Hey! No offense was taken, I assure you. I am more than fully aware that my personal hygeine habits are not up to par, and quite frankly, I don't give a damn. :)
See, I KNOW that washing hands can reduce the possibility of getting diseases, but it doesnt PREVENT it. You would have to wash your hands CONSTANTLY to REALLY make a difference. And see, maybe the times I do get sick ARE because my my lack of washing hands frequently, but it happens SO little that I would rather be sick for a week than have to spend fifteen minutes each day washing my hands only to STILL have the possibility of getting a infectious disease.
Now, that is not to say I don't EVER wash my hands. I wash them in "high risk" situations, so to speak. I wash them after dealing with really dirty things (ex: changing a bike tire), touching stray animals, cleaning, and before and after cooking meals that require lots of hands on-ness (usually for other people, I don't care so much when I am cooking for myself cause I figure I already have whatever germs I am going to eat).
But anyway the thing is, germs are all over, and there are certain situations where you are just GOING to get sick. But the rest of the time, let my immune system face those germs like a man and build up an immunity to them! Believe it or not, I used to be all clean and hand washy and made sure to wash up before each meal and after each meal and I did all those little precautions and stuff (when I was a kid and that's what you are taught so you jsut do it), and I got sick ALL the time, usually infectious diseases. I don't know what happened, but, ironically, when I started exposing myself to germs more often, I seemed to stop getting sick. Now, people can sneeze all over me (and my brother often does, the bastard!) and I don't get sick at all! I honestly believe that when I stopped sheltering myself from disease I was able to build up immunities against them.
But even so, I have the CHANCE of getting sick and spending about a week feeling crappy if I don't wash obsessively, but I am garunteed to spend a total of almost 4 days washing my hands each year if I wash for 15 minutes total each day. I'd honestly rather take the chance. It's a gamble, but it could turn out in my favor, and the older I am getting the less often I am getting sick.
And besides, washing hands isn't the only way to prevent disease. In fact, I think strengthening your immune system is a better approach. And that's where MY family comes into play. Since before I can remember my mom has been all into reading nutrition books and reading thos titles like "Fit or Fat and Fit For Life and Guide to Nutrition, so I was raised with the imortance on health placed in eating habits and exercise. Eating right and exercising can strengthen your immune system which will fend of most germs with ease! In face, something ridiculous like 90% of all health problems is caused by poor nutrition and lack of exercise! And these are long term diseases with far more dangerous outcomes! People eat like CRAP, then they get heart disease or diabetes or scurvy (lol, j/k) and are affected for the REST OF THEIR LIVES! If I am going to put my efforts anywhere, it is going to be in preventing things like diabetes which effects loads more people than salmonela.
So, I think we both agree in one aspect: Health is important. Preventing disease is good.
Younger kids do get sick more often than adults, b/c they don't have as many imunities. So getting sick alot when you were little is probably alot of the reason you don't get sick now (i don't know that it corallates with the hand washing tho...lol). Buliding up imunities is definitely helpful....but there are stupid things that we've (meaning people in america) have never been expostd to, and all the imunities you have can't really help that.
I totally agree with you that washing hands isn't the only way to prevent against disease! Hell if you didn't take care of yourself at all and only washed your hands you would still be screwed, lol. Eating right and exercise are definitely good ideas too! (and actually a suprizing number of college students get scurvy cuz they eat horribly their first year, lol).
yeah. exposing yourself to germs often does help to build immunities and stuff. i rarely get sick, even when i was little i was the same way... i dont really know why that is, but if you have strong immunities it doesnt matter (to some extent) who sneezes on you or if you dont wash your hands once in a while.
on the flip side of this whole washing your hands argument... washing them too much with antibacterial soap and such is a hot topic nowadays. it doesnt neccesarily kill all the bacteria and the strong ones survive so that they are the ones that breed and then you have all of these strong bacteria around... SUPER BUGS. so now people are worried about using too much antibacterial and about not washing their hands.... what a predicament!!
Ack! Don't get me started on the whole "super bug" thing. I remember cringing everytime ms. sinhkornrat mentioned it, i think it was one of the only things i disagreed with her on. From what I understand bacteria get resistant to antibiotics, not antibacterial stuff (i think people just got confused somewhere down the line since the two sound similar)...tbut here's some difference and some long explination as to why it doesnt really happe....but i really don't remember, lol.
(you know i realized that alot of this crap has been planted in my head by my mother...wich would normaly scare me, lol. but this happens to be one subject i trust her on since she actually worked in a lab and does infection control and all that crap, lol)
See, I KNOW that washing hands can reduce the possibility of getting diseases, but it doesnt PREVENT it. You would have to wash your hands CONSTANTLY to REALLY make a difference. And see, maybe the times I do get sick ARE because my my lack of washing hands frequently, but it happens SO little that I would rather be sick for a week than have to spend fifteen minutes each day washing my hands only to STILL have the possibility of getting a infectious disease.
Now, that is not to say I don't EVER wash my hands. I wash them in "high risk" situations, so to speak. I wash them after dealing with really dirty things (ex: changing a bike tire), touching stray animals, cleaning, and before and after cooking meals that require lots of hands on-ness (usually for other people, I don't care so much when I am cooking for myself cause I figure I already have whatever germs I am going to eat).
But anyway the thing is, germs are all over, and there are certain situations where you are just GOING to get sick. But the rest of the time, let my immune system face those germs like a man and build up an immunity to them! Believe it or not, I used to be all clean and hand washy and made sure to wash up before each meal and after each meal and I did all those little precautions and stuff (when I was a kid and that's what you are taught so you jsut do it), and I got sick ALL the time, usually infectious diseases. I don't know what happened, but, ironically, when I started exposing myself to germs more often, I seemed to stop getting sick. Now, people can sneeze all over me (and my brother often does, the bastard!) and I don't get sick at all! I honestly believe that when I stopped sheltering myself from disease I was able to build up immunities against them.
But even so, I have the CHANCE of getting sick and spending about a week feeling crappy if I don't wash obsessively, but I am garunteed to spend a total of almost 4 days washing my hands each year if I wash for 15 minutes total each day. I'd honestly rather take the chance. It's a gamble, but it could turn out in my favor, and the older I am getting the less often I am getting sick.
And besides, washing hands isn't the only way to prevent disease. In fact, I think strengthening your immune system is a better approach. And that's where MY family comes into play. Since before I can remember my mom has been all into reading nutrition books and reading thos titles like "Fit or Fat and Fit For Life and Guide to Nutrition, so I was raised with the imortance on health placed in eating habits and exercise. Eating right and exercising can strengthen your immune system which will fend of most germs with ease! In face, something ridiculous like 90% of all health problems is caused by poor nutrition and lack of exercise! And these are long term diseases with far more dangerous outcomes! People eat like CRAP, then they get heart disease or diabetes or scurvy (lol, j/k) and are affected for the REST OF THEIR LIVES! If I am going to put my efforts anywhere, it is going to be in preventing things like diabetes which effects loads more people than salmonela.
So, I think we both agree in one aspect: Health is important. Preventing disease is good.
We just differ on the METHODS of this. ;)
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Younger kids do get sick more often than adults, b/c they don't have as many imunities. So getting sick alot when you were little is probably alot of the reason you don't get sick now (i don't know that it corallates with the hand washing tho...lol). Buliding up imunities is definitely helpful....but there are stupid things that we've (meaning people in america) have never been expostd to, and all the imunities you have can't really help that.
I totally agree with you that washing hands isn't the only way to prevent against disease! Hell if you didn't take care of yourself at all and only washed your hands you would still be screwed, lol. Eating right and exercise are definitely good ideas too! (and actually a suprizing number of college students get scurvy cuz they eat horribly their first year, lol).
Lol. yep, that pretty much sums it up. ;)
Reply
on the flip side of this whole washing your hands argument... washing them too much with antibacterial soap and such is a hot topic nowadays. it doesnt neccesarily kill all the bacteria and the strong ones survive so that they are the ones that breed and then you have all of these strong bacteria around... SUPER BUGS. so now people are worried about using too much antibacterial and about not washing their hands.... what a predicament!!
Reply
Ack! Don't get me started on the whole "super bug" thing. I remember cringing everytime ms. sinhkornrat mentioned it, i think it was one of the only things i disagreed with her on. From what I understand bacteria get resistant to antibiotics, not antibacterial stuff (i think people just got confused somewhere down the line since the two sound similar)...tbut here's some difference and some long explination as to why it doesnt really happe....but i really don't remember, lol.
(you know i realized that alot of this crap has been planted in my head by my mother...wich would normaly scare me, lol. but this happens to be one subject i trust her on since she actually worked in a lab and does infection control and all that crap, lol)
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