Flu Smarts: What good is washing hands?

What you don't see can hurt you.

Everyone seems to think they're invulnerable, long

after the defiance of childhood and lack of experience

has gone away.

People wonder what real good washing hands does?

Well, if we do it regularly, with plenty of soap, and

spend a reasonable amount of time on it....

if we are careful to use a paper towel to open

and close bathroom doors and turn on faucets,

and if we use hot water, it can be a very effective

way of keeping the flu virus at bay.

The current flu virus can last outside the human

boy up to 8 hours. EIGHT hours. That means if you

walk into an empty office, don't be falsely lulled;

the germs of all the nasty, unconcerned people from

the prior 8 hours of activity are accumulated on

every surface of a room, waiting to attack.

That's a long time.

The HIV virus only lasts outside the body about an hour,

and that's if it's in a bodily fluid that was released. But the

flu? 8 hours on its own. Tough guy.

Don't give it one single opening or excuse to

get hold of you. It only takes one exposure to get sick.

***

The Bottled Water Debate

What's your eco-footprint?

You hear a lot about the Plastic Bottle Monster, and how the
discarded plastic bottles for drinking water make up an insane
amount of landfill and other waste every year.

But I continue to use the convenient bottles, buying a case a month
for only $3, for health reasons. I dislike re-using an existing plastic
bottle because plastic holds germs and is difficult to clean (I don't
own a dishwasher.) Plastic bottles reused, even when washed well
by hand, can be a germ factory.

Like many, I live in an area where good clean water is not readily
available when you go out. And taking water with me means I have
it whenever I need it, which is always! (I'm constantly thirsty because
I am diabetic, I sweat profusely all the time, and I have meds which
cause severe dry mouth.)

Rather than leave it to chance or put up with bad water, I like to
take it with me. You also avoid touching water fountain handles,
other people's glassware (and I have seen some nasty, unclean junk in
my day--ugh!,) and it's always self-contained. (Again, the problem with
a reusable bottle of your own is needing to constantly clean it, and do
so thoroughly.)

So, to be responsible and conscientious, I simply recycle. I don't see a
problem with that. It's easy to do. There is no recycling in my area, so
I have a large, clean cardboard box under my sink, and I rinse out all my
plastics and drain them, then store them til I go to 'the Big City,' and cart
them with me to the recycling center.

A reusable container is great if you have a dish-washing machine.
A filter is great if you're going to be stationary throughout the course of
the day. But if you travel a lot and are concerned with the germs, I say
just use the bottled water, and make sure you maintain responsibility
for not adding to waste.

**************************************************