Well, with cold flu and ebola season upon us, I thought it was time to post this

[LiberalArkie]

How to wash your hands

It's generally best to wash your hands with soap and water. Follow these simple steps:

Wet your hands with running water.
Apply liquid, bar or powder soap.
Lather well.
Rub your hands vigorously for at least 20 seconds. Remember to scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
Rinse well.
Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel or air dryer.
If possible, use your towel to turn off the faucet.
Keep in mind that antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soap may even lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the product's antimicrobial agents — making it harder to kill these germs in the future.

[etherealtruth]

1. Great advice!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Very timely and right on. K&R n/t

[bigwillq]

3. I heard air dryers are not good

that they actually circulate out bacteria. Not sure if this is true or not, but I really dislike when there's only air dryers in public restrooms.
I would rather have paper towels.

[LiberalArkie]

5. They may do it, but your hands are clean and the moisture is being removed

so I think a person would not have much of a chance of catching anything. I have heard this mainly from guys who never wash their hands after using the bath room. I worry more about the door handle and generally leave my hands pretty wet when leaving so I (hopefully) don't catch anything from the handle.

I know we are supposed to use the paper towel to open the door, but what it there is only a air dryer.

The only place I go any more that only has an air dryer is my gym and they don't have doors.

[bigwillq]

6. That's why they should offer both paper towels and air dryers

That at least leaves us with a choice.

[pipi_k]

14. If there's only an air dryer

and no paper towels, I either use my sleeve if it's long enough, or the bottom of my shirt to open a door. Or if the handle is U shaped, I use my little finger.

If the door is the lever style, it's easy to press down on it with an elbow.

In really desperate cases I grab some TP. Although it's easy enough to carry a paper napkin around in a pocket or purse for such use as well.

[jeff47]

44. TP is going to be covered with bacteria. You're better off using the door handle. (nt)

[Snarkoleptic]

46. Nice to see I'm not alone in my use of the bottom of my shirt on the handle to exit bathrooms.

I've seen folks dash from a stall to the exit without washing hands and it makes me cringe.

I also shake lots of hands in my work capacity, so I keep a hand sanitizer pump in the door storage of my car.
Haven't been ill in 3-years except for last month when I was set to begin a major home improvement project...gutted it out, though.

[jeff47]

41. That's actually a really bad idea.

The toilet tissue is sitting in an area where a hell of a lot of bacteria are being spread around.

[jeff47]

42. It depends.

If the paper towels are clean, and the trash is removed regularly, paper towels are better than dryers.

But if someone before you did a lousy job of washing their hands they can contaminate the paper towels in the dispenser. Also, most bacteria and viruses die out quickly in dry environments. The paper towels in the trash make a very cozy wet environment for them.

Newer dryers feature intake filters, which means they're actually cleaning the air as they blow on your hands....presuming the filters are changed frequently enough.

[HockeyMom]

4. Even after removing disposable gloves,

with the proper protocol for removal, you are still supposed to wash your hands in the manner you stated. I always used just ordinary soap because the antibacterial soap made my hands red, raw, and sometimes bleed. I was told in OSHA classes that the soap used didn't matter.

[mucifer]

11. Hand sanitizer can be better than soap and water.

Actually, the CDC recommends health care professionals use hand sanitizer unless there is dirt or grease on the skin. The hand sanitizer should be done frequently every time you touch the patient, put on or take off your gloves or touch something in the patients room, eat touch your face etc.

Obviously, this is all flu and pneumonia type precaution and not Ebola precaution.

http://www.cdc.gov/handhygiene/training/interactiveEducation/

[HockeyMom]

17. Not a health care worker, per se

I worked with special needs kids in schools and MR/DD in Day Hab and group homes; changed diapers, clothes, cleaned up vomit, disinfected tables, etc. As I said, I could not use hand sanitizers or antibacterial soaps, because I had a bad reaction to them. Cannot use bleach either without gloves. Have my hands cut and bleeding around others? The only thing I could do was wear gloves more often than my coworkers did. Ok, it looked a bit odd, but it was better for everyone. I asked in an in service, and they said it was fine to just use ordinary handwashing soap, especally after removing disposable gloves.

This is not in reference to Ebola. Just regular Universal Precautions.

[Sancho]

8. After my wife and I are approaching 40 years of teaching in germ factories...

Get a flu shot! Not to mention, any other vaccines that are appropriate. You are not just protecting yourself, you are protecting all the others from getting something. If you are an anti-vaxer, then don't go to school, the movies, the store, or any where there are people. I've seen students with TB, meningitis, tetanus, etc. over the years! Get your shots. If you can't afford it, then ask the school or college or whatever and they will direct you how to get vaccinations.

If you're sick, go to the doctor (or stay home). Don't go to work or school and spread it around. If you are an employer who doesn't want to give off sick days - then I hope you don't mind having the whole building sick! It's going to cost you more in the long run.

Thanks for listening.

[NightWatcher]

9. you are not being a trooper if you go to work/school sick

People used to think that they were toughing it out by going to work sick. No asshole, you are spreading germs like a Typhoid Mary and making the rest of us sick.

You should stay home until it's been at least 24 hours after you last had a fever or showed symptoms. My kid's preschool does this and we have not had sickness run rampant through the school as have others in the area. My brother's kid's school passes around sicknesses until everyone gets it, the reason, sick kids go to school.

[bigwillq]

10. This is good advice

[HockeyMom]

18. I am retired now

but I have worked 1:1 with a child who was not vax at all because his parents religion was against it. Very few staff knew this because of HIPPA regulations. When I applied for the job, they asked me if I would be worried about this. Not at all.

That school where I worked had two measles and a chicken pox outbreak. Florida allows religioius objection to vaccinations. I have no idea who brought it to that school. It wasn't the boy I worked with. Since I had both diseases as a child myself, I had natural immunity to both. Not me.

There is no way to identify, or stop, unvax (especially for flu) adults from going out in society.

[Sancho]

32. Even if it's not illegal, it should be...

everyone should get the proven vaccinations or they will be carriers of terrible illnesses that should be eradicated.

Meanwhile, I still think that folks with most common illnesses should avoid school and work voluntarily. It just makes sense.

[HockeyMom]

35. Having HAD Measles and Chicken Pox as a child

myself, are you saying that I SHOULD have been vax also?????? Don't take CHANCES????? That paranoid? I have in the past been around children with both. Never got it again, with NO vax or boosters. Vax are the ONLY way to prevent these diseases? When the measles outbreak happened at that school, they were advising boosters for everyone. The school nurse looked at my age, and said, "Goodbye". How can that POSSIBLY BE????

Know the difference between Natural Immunity and Acquired Immunity.

[Sancho]

36. Vax immunity is natural immunity...

I'm not going to repeat the vax arguments...yep, you should have proof of common vaccines and if you don't then stay away from me..or out of the public schools. Just my view.

[HockeyMom]

48. Natural Immunity is from having the disease

Acquired Immunity is from getting the vax. I cannot give anyone measles because I had have measles myself as a baby. My body produces antibodies from having the disease. Once you have had measles, mumps, or chicken pox, you cannot get it again. This is why the school nurse told me "Goodbye" when they were telling staff to make sure they were up to date on their boosters. They assume that if you were born before 1957 (before the vax was invented), you either had these diseases yourself or were exposed to them.

I watched an interview with an African doctor this morning who was asking African medical personnel to help treat Eloba patients in the US. "I have had Ebola myself and cannot get it again". Interesting. So it is very much the same concept as measles? That is why they were taking blood samples from the US doctor who survived Ebola? To make a vax from his blood containing his antibodies?

I cannot give anybody proof of having had these diseases myself, or of the few vax I have had. My pediatrician is long dead. Any vax record I had as a child 60 years ago is long gone.

[Sancho]

50. Again, I'm not going to spend time debating the biology with you....

if you have antibodies from previous exposure, your immune system produced them in essentially the same way whether you were exposed to an antigen from a vaccine or not. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigen-antibody_interaction).

Many of these diseases mutate (which is why you need a flu shot every year) and your "immunity" can decline over time (which is why you need to get a tetanus shot again as an adult) and others are deadly (the news showed a student dying of meningitis yesterday).

I think you have some misconceptions or misunderstandings. You may need a shingles shot as an older person because even if you had small pox as a child, you can get shingles from the SAME virus as an adult.

It's a complex topic and there are lots of rumors out there, but the bottom line is that people need to get vaccinations for most major illnesses when they are available. The only big exceptions are people who have a specific allergic reaction to the vaccine or the agents that are used to suspend the vaccine.

[progressoid]

12. +1 about antibacterial soaps.

Colds and flu are viruses. Antibacterial soap doesn't apply.
Unless you work in a lab or infant nursery where bacteria need to be controlled, antibacterial soaps are a waste of money.

[CK_John]

13. Growing up in the 40's it was a Saturday night bath and that was it, especial in the summer.

But we seemed as a whole to have less colds and sickness than kids of today.

I wonder if we are losing our ability to build up our immunity systems by being too clean?

[LiberalArkie]

20. Maybe, but remember people did not travel very far that often as a whole

But when they did (WW1) the Spanish Flu took hold.

[CK_John]

21. This was during WWII in NYC, many came from countries without indoor plumbing or electricity.

[HockeyMom]

49. I grew up in NYC during the 50s/60s

There were still apartments in Manhattan in those days which did not have their own toilet. They had a common toilet for each floor in the hallway that everyone used. My family had their own toilet, but not all of our relatives did. When we visited them, I used the common toilet in the hallway. They did have a "bed pan" which they used at night so they wouldn't have to go outside in the middle of the night.

[kestrel91316]

23. Our obsession with hygiene may in fact be behind the high rate of

autoimmune diseases in the industrialized world.

Idle immune systems are the devil's playthings (just like idle hands). They are always on patrol looking for enemies, and when they don't find them, they start mistaking our own bodies for the enemy.

Clean environments don't decrease our ability to fight infections.

And yes, I do know more about immunology and virology and pathology than most Americans.

[HockeyMom]

29. I was a very sickly child

Born in the late 40s when there weren't vax for everything under sun. I had measles, mumps. chicken pox all before my 2nd birthday. I had strep, Scarlet Fever,ear infections, flu, colds, etc., many times a year growing up, and into young adulthood. In my 30s., it all stopped. That was also being around a lot of sick people, including my own family, and at work. I did not catch it from them. Just plain LUCK? When my husband and daughters had a very bad stomach flu back in the early 90s, I did not catch it. That was without wearing a mask, gloves, etc. My daughter's pediatrician said it was probably because I had antibodies to it. Just LUCK? Or maybe it was because after all those years of having all those diseases and sickness, it built up my immune system (producing a lot of antibodies)?

People today don't want to hear this. They think I might even being a Typhoid Mary because I DON'T get sick myself but can give it to others, because I don't get vax for this or that.

[kestrel91316]

31. The more crud you get exposed to, the more crud your body will forever

remember is an enemy.

No exposure, no early recognition >>> delayed immune response and worse outcome.

[msanthrope]

15. Use the vampire cough to avoid spread of germs. Wash your hands after blowing

your nose.

[Marrah_G]

16. Excellent advice

[SheilaT]

19. Thanks for posting this.

I like to point out that among the many reasons the 1918 flu epidemic was so terrible, would have been that a lot of people simply didn't have access to running water, and that hand-washing would have been exceedingly uncommon.

I honestly think the fear of getting something from the door handle of a restroom is silly. A physician friend of mine always uses a paper towel if one is available, when she exits a restroom. She's not noticeably healthier than I am, and actually seems to get ill more often. She also has a couple of chronic conditions that would be totally unrelated to her hand-washing habits.

While I prefer paper towels myself, the very high-powered blow driers that dry hands in ten seconds seem pretty efficient. But I have also read that the air driers blow germs around.

[kestrel91316]

22. It is very important to thoroughly dry hands after washing.

Bacteria survive longer in moisture, so thorough drying means any leftover pathogens will die faster.

[HockeyMom]

24. Coughing and Sneezing from Allergies

Stay home from work? I never had a problem in half century in NY. Moved to Florida. When my grey car turns yellow/green and I can write my name on it, I start sneezing, coughing, and my eyes water. Stay home? I am not sick because as soon as I go inside in AC, it goes away. Maybe I should wear a mask outside during pollen season? Get an allergy shot so other people won't think I am sick with something THEY can catch? Sorry, not going to get an allergy shot either, especially just to reassure others.

[Warpy]

34. There is a cortisone nasal spray over the counter now

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven using the prescription stuff during juniper season out west. It does the job without all those unfortunate antihistamine side effects.

[bigwillq]

37. This lady at my job wears a mask

She is always hacking and coughing and sneezing. Not really sure what her exact diagnosis is, I think it's just allergies. So, when it gets really bad, she wears a mask. We are grateful to her for that.

[glinda]

47. Her "lack of" Immune System may be why she wears a mask.

SHE may not have anything but rather cannot defend her self against environmental things.

[3catwoman3]

39. Allergies are not...

...communicable, so there would be no public health point in staying home from work because of allergies. Allergy shots would benefit only you. If coughing and sneezing around others, it would be thoughtful to let them know you are not contagious.

[ffr]

25. Can't I just get an immunization shot instead and save all that water? n/t

[riverbendviewgal]

26. good advice

K&R

[yuiyoshida]

27. LAVA...

yEAH...THIS is great for my young looking skin...

[LiberalArkie]

30. Perfect exfoliant

[dotymed]

28. Before I retired as a

Union carpenter in the industrial/commercial sector, we were advised to wash our hands before using the bathroom. We used gloves but were taught that chemicals we were exposed to were linked to a much higher incidence of testicular cancer (and others) among males in our field.

[Warpy]

33. That bit of information will save a lot of people from getting colds and flu

I would add that if you're sneezing and/or coughing, do it into the crook of your elbow. That stops the droplets completely, unlike a tissue or your hand, and you'll get used to the stares.

When you're out anywhere or caring for an ill person at home, learn to scratch your face with the back part of your wrist. Your fingers are more likely to be contaminated from surfaces and you'll get used to the stares.

Clorox wipes are your friends, but put a glove on to use them.

[HockeyMom]

40. Yes, did all that

We told the kids in school to sneeze in the crook of their arms, and did it ourselves. Never sneeze into your hands. Clorix is great for disinfecting, but I learned 40 years ago, long before I ever used it at work, to wear GLOVES when using it. Once a year they clorinate our water to clean out the system. I broke out in hives until I installed a special filter on my shower. Cannot go in pools either because of this. Trial and error, and you just learn what works for you with time. I have super sensitve skin, e.g., all those antibacterial soaps also.

[Not a Fan]

38. In public ...

I'm allergic to most soaps in public places. I keep something in the car that I use. I also take Vitamin D3 since deficiency has been linked to onset of both influenza and pneumonia. Also, studies show that pneumonia patients with higher VD3 blood serum levels have better outcomes.

The same is true of patients with Cancer, heart disease, AIDs, and ICU visits, and much more. In fact two recent meta-analysis studies done of VD3 medical studies showed that those with higher blood serum levels have reduced All-Cause Mortality.

One of these is discussed in this article from the Smithsonian:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-vitamins-and-supplements-are-actually-worth-taking-180949735/?no-ist

[Cairycat]

43. If your hands get dry, chapped and/or cracked

from frequent handwashing, be sure to keep them moisturized - the cracks are entry paths for germs.

It's not easy to keep them moisturized away from home, but you can use one of the extra strength creams at night.

[adigal]

45. Keep your nails short and don't use antibacterials

They kill good germs and also make bad ones stronger.

[Hestia]

51. You are supposed to wash for several moments - long enough to sing Happy Birthday or

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - it's not just 20 seconds. I forget exactly how long but remember the songs