Hygiene for Health

A great thing about meeting people from other cultures is to share in some of their wisdom. One of my clients is Lebanese. He always looks so smart whenever we meet and, when I come to think of it, I've never known him to be sick in the 20-some years we've been acquainted.


I mentioned this to him one time and he quoted back to me what he said was a well-known Lebanese proverb: Hygiene is two thirds of health. Amen to that.

Although personal cleanliness is absolutely essential to your well-being, there are, in fact, just two basic rules that account for most of your hygiene related health, and that of others you live with - regularly washing your hands and covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.

Dirty hands and uncovered snouts are undoubtedly the main transmitters of germs and viruses in the home. You should always wash your hands in hot, soapy water after a bathroom visit, before handling food, before and after cleaning up a young child and after you've been out - whether it's a trip to the grocery store or a gardening session in the yard.

Actually, there's quite an art to washing your hands properly. The Centers for Disease Control offer very useful guidance on their website cdc.gov. Just search for "handwashing". Plus, of course, if you cough or sneeze into your hands, you need to wash them then. But for preference, always carry a handkerchief or facial tissues with you. Please don't sneeze onto your sleeve!

These simple rules are important to pass on to youngsters, who always seem to forget the basics - like brushing their teeth. Which reminds me, oral hygiene - brushing, rinsing, and flossing - is as important to me as keeping my hands clean. That's not just for the benefit of those within "breath range" but also because the human mouth is where all the food bacteria and germs meet daily for a party!

The other side of the hygiene story lurks in your bathroom and kitchen. Keeping a clean bathroom is easy, with bleach and other household cleaning products (remembering my earlier advice about storing them out of reach). The more that room is used, the more you use them.

The kitchen is a different story. All sorts of creatures, masquerading under the posh title of "micro-organisms" lurk on counter-tops and dishes, in the dishwasher, toaster, stove and refrigerator, and just about anywhere else where food has been.

The problem is that you can't just splash toxic cleaning products about, where they might come into contact with food, though there are a number of products on the market that can kill bacteria without harming you.

 by Alexander McKenzie

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