No, Mom Isn’t Just a Clean Freak: Washing Hands Really Does Ward Off Disease!
When flu season approaches, the very real threat of the Ebola virus looms (if we’re not careful). This might be a good time to revisit the very basic, disease-preventing habit of hand washing. I impressed this upon my kids when they were very young. As soon as we came home from, well, anywhere, but especially shopping, the first thing we did when we got home was wash our hands. It became a habit. My kids are adults now, and I see that the habit has stuck! But often, hand washing IS a hard thing to impress on kids.
Every kid in the last hundred years has heard, “Wash your hands before you sit down to dinner!” All kids typically react alike. “Aw, Mom! I washed my hands already today!” Washing hands is regarded as a stupid exercise, just to satisfy Mom’s irrational fixation on washing hands. That’s because they haven’t yet learned about the germ theory and cannot relate to the the connection between these microscopic, disease carrying culprits. This article is for every kid who views washing hands as Mom’s crazy obsession.
No one enjoys being sick. Once you’re down with a cold or infectious disease, you’re one unhappy camper. All of Mom’s cajoling is forgotten. You’re feeling miserable and you want relief. Now it’s time for ginger ale and cold remedies. What you don’t realize is that half the time, your misery could have been prevented with a simple remedy prescribed by Mom, washing hands as she instructed.
A recent expose revealed just how rampant the germ population is. When you go shopping at the grocery store, thousands of hands have touched that grocery basket, leaving a plethora of germs in their wake. You come along to do your shopping, gaining access to a few billion germs that cause disease, because the previous user didn’t believe in washing hands. So rampant is the problem, that major supermarkets are now investing in shopping cart washers to disinfect the carts after each use.
Don’t forget about the less obvious, but also very germy items, like cell phone and tablet screens, toilet paper dispensers, other things people touch that we don’t necessarily think about. And ladies, don’t put your purse on the floor in public rest rooms. Use the hooks! There is genuine concern about thieves reaching over a stall door and snatching your purse, but you can watch out for that. Safeguard your health, and your children’s health. Remember, when Mom gets sick, often so do the kids!
If you’re a kid going to day care or school, you’ve got to understand that germs are everywhere. These are absolute breeding grounds for illness. This doesn’t mean you need to be overly paranoid about germs. What it does mean is that when Mom says washing hands prevents illness, she’s not just blowing smoke or trying to boss you around. It’s no fun to be sick. When she instructs you on the virtues of washing hands, take her at her word. She doesn’t want you to suffer avoidable illnesses.
You’ve probably seen your Mom washing fresh produce before cooking and serving. Why does she do this? She’s washing off germs and pesticide residues that could make you sick. Don’t you think that when she extols the virtues of washing hands, she’s working on the same principles of general health and avoiding illness?
If you need further convincing, get a microscope and a slide. Put just a dab of water on your hand and smear it over the slide. Now put that slide under the microscope and take a good look. Yes, those are germs. What you can’t see can hurt you! These are the little critters that end up in your mouth, eventually causing a terrible stomach upset and a trip to the doctors! The average school kid ends up with anywhere from 6-12 colds per year. Where do you think they come from? Do you like being down with a cold? No, Siree! Consider where your hands have been, next time Mom repeats her warning about washing hands!
Category: Health