I know that's a bit of an odd one. Working in the healthcare industry has made me aware of a lot of things that I previously took for granted like my own health and the ease at which germs pass from person to object and object to person and so on. Now many people will say that we are an over-hygienic society, that one needs to come into contact with germs in order to build up one's immune system. I agree with both of those things, yet working for an immune-deficient person put's things in a bit of a different perspective. I can't even work if I have a common cold because this person would get it much worse and it could quite possibly produce a downward spiral in their health. So, soap is good. And so is Purell.
I've been reading a book by A. J. Jacobs, Drop Dead Healthy, which chronicles his investigation of all things to do with the health of the body and the mind. Jacobs is a bit of a germaphobe and at one point goes to meet with the director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University Langone Medical Center to talk about germs. Here is an important suggestion from "Dr. Germ":
"Hand washing is one of Dr. Tierno's passions. He thinks America needs a massive public education campaign on it, along the lines of our antismoking PR blitz. 'It's the single most important thing you can do for your health,' he says. 'Eighty percent of all infections are transmitted by direct or indirect contact.'
The key is to do it well, which few of us do. Most of us are hardly better than the French aristocrats in the court of Louis XIV. Back then, says Tierno, doctors advised washing only the tips of the fingers, for fear that water transmitted disease.
Tierno--who says he hasn't had a cold in four years--walks me down the hall to the bathroom for a hand-washing demo. He splashes water on his hands, squirts the liquid soap, and lathers up for thirty seconds before returning his hands under the water.
'Around the wrists. In between the fingers. Getting each nail.'
He squishes and slides his palms together. He digs under his nails with his thumb and flicks his wrist. it's a virtuoso performance, like Yo-Yo Ma playing the cello or Al Pacino screaming obscenities. It's a long way from the average person's five-second dunk.
'Happy Birthday, Philly Boy,' he sings as he finishes up. 'Happy Birthday to you.' (For those who don't know, you're supposed to sing the entire birthday song during washing, to make sure you take your time.)" pgs 78-79
- A. J. Jacobs
from: http://www.amazon.com/Drop-Dead-Healthy-Humble-Perfection/dp/141659907X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1343181511&sr=1-1&keywords=drop+dead+healthy
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