1. Wearing Gloves
Many people who use public transport
or shared bathrooms think that wearing gloves will protect your skin
from direct contact with germs. Avoiding heavily used surfaces is a
temporary solution. While most bacteria have a more favorable chances of
surviving on human skin, a lot of bacteria fare equally well on metal,
or fabric. This method also requires diligence as you have to be careful
not to touch the area of the glove that came into contact with the
bacteria and remove the gloves gingerly.
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2. Surgical masks
This seems like an extreme step and
is probably highly regarded due to medical professions use of them.
Masks can reduce germs from being spread, but do practically nothing for
intake of germs as they are not 100% airtight and do not seal out all
germs. Surgical masks are effective in promoting public health if worn
by those who are already ill as they kindly warn others to keep their
distance.
3. Paper towels as temporary gloves
This seems like a smart move: in the
short term you avoid direct contact with surface germs. However, this
method is mostly wasteful of paper towels. The problem is that you’re
very likely to come into contact with the germs when you scrunch up the
paper and throw it out. On top of this the towel might be more absorbent
of germs than your skin. Much like wearing gloves, for this method to
work, you have to employ sterile techniques that allow you to not come
into contact with the germs.
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4. Holding your breath when someone sneezes or coughs
This is another myth that somehow
became respected. The problem is that when someone coughs or sneezes, it
is too late and the fast traveling pathogens are already released into
the air. The other reason this doesn’t do any good is because people
forget that you don’t have to inhale a virus to be infected by it. The
most this method does reduce the exposure to the pathogens directly in
front of you. The only real way to avoid exposure is to not breath, and
that isn’t an option.
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5. Using the back of your hand instead of your palm
The idea behind this behavior is
less exposure to germs as less skin surface is being exposed. And while
there is some truth to this idea as not all skin surfaces are equal,
when it comes to bacterial transmission, it’s not very practical for
everyday life, when you might need to hold or maneuver an object.
Furthermore, the difference when it comes to infectious disease is
negligible.
An interesting fact is that a fist
pump might be a more effective greeting. A study by medical researchers
at West Virginia University shows that this form of contact greeting
does result in fewer bacteria being spread.
6. Overusing hand sanitizers
Some times excessive removal of
germs is actually to your detriment. Your skin has its own bacteria
which work at combating invasive bacteria, and when you remove all
bacteria you make yourself more vulnerable to infection and prevent the
body from naturally fighting disease. Some antibacterial soap breeds
antibiotic resistant superbacteria and hand washing can be damaging to
the skin, so hand sanitizer can be very useful. However, it is important
to know that alcohol-based sanitizers are only as effective as soap and
water, not more.
An epidemiologist at New York
University, Dr. Martin Blaser, shares that instead of trying to kill
bacteria, we should be focusing on enriching our environment with more
probiotics. Luckily he says that there is a lot of research going into
the biology of built environment, with these considerations affecting
planning of buildings and cities.
7. Hovering over the toilet seat
Recent research suggests squatting is
linked to increased longevity; however this doesn’t help your buttocks
from being exposed to germs. The problem with toilets is when you flush
all the contents become aerosolized so the chances are that the previous
person who used the stall has left germs hovering in the air around
you. The best advice to minimize this is to put the lid down before
flushing. However, your overall chances of catching an illness from the
toilet seat are miniscule.
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8. Pushing the flush lever with other parts of your body
This one requires some dexterity: to
avoid direct hand contact with the flush some people take to using their
feet or elbows, and some public bathrooms even have automatic movement
sensory flush systems. However, despite this creative thinking, when you
try this one you still have to contend with aerosolized germs from the
previous toilet user. This behavior also causes other problems as you
are exposed to the germs when you take off your shoes and you spread
germs wherever you walk. Mostly this action is unnecessary because after
using the toilet you’re going to wash your hands anyway.
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How to really protect your immune system
You shouldn’t live in fear of high
traffic surfaces, as little risk of catching an infection exists.
Medical advice is to safeguard yourself during flu and cold season when
the risk is actually real. It’s important to remember that the
likelihood of catching a disease is not the mere presence of bacteria or
viruses. Many people favor getting the flu shot annually. Outside of
flu season there is little use in being reliant on hand sanitizers.
What you must do is always wash your
hands before handling food and rinse your hands after going to the
bathroom. These golden rules apply all year round. It also helps to
avoid people who are sick and to not smoke as this lowers your immune
system's effectiveness. Other general tips include not biting your nails
or touching your face as these are the main entry points for germs.
Other things you can do to support an effective immune system are habits
that are oldies, but goodies: maintain a healthy diet, exercise and get
a good night’s sleep.
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