Also On Wellness
Tagged as Germs
Some of the most bacteria-laden items we touch daily are not found out in the dirty, grimy world-at-large. They’re actually in our homes. Household items, especially personal items that are regularly in contact with our skin, are breeding grounds for harmful bacteria and other nasties. According to - Time - , items that stay moist or wet, such as kitchen sponges, hand towels, toothbrushes and toothbrush...
November 21, 2024
In countries like Japan, China, Laos, Korea, Thaliand and Taiwan, removing shoes before entering the home is an absolute cultural must. In certain countries this custom extends to churches, temples, restaurants and schools as well. To leave the shoes on is to be rude and disrespectful to the homeowner and the home itself – something perceptually just as bad as putting your shoes up on the couch or...
September 29, 2023
One of the advantages of modern times is that we are provided with more useful health information than ever before. While much of that "information" may not be 100% correct or of any immediate practical use, the fact remains that, if there were a health threat most of us needed to know about, chances are we would promptly find out about it through our ubiquitous media channels. It is safe to say, consequently,...
December 28, 2022
You may be surprised at some of the things given the "lime" light in this article. As a general rule, too many people ignore how important cleanliness is in relation to food safety. The worst that can happen, some people think, is an upset stomach, diarrhea or vomiting. That, however, is one of many misconceptions which, in spite of food safety education programs, still "plague" us. Foodborne illnesses...
June 15, 2022
Most of us have a bottle of hand sanitizer within reach these days. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that we need to be prepared, always. When it comes to staying protected from virus transmission, hand sanitizer is an important line of defense. But are we using it properly? Maybe not. Here are five mistakes that can make hand sanitizer ineffective. 1. Not Using Enough - After touching...
May 10, 2022
There really is no middle ground when it comes to the 5-second rule: Either you follow it, or you don’t. Some people have no problem picking up and eating dropped food as long as it’s within seconds of falling on the floor. Maybe they give it a hefty blow for good measure. But is it safe? The answer’s a little more complicated than a simple yes or no. Let's look at what the science says on the issue....
February 17, 2020
Antibiotics have changed the face of infection treatment, making many diseases that were once death sentences — the -bubonic plague-, for example — frequently treatable. But now, antibiotic resistance threatens to turn the tables once again, with superbugs rising to wreak havoc on unsuspecting populations. Antibiotics are important in the treatment of numerous infections, but overuse has led to strains...
January 31, 2020
Raising a child in a sterile environment may be doing them more harm than good, scientists say. Not only does exposure to germs help develop a child’s immune system, but it may also reduce the child’s chances of getting childhood leukemia. How? According to a -recently published paper-, a sterile environment, followed by infections, can trigger acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known as ALL, in children....
January 16, 2020
We wash our clothes with the expectation of getting them clean. Why else would we put ourselves through such a tedious ritual week after week? It turns out that “clean” may be a relative term, at least when it comes to the state of the washer. Washing machines can be a reservoir for bacteria. The good news is this probably isn’t an issue—unless someone in the household is fighting an infection. If...
January 8, 2020
One revolutionary theory that is of special importance in medicine is the germ theory of disease: the (at the time) shocking realization or assertion that many diseases (most significantly, those that were responsible for the highest mortality globally) had a microbiological origin - to put it more bluntly, those that were caused by tiny organisms, many of which could not be seen with the naked eye....
April 25, 2015
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