Have you ever held your breath when someone coughed?
Or tried to flush the toilet with your foot?
Heres the truth about avoiding germs in everyday life.
Does this help you avoid the nastiness thats just been spewed upon the waiting rooms populace?
In short, no.
Those nose hairs work as first-line filters to (hopefully) trap germs before they get into your system.
Your lungs have similar defense mechanisms as well.
The exception, of course, is if your immune system is weaker than most peoples.
Any place that deals with large amounts of human waste must be a nightmare realm of germs, right?
should be anywhere near where you rest your bottom on the toilet.
What about other stuff like herpes, hepatitis, and other serious infections?
The real concern in the bathroom is what you get on your hands, not your butt.
In that case, you should definitely reach for the toilet seat cover or find a way to hover.
Plenty of people touch the toilet handle to flush and thentouch the handle to the stall.
In fact, you have more to fear from the handle on the restroom door than the toilet itself.
If your instinct is to grab a paper towel and use it as a barrier, good call.
Handkerchiefs, however, or anything you dont toss and keep on your person, is not good.
So some people have a go at avoid that danger by using other parts of their hands.
For example, I hit crosswalk buttons with the back of my hand instead of my fingers.
Its something Ive done for years, even though I have no idea if it helps or not.
Your elbow, by contrast, usually doesnt even come close to your face.
Basically, a long handshake is going to share more germs than a quick fist bump.
As Garibay explains, gloves only prevent you from germ exposure for a short time.
As soon as you take them off your protection comes crashing down.
When you remove them you might touch the outside of them.
And do you remember the last time you washed a pair of your winter or driving gloves?
Unless your hands are cold, youre better off just washing your hands.
Surgical masks, on the other hand, have a tiny bit more going for them.
But even then, he explains that is pretty extreme and not necessary except for a very select crowd.
Surgical masks, however, can be very useful ifyoure the one whos sick.
In many countries, its common practice to wear them when youre ill so you might prevent infecting others.
From the moment youre born to the moment you die, you are surrounded by them 24/7.
If youre healthy, though, your immune system is pretty much a badass at staving off the invaders.
Theyre in and gone with very little fanfare.
Your body fighting off germs is just business as usual.
In fact, theres a possibility that limiting your bodys exposure to germs will do more harm than good.
Still, if youre a perfectly healthy individual, there is such a thing as being too clean.
Like a muscle, it cant get stronger if it never gets used.
This is especially important with the new germs that keep popping up due to theoveruse of antibacterial products.
The Strategies You Should Actually Focus On
Avoiding germs and staying healthy is actually pretty simple.
The same goes for touching other peoples faces.
The less youre around sick people the less likely youll contract what they have.
The same goes for when youre sick!
Dont go to work or out in public when youre not feeling well.
No need to spread a nasty bug just to prove how well you might handle it.
Thats pretty much it!
Your bodys natural defenses will handle the rest.
Meagan Garibay is a Resident Nurse (RN-BSN) and Clinical Educator atComanche County Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Daniel Weiswasseris a board-certified internist and pediatrician whos been in outpatient practice in Western Massachusetts for nine years.
They offered their expertise with this feature, and we thank them both.
Illustration by Tara Jacoby.
