Oy vey! Disturbing reports are flying out of our nation’s high schools–staph infections are on the rise. Infections are occurring primarily among student athletes and are being contracted in gyms and weight rooms. Yeccch!

C’mon school superintendents–you’ve got to step up the public hygiene. Staphylococcus aureus in our high schools is just NOT acceptable. What it requires is regular and multiple cleanings every day, and signs posted requiring all people using the facilities to wash their hands before and after using the equipment. Period. This goes for all private gyms too. Every health club needs to provide Sani Wipes at every workout area so people can wipe off their machines. And there needs to be health department regulations requiring proper sanitary conditions in all workout facilities in the same way they do in restaurants.

This story just creeps me out. It’s so gross. What ever happened to proper hygiene? It’s one major facet that separates modern, industrialized countries from the third world–we have the knowledge and the ability to practice good hygiene! I swear, some of the stuff I see happening in men’s locker rooms makes my skin crawl (never thought I’d see so many creative uses for electric hair dryers). My book would be titled The Seven Keys to Optimal Health if I didn’t take proper hygiene in this country for granted, but maybe I should have devoted some time to this crucial habit; maybe people just don’t know.

It’s not like this information about weight room hazards has just come out of the blue. It’s been happening for over four years. I speak about it in detail in my upcoming book. And the massive danger goes well beyond the vile–some strains of Staph which are showing up are antibiotic resistant, so they’re seriously hard to treat. These organisms were once confined to hospitals but they’ve shown up in NFL training facilities and now at high schools across the country.

So I’m going to say this loud and clear: Wash your hands, folks! Use the locker room blow dryer for the hair on your head only. And cover up your cuts, especially if you’re sharing workout equipment. Nuff said.