Health-Conscious Series # 5: Why we should take a bath daily

With or without medical experts' advice, it is necessary to take a bath daily. The main reason is personal hygiene. It covers all nuisances that will result in neglecting to take care of our body.

What if you got sick? Is it still advisable to have your bath? Or you've met an accident. before I answer such question, we must take into consideration the benefits of taking a bath everyday.

1. Harmful bacteria are get rid and controlled when we take our bath daily. Imagine millions or even billions of unseen microbes hovering, nesting in and outside our skin. If we don't take a bath on a daily basis, these threats will multiply and can give us harmful effects.
2. It minimizes body odor. The residues of our perspiration in our armpits and other joints can give foul odor that will not be likeable by your friends and companion in the house. It's disgusting. Don't rely too much on deodorants. With just a talc powder after a bath will do to prevent body odor.
3. It eradicates skin diseases and discomforts. The leniency to take a bath daily can lead to some irritating and itchy skin discomforts, like athlete's foot, scabies, acne, dermatitis to mention a few.
4. We feel refreshed. It's like we are renewed after taking a bath. Even a symptom of sickness will be prevented. Maybe the virus got scared of the bath soap and water (hehe!).

Back in the late 70s, as a child then, my mother would heat water to be diluted in order to balance the temperature of an early morning bath. I usually squeak at the first hit of water on my head. She told me that I'll never get sick if I take a bath daily. True enough, my teachers said the same phrase of reminder.

The bathing ritual included the warning words of what to expect on a lukewarm water, then the sloshing sound of water. The soaping will start from the head (no shampoo yet) down to the feet naked. I was never ashamed at first but when my older brother and sisters kidded me that I was a mama's boy, I never let mom assist me during my bathing rituals.

Kids often bath and soaked their bodies with the rain. It's enjoyable to see but prolong stay outside can affect the immune system of the children, so it made them sick. I used to be like them, too. I can't resist the invitation of water for a bath.

Bathing habit changed gradually when I was in high school. I have to soap first my bath small bath towel, all over my body, then speedily finish my bath routine because there were others who'll use the bathroom. I was at the boarding house of my aunt and my other cousins. Bath time was a riot. And to think of the shampoo wasted on my thinning hair (now) with hope to stop dandruff (huh!).

The same when I was in college. Although, it was my first time to experience a cold or hot shower at the radio station where I worked for as apprentice. With lots of school and radio loads to consider, bath time is good for 5 minutes or shorter.

Fatigue and stress consumed my body, juggling my time in school and work. I can never forget the time when I went on board chilling with fever and flu. I've taken a non-prescriptive pill. I decided to take a bath to control the temperature. I was sweating even the air-conditioning unit was at its full throttle. I cannot talk normally for the rest of the show (2 hours) but I was healed abruptly. I was amazed seeing myself healed because of that bath, although there's a little of drowsiness afterwards.

My job overseas taught me to take a bath before working, then repeat it again during nighttime. Although, when wintertime in other countries, like the USA and Canada, I struggled taking a daily bath because of the cold and even with the presence of the water heater.

Well, if the contract ends, it was a great experience lingering at the bathtub of hotel the company had chosen for a night stay before taking a flight home.