An Easy Way to Prevent Infections<BLOCKED::http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/healthandmedicine/~3/-LPFXcVcc-Y/easy-way-to-prevent-infections.html>
Contributed by: Rajesh Hand washing is a simple habit that can help keep you healthy. Learn the benefits of good hand hygiene, when to wash your hands and how to clean them properly. Hand washing is a simple habit, something most people do without thinking. Yet hand washing, when done properly, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. This simple habit requires only soap and warm water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer a cleanser that doesn't require water. Do you know the benefits of good hand hygiene and when and how to wash your hands properly? The dangers of not washing your hands Despite the proven health benefits of hand washing, many people don't practice this habit as often as they should even after using the toilet. Throughout the day you accumulate germs on your hands from a variety of sources, such as direct contact with people, contaminated surfaces, foods, even animals and animal waste. If you don't wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch, such as doorknobs. Infectious diseases that are commonly spread through hand-to-hand contact include the common cold, flu and several gastrointestinal disorders, such as infectious diarrhea. While most people will get over a cold, the flu can be much more serious. Some people with the flu, particularly older adults and people with chronic medical problems, can develop pneumonia. The combination of the flu and pneumonia, in fact, is the eighth-leading cause of death among Americans. Inadequate hand hygiene also contributes to food-related illnesses, such as salmonella and E. coli infection. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as many as 76 million Americans get a food-borne illness each year. Of these, about 5,000 die as a result of their illness. Others experience the annoying signs and symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Proper hand-washing techniques Good hand-washing techniques include washing your hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Antimicrobial wipes or towelettes are just as effective as soap and water in cleaning your hands but aren't as good as alcohol-based sanitizers. Antibacterial soaps have become increasingly popular in recent years. However, these soaps are no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. Using antibacterial soaps may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products' antimicrobial agents making it even harder to kill these germs in the future. In general, regular soap is fine. The combination of scrubbing your hands with soap antibacterial or not and rinsing them with water loosens and removes bacteria from your hands.. Proper hand washing with soap and water Follow these instructions for washing with soap and water: * Wet your hands with warm, running water and apply liquid soap or use clean bar soap. Lather well. * Rub your hands vigorously together for at least 15 to 20 seconds. * 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. * Use a towel to turn off the faucet. DISCLAIMER: Notice : This e-mail and any attachments may contain information which is confidential to the addressee and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you may not copy, forward, disclose or otherwise use it in any way whatsoever. If you have received this e-mail by mistake, please e-mail the sender by replying to this message, and deleting the original and any printout thereof. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BETTER PERSONALITY GROUP" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/better_personality?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
