Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

kennyscientist — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:29:21 GMT

Publicity that you can be too clean spread by Jews during the dark ages resulted in the plagues that killed 1/2 the Christians. Jews who practiced good hygiene escaped the plague. Today the myth that you can be too clean has resulted in 1/400 HIV + in US large cities, Cleanliness in Japan only 1/10,000 are HIV +. Wake up America! The test of how clean you are is your serum albumin profile. Super clean persons have albumin ~60g/L with an A/G ratio of 4.0. Only 1/10,000,000 has this serum profile proving that almost nobody is really clean.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

seephleroux — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:50:31 GMT

It is not always a question of washing your hands-bacteria can linger around in toilet areas especially public toilets for hours. The soap dispensers, taps, dryers etc are most often contaminated, you inhale these bacteria when you enter the public bathrooms etc. so people often try to leave the bathrooms as quickly as possibe and don't wash their hands at all! The answer is to install Toiletfriend units to the toilets, that prevent bacteria and viruses from leaving the bowl. This unique, maintenance free (no contaminated filters to replace), but still unkown product, is very effective in removing odours as well. (Odours are related to bacteria).

The batroom area will become more and more clean with time and if you the wash your hands as required, using uncomtaminated taps, soap dispensers etc hygiene will be improved tremendously.

Check the website of Toiletfriend.

Thanks for interesting articles.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

Nikovdh — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:43:11 GMT

Wanted to throw in my personal way of washing hands instead of soap.. TABLE SALT!

It doesn't make my hands dry like soap.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

jupiter2 — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:39:36 GMT

Like Ironmaiden, I am constantly surprised that, in this 21st century, people have to be TOLD and TAUGHT to wash their hands. I seems as though the last 150 years passed a lot of people by.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

Nikovdh — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 15:06:31 GMT

It is my belief that one should be more worried about possible metals and chemicals that are transfered to the hands, instead of germs. Lets say your hands are constantly touching metals, and these metals rub off onto your skin. I'd also like to add that spraying ANYTHING up your nose (vit C) is a dangerous practice, and spraying metals on your hands is also silly. Your going to end up with silver ions in your blood and end up eating it. Colloidal silver is a poison as far as I'm concerned. These are all just my opinions :)

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

j_waltenyahoo — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:06:18 GMT

I work in a small hospital in the food service. All of us that are in contact with patients are supposed to wash or sanitize our hands (alcohol-based) before we go into a patient's room. That could be as many as 20 to 30 times in a period of two hours and that is just one meal.(tray delivery and pick up). OUch! One co-worker developed severe reactions to the soap. I was wondering if there is anyone out there in a similar situation and what you are doing. I do realize that hospitals represent a different situation often with a greater exposure to microbes.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

beht — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:27:32 GMT

I'm reminded of another artcile on this site that talked about the importance of actually getting dirty and getting SOME germs into you, so I kind of go with that myself. Right after washing your hands, you could come into contact with germs in a variety of ways, so short of wearing rubber gloves, I don't feel there's much point in washing my hands several times a day. Working with food, bathroom visits are enough for me. Okay, now everyone, go and press those minus buttons...

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

wendypape — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:35:34 GMT

As a holistic mom of 3 young kids (1 is a baby) there are a few things that really help. After having my 2nd child contract whooping cough from a teen helper when she was 4 months it was a real wake up call about our diet, health etc.

1. The biggest thing for us is to wash our hands AS SOON as we get home from town OR I carry natural baby wipes with tea tree oil in them if we are in town for awhile and eating after being out in grocery stores, public washrooms etc.

2. I found a sign online for handwashing printed it off for home use- put on the front door so the kids see it if I forget, and in each bathroom. tip- spend the $1 and get it laminated ;-)

3. I put 5-10 drops tea tree oil in the non antibacterial hand soap in the bathrooms with a pump so they can easily help themselves.

3a. Someone taught us to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at normal speed ;-) to effectively take the time to get all the spots you are supposed to.

4. I have really worked hard on getting them to keep their hands out of their mouths and nose when we are out shopping for the day (ok, well anytime ;-))

5. teaching them to wash their hands before touching the baby and we don't kiss the baby on the mouth- yes he's breastfed but I think too many people forget they are tiny beings, same respect should be for seniors

6. Also as kind parents, those of us with 3,4, 5 kids realize how inconvenient it is for everyone to be sick so we do not take our sick kids to a birthday party, grandma's, dance class, gymnastics etc. no matter how badly they want to go. That's just not fair. Besides the best place for my nose dripping, low grade fever child is at home resting. ;-)

Of course if you are going to get ick, then it will happen, but there are lots of things that just become habit and proper hygiene that will reduce the rounds of colds. When you get a 3 month stretch in a row-you realize how fun it is to be rested and full of life ;-

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

libbyejansen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:56:38 GMT

I'm always amazed how many people I work with , I work in a deli, don't wash their hands properly and then promptly open the bathroom door or some such action and don't think twice about. I had a co-worker actually get surprised that I pumped out the paper towels then wash my hands and use the towel to open the door. It sure doesn't make me want to buy anything unless I made it myself. Too many people think washing your hands means just wetting your hands; though I think the current guidelines go too far, and my hands look like the crypt keepers if I'm not carefull to moisturize them, there is too much emphasis on gloves which are very flimsy and really are cosmetic as they don't even keep the juices from the meats out.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

gladysbaby — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:07:53 GMT

I know that often when you wash your hands, you are away from home, but soft water does NOT remove those natural oils on the skin that protect and guard against penetration by germs. Also soft water allows a good suds to wash away germs and rinses off easily leaving the natural oils that feel slick. This gets rid of the soap better than hard water too. This article didn't bring up the whole danger of sanitary hand cleansers that contain alcohol and their danger to ingest even just a lick or two off the hands after application.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

floating_anchor — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:35:41 GMT

Dr. Mercola, or Anyone informed on the matter...how harmful is using other soaps such as AJAX or ZEP? I always feel uncomfortable using the soaps after learning so much about the intentional use of chemicals, but am wondering whether for example at work my only two current options are: use conventional soap or not wash my hands at all. I use conventional soap to obviously keep it safe for the biz. BTW MERCOLA IF you do this, that would be cool: have an article about what to do when confronted with two options for common issues such as the conventional soap vs. not washing hands =?, staying dehydrated vs. drinking fluouridated water, skipping a meal vs. eating fast food, etc and then briefly explaining the better of the two. when im in that particular situation i always try to recognize which is the better path to take...intuition does know best though!

namaste

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

curious7 — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:43:35 GMT

One would be surprised at the number of adults who do not wash their hand before leaving the restroom, and the colorful excuses they give when confronted. We used to have potluck, at my place of employment, but I had to bow out, becaused the same people who did not wash their hands before leaving the restroom were some of the cooks. Guess who was raked over the coals? At the same time these were the same people who were always sick. Colds, or flu every year. I am not advocating excessiveness, but one should consider that some of the plagues of the Dark Ages were due to poor hygeine. The spread of which would have been limited if the people performed this one little task, the washing of one's hands.

I know we cannot avoid every germ, or microbe, but one should consider the people around them who do not wash their hands. Some are medical professionals, cooks, and waiters. They put you in danger when they fail to wash their hands.

On the flip side we need to take precautions, like taking a probiotic at the start of each day, to boost our immune system. But let us not become phobic, we are indeed meant to encounter so many germ in our day to day activities, but be especially cautious if you happen to have a compromised immune system.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

Patty D — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:17:20 GMT

I carry a spray bottle of colloidal silver with me. I have my own generator. When out, I spray shopping cart handles, I spray my hands in public restrooms, things like that. I'm not a germaphobe per se but I do have an immune problem right now so am very careful.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

Running_Stick — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:37:09 GMT

Hand washing timing importance:

Wash your hands before you go to the bathroom, for yourself.

Wash your hands after you go to the bathroom for everyone else.

re: Washing Your Hands Properly Stops the Spread of Contagious Disease

Sarah222morrow — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:20:34 GMT

I used to get severe colds two or three times a year, and get every flu that was going around. I got bronchitis twice too, and pneumonia, which made me phobic about avoiding catching things that might develop into those dangerous conditions.

"That was then." I'm no longer germ phobic. I haven't had a single cold or flu for four years now, since learning they can be stopped by putting some hydrogen peroxide in your ears. I do it at the first sniffle and it has always worked so far. (Four years and counting). Another interesting remedy is to spray a solution of vitamin C up your nostrils. (According to Linus Pauling vit. C absorbed through nasal passages is a thousand times more effectie tthan that taken orally) Once when I'd been exposed to a particulary virulent flu, I did this in addition to the hydrogen peroxide in the ears. The combination totally protected me. More info:

www.newmediaexplorer.org/.../cold_remedies_that_really_work_update.htm

So I don't worry about germs much anymore, though I do try to wash my hands regularly to keep from spreading germs to someone who doesn't know these methods.