I
thing" I am fully aware of the fact that my return to For
ever Living after an absence of 25 years is nothing short
of an act of God. I am being obedient and following my
spirit.
If you are willing to Join our team, I would appreciate
an immediate response. Please know this is grown folk
business, so your response, whatever it might be, "will
not hurt my feelings!" it's Just time folks, as my momma
would often say, "to spit of get off the spot'! Now, that's
my momma's talk. Not my talk. But I agree with her.
—John Raye, a national health-wellness-business
coach, is a 7-year cancer survivor. He and Miss Rosie,
live in Kernersville, NC (rayeandrosie @>aol.com) 336-
782-8383