Doctor who hasn't used soap in four YEARS and claims washing is 'bad for your health' is branded 'irresponsible' by This Morning viewers who say he's promoting unhygienic habits

•  Dr James Hamblin thinks washing is bad for health  and hasn't used soap in years
• Doctor says millions of microbes live on skin which could be good for our health 
• This Morning viewers slammed idea branding it irresponsible amid pandemic  

A doctor who hasn't used soap in four years and thinks washing is bad for our health has insisted that he doesn't smell. 

Dr James Hamblin, from New York, appeared on This Morning today where he claimed that washing off the 'millions of microbes' all over your skin could be detrimental to your health. 

While the doctor occasionally uses water to clean himself and washes his hands, he hasn't used soap in four years, and claims after a while, his body's ecosystem reached a steady state, and he stopped smelling bad. 

But viewers weren't convinced by the doctor, with several asking why in the middle of a global pandemic he was advising not using any products at all to clean your body. 

When asked by host Ruth Langsford:  'Have you had a shower this morning?', he said: 'I have not.I got my hair a little wet and combed it but not a proper shower in any sense.' 

He went on: 'I do [smell good]. It took a while to get used to, but I don't smell. 

'I'm told and I have asked people and asked them to be honest with me, do I smell? And they tell me no and my wife says the same.' 

When asked why he quit using soap, he said: 'It was part of an experiment that I was doing and part of trying to become a little bit minimalistic. At the same time,I was learning about the skin microbium.

'It turns out there's millions of microbes all over you. So I thought, why are we washing it up in the first place? If there's something that might be helpful to us. 

 'I thought well maybe we shouldn’t be washing them off so much and I started to experiment. I still wash my hands, but no body wash or lotion.' 

Viewers quickly took to Twitter to share their views, with one writing: 'When we need to wash our hands regularly for 20 seconds why are you encouraging people not to shower?'

Another said: 'Bit of weird decision to show a bloke that’s not washed for over four years? I mean at a time where cleanliness & washing is absolute vital during a pandemic?'

A third agreed: 'Here we are in the middle of a pandemic and theirs a prat on #thismorning telling us not to wash , not to use soap or similar products , just water?' 

 The doctor went on to claim the link between 'morality and cleanliness' came long before it's association with health. 

He said: 'In religion, there's a lot of ideas about clean and purity, with your character to morality, long before there was any association with health.' 

He added: 'If I need to look presentable in a short time I would hop in the shower and just rinse with water, you can do that real quick and easily.'