Healthy Living

Monday, November 23, 2009

5 Germy Habits You Should Probably Try to Break

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Think you're getting an A+ in Germ Prevention 101? Maybe not if you're doing any of these things...

It might be time to stop doing these five things:

1. Not washing your hands after using the restroom. Have you ever heard the line that "urine is sterile" so there's no need to wash up. Um, sorry, you need to wash your hands. Sterile urine aside, there's still the business of wiping, flushing, and touching door handles--all of which could lead to cross contamination that can make you sick.

2. Eating food samples at grocery stores. For the same reason you wouldn't lick a stranger's hand, it's best not to dive into the freebie bowl of chips at the supermarket. Ask yourself: "Would I open up a bag of chips and share it, communally, with 50 people on the street right now?" Probably not.

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3. Coughing into your hand.
Maybe it's just me, but everywhere I'm looking these days people are coughing into their hands--instead of the inside of their elbow. If you tend to do this, try to retrain yourself to cover your cough with your arm and not your hands--it's polite and it also helps protect others with weaker immune systems from catching any bug you've got.

4. Rubbing your eyes--ever. After a fairly icky eye infection years ago, a doctor told me this: Think of your eyes as sacred and untouchable, and retrain yourself not to touch them with your fingers (no rubbing or messing with your eye makeup until you've washed them first). The second you touch a dirty hand to your eye, you're introducing all kinds of harmful bacteria and viruses, which can lead to annoying and even serious infections.

5. Letting your dog lick your hands then not washing them. Guys, I'm a dog lover, but when my golden retriever licks my hands, I go wash them. Yes, it gets tedious to do this (because she's always giving me kisses), but it needs to be done. I will remind you that dogs and cats get into unsavory things (I'll just be blunt: mine likes cat poop). More: Our pets might also be passing along dangerous staph bacteria, such as MRSA, to us.

Are you guilty of any of these five things?

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Comments 1-10 of 196
  • bronzegoddess's Avatar
    Posted by bronzegoddess Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:19am PDT

    I honestly do not understand how people can go to the bathroom and not wash their hands. I think that is absolutely disgusting!!! These are the same people that are first in line to dig their nasty @ss hands in my bag of chips...I think not! And do you really expect for me to eat your food at the potluck? Get real! I have a dear friend that is in nursing school and she rarely washes her hands after using the bathroom. You're going to be a NURSE!!! Cleanliness should be pretty high up on your priority list. Reminding adults to wash their hands is beyond ridiculous. Then the fact that people like this are raising kids and they probably don't teach them to wash their hands....DISGUSTING! I could go on and on......can you tell :)

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  • bronzegoddess's Avatar
    Posted by bronzegoddess Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:24am PDT

    AND I think that all public restroom doors should swing out. That way I don't have to worry about keeping my paper towel to open the door to protect me from all the germs that the non-handwashers have left lurking...waiting to attack me. Then when I finally make my way out of the germ infested restroom there is no where for me to throw my paper towel away.

    I told you that I could go on and on.

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  • STRAWBERRY's Avatar
    Posted by STRAWBERRY Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:15pm PDT

    Dayra, you took the words right out of my mouth. I look at them do that and think to myself, I bet you also dig in your nose and butt and don't wash your hands.

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  • GirlyGirl©'s Avatar
    Posted by GirlyGirl© Wed Sep 16, 2009 7:48pm PDT

    Excuse me, Dayra, but only "white people" kiss their dogs? Way to be racist! And Strawberry, we "white people" aren't the only folk to dig in our nose and our butt. Who are you? For crying out loud, are you that racist against us "white people"? You are sick.

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  • alms's Avatar
    Posted by alms Wed Sep 16, 2009 8:24pm PDT

    Momma didn't just teach me to wash my hands after I pee, she also taught me not to piss on my fingers.

    BTW, I've seen black folks kiss their dogs too. Face it- we all have dirty little habits that we do when we THINK no one is watching. I've noticed that many who play the race card do so because they can't offer an intelligent argument. It's often a convenient way to dodge the issue.

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  • Jasmine's Avatar
    Posted by Jasmine Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:00pm PDT

    Cleanliness is something that everyone should consider and practice. And I agree that these things should be done by everyone. If everyone was this germ-aware, I wouldn't have to be so nervous about touching the inside door handle at my work. I work at a big medical center, and all kinds of people go in to use the toilet on my floor. I've become quite the germophobe there. It's made me very conscious of what I'm touching whenever I am at work. Anyways, "Strawberry" and "Dayra," please don't be so racist. It's very rude. Jeesh. When you girls were learning all about being clean, did you learn any manners?

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  • CANIS's Avatar
    Posted by CANIS Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:12pm PDT

    Oh you forgot snorting lines off of your compact mirror. Or does drinking in a bar with birds count?..?

    ..Now I'm getting paraniod!!..I think I'll stay inside till the full body condom I ordered from Amazon gets here.

    ....Jeeeeez.

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  • Mag's Avatar
    Posted by Mag Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:13pm PDT

    vitamin G,

    n See vitamin, riboflavin.

    And washing hands often is good advice.

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  • Isky's Avatar
    Posted by Isky Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:41am PDT

    I can't stop laughing! These comments are a riot. Me? I've become thoroughly germ-conscious. I wash my hands after picking up my mail from the mail box, after I take the trash out, when I get home after work or shopping, and of course, after I use the bathroom. Also, I'm not ashamed to admit that I was my fruit with a mild liquid soap and scrub vegies with a very stiff bristled brush! Can it get any worse?

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  • Flutterbyze's Avatar
    Posted by Flutterbyze Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:20am PDT

    carry hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes in your, purse vehicle and home, keep it on hand in the kitchen the bathroom and the bedroom, be prepared stop stumbling through life without a clue, it is happening and if we don't start paying more attention it will happen more, there are still new diseases and illnesses that we continue to pass ona and create new strains of because people are not listening, get a grip,.......

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