Wrist-watch Straps and Disease Protection.

Wrist-Watch Straps and DiseaseProtection
Andre Willers
11 Dec 2010

Synopsis :
The ubiquitous wrist-watch strap acts as a reservoir for benign skin-ecosystem bacteria that greatly impedes malign bacteria populations .
Repeated and regular removal (ie nightly) of the wrist-strap promotes diabetesII .
A simple cure for DiabetesII is proposed.

Discussion :
The strap acts as an external appendix veriformis .
During normal wear , nutrients ( like oils ,fats , salts ) and skin bacteria accumulate in the crevices of the strap .
Hand washing , even with alcohol rubs , removes bacteria from the hands , but the strap is never sterilized .

The hand bacterial ecology then repopulates from the strap .
Hence the asymmetry between left-hand and right-hand bacterial ecologies . Nearly all watches (even for lefties ) are worn on the left arm .

Why is the repopulation benign ?
It is usually benign , unless there has been a prolonged period of illness . Straps worn during this period of illness should be discarded . Do not try to sterilize them , as this cannot be done .
During healthy periods , only benign bacteria make it to the surface . Some immune system elements also survive into the strap , leading to warfare between malign invaders and benign immune-system elements .
The influx of benign immune-system elements is limited , while the reproduction of malign elements are not .

This leads to the conclusion that a strap material that inhibits the reproduction of bacteria favours the benign side of things .

Luckily , we know that leather , wood , roughened silver or gold has this effect.
(Hint :stickles)
I do not know about other materials (research needed .)

Historical :
This might be urban legend :
In WWI young women packing machine-gun bullets into belts rubbed the belts on their thighs (cf Cuban cigars) . This was for good luck to their young men .
Machine gunners (especially the trusty old Vickers) hands were frequently raw or bloody as the belt rips through . Germans did not use women labour . The incidence of 1918 Flu was lower by two orders of magnitude on the English side . This would be because their hands were repopulated from pristine bacteriological sources . and Flu's are propagated mainly by hand to face contact .
An interesting speculation .

More important , flu epidemics are less frequent and not as serious as expected .
The major reservoirs of flu in the far east now all wear wrist watches . As expected , the flu epidemics are shorter and much less severe .

Babies :
Babies really need continual refreshment of their skin-ecosystem . Contact with the mother's skin helps , but frequent washing , especially of the nappy regions , removes benign bacteria . Most of the high death-rate of orphans without TLC can be ascribed to lack of repopulation by benign skin-ecologies . The malign bacteria win and eats the baby alive .

Baby Helpers :
Leather straps above the nappy around the middle .
Leather arm straps slightly above the wrist .
Leather strap loosely around the neck .

These function as reservoirs for benign skin-ecosystems . Do not wash them with the baby . Don't worry , the bacteria will find their way.

I use leather because I do not know of a better material .
There has been insufficient research on the long-term effects of metals and synthetics

Lifetime of a strap :
Look at the argument .Organisms survive in the strap , but if they are cut off from a source of nourishment (ie contact with the skin) , they are genetically constrained to switch on lethality genes in their competition for resources . The strap turns into a source of contagion and toxins . Sterilization will not remove the toxins . An acid and alkali bath should do the trick .

Logic indicates that items worn on the skin should be put into a freezer when taken off .

At room temperature , I can only estimate that an item unworn will spoil at the same rate as meat . About two weeks .
If you have not worn a skin-item for two weeks , really , really sterilize it or discard it .
Meta-study possibility : nurses and sisters on duty wear lapel watches .
Sigh . So much for that big study about nurses and diabetes .
See also http://andreswhy.blogspot.com "Problem with Randomization"

Wrist-watch strap and DiabetesII
The incidence of wrist watches and DiabetesII match very exactly .
The reason is that most people take their watches off at night .
The bacteria in the strap use up their food resources during the night , but are still alive and hungry in the morning .
When the watch is put back on , demand signals are sent back through the skin for more energy (ie sugar) .
The demand signals have evolved to lie :they use methylization methods to increase the priority of their resource demands . This persists for 3 generations of demands .

The body obliges , but cannot pinpoint the source of demand . The general sugar output is increased .

This would also hold for any jewelry routinely worn against the skin .

Epigenetic systems are involved (methylization is the signal sent back) .
Only items worn for a long time will elicit this effect .
To add insult to injury , this will affect 3 generations after you .

Evolutionary argument:
Decaying matter under fingernails . If not replaced , leads to hunt-generation and predator-selection switches going to hair-triggers .

This deserves a double Argh! . For stupidity .
All I needed to do was to wear my watch on a sleeve , not in contact with the skin and the sleeve daily washed . No diabetesII .
Oh well .

Once the system has stabilized , use Baby Helpers .

Caution :
Do not do this without medical supervision if you are on diabetic medication to reduce blood sugar levels . Drastic fluctuations are possible .

Sweet .

Andre .