Seen on 'Today': The hidden germs in your showerhead

   A shower feels so good and makes you feel so clean,
but be aware that there are some nasty germs hitching
a ride on those water droplets. Flickr photo/stevendepolo

Who'd have thought that taking a shower could actually make you dirtier? Well, according to a report this morning on the Today show, the average showerhead contains millions of germs that could make some people sick.

These bacteria,  Mycobacterium avium, are linked to pulmonary disease that most often infects people with compromised immune systems, says a report in Live Science.

That's because the bacteria become airborne -- forming an aerosal mist that you then breathe in.

But how risky is this mist, really? Today's Matt Lauer interviewed Dr. Neil Schechter about this issue. For normal, heatlhy people, the risk is minimal to take a shower, he said. After all, these germs are present everywhere in our lives, and the normal immune system can handle them.

And even for people with compromised immune systems -- the sick, the eldery, those with certain diseases -- it's not a huge risk. "There are only 4,000 such cases in the United States," Schechter observed.  Those people, he said, should avoid taking a shower and bathe instead.

Still, if this whole thing grosses you out or worries you, there are some basic precautions you can take:

• Run the shower for a minute or two before you get in, to reduce the concentration of germs in the aerosol mist.
• Use metal showerheads, which are less susceptible than plastic ones for harboring bacteria.
• Replace your showerhead a couple of times a year.
• You can also try cleaning the showerhead, but this is not guaranteed to eliminate the germs, due to the nooks and crannies in the device, as well as the fact that mycobacteria are resistant to chlorine, which is found in most cleaning products.

Here is the Today clip: