Thermometers, tissues and toilets. These T's usually bring to mind getting sick. And let's face it. Who likes being sick. Not me, and probably not you either. We hate the feeling of cold sweats in hot temperatures. Especially at the time of this writing, we’re going through a horrible flu season. It's just one of those things we don’t pay attention to that often until a deadly disease comes racing into town. How much do you know about germs?
For newbies, yes, there are good bacteria and bad bacteria. Our body contains a lot of the good bacteria that help us fight against the bad ones out there. Some people even eat foods with probiotics in them to help their immune systems. But we need not worry too much about that. We want to know about the bad ones, right?
Well, did you know that your cellphone is the dirtiest thing we touch on a regular basis? You did? Oh. OK then. That’s why I try to clean or sanitize my phone every day. There are germs everywhere! Our bodies are immune to most of them though as we encounter them on an everyday basis. It's good to practice good hygiene though to prevent any new ones from entering in and making us sick.
I like to keep my house clean as much as I can too. It doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but I try. Piles of laundry and dishes are seldomly seen. It just helps with the bugs and things. I don’t wear my shoes in the house either. The United States seems to be one of the few countries that wear shoes indoors. That’s weird right? One study found that over 90% of our shoes have fecal matter on them! I don’t know about you, but I'd prefer to not have that on my floors. I don’t get sick that often because I practice a lot of these habits consistently.
And what about that ‘five-second rule’? The one we use to try and salvage food that's hit the floor. It turns out that it’s a complete myth. Food will get contaminated as soon as it touches the floor. However, we know that germs adhere more to sticky substances than harder, dryer substances. So, if you’re really desperate in trying to justify saving dropped food, it’s better to pick up, say a nut or a pretzel, as opposed to a gummy worm or piece of fruit.
Going Viral
So, what about viruses? Getting these is the wrong way to go viral. Germs can make us sick, but viruses can make us sicker as they are rarer. Because of that, our immune system needs more time to fight them. It doesn’t help either that viruses work faster than bacteria to get us sick. Double whammy!
Something I learned recently is that viruses are really small. Like really, really small. You probably already knew that, as we can’t see them with our naked eye. However, even if bacteria had eyes, not even they could see viruses with their naked eyes. That’s how small viruses are.
Something you may not have known though is that it is possible to not fall ill to viruses. There are many viruses out there. At the time of me writing this, a strand of coronavirus is running rapid around the globe. This isn’t the first coronavirus we’ve encountered though. This one has just evolved to be highly contagious. However, this one, just like any virus, can be defeated.
Remember that good hygiene I mentioned? All that means is washing your hands a little more often. More so during flu season as viruses can’t sustain the hot temperatures during the summer. Yes, that entails washing for the full twenty seconds recommended as the soap needs time to break down the proteins of this coronavirus. Then, it just washes it down the drain. Sanitizer is also effective as it kills the virus as it dissolves. It's like being kidnapped by a ghost.
Many people are wearing masks, too, as they go about their day. Masks won’t prevent you from getting the virus, but they do help you from spreading it if you do have it. A mask is also crucial because it helps train you from touching your face. That’s how you get viruses in the first place. If you don’t want to get it, don’t give it access into your body.
We know that most viruses affect your respiratory system and they enter in through the orifices of your face, (e.g. eyes, nose, and mouth). This strand of coronavirus is no different. I heard one doctor even say that your house could be filled with the virus but as long as you don’t give it admittance into your body, you won’t get sick from it. You just want to disinfect your house and not make contact with it. So, the more we train ourselves not to touch our faces, the easier it will be to stay healthy when outbreaks like this happen. However, if you do have to touch your face, say an itch or something, and your hands are dirty, it’s better to use your sleeve or shoulder. Something that gets less contact with germs.
Let Your Immune System Work!
The pharmaceutical companies have made a lot of money off of us over the years. There are a lot of drugs out there that many people use on a consistent basis. Now, I’m not one for conspiracy theories so I’ll save you that, but I do opt for more natural remedies for illnesses as many drugs have been proven to be simply a placebo effect.
Our bodies were created to fight off these different bacteria and viruses. Much of the time, we need to let our immune systems run their course. It might take a little longer, but it beats getting any side effects from drugs that "might help".
Take for instance, a fever. When we get a fever, our immediate reaction is to try and break it. Why do we do that though? Remember, viruses don’t do well in heated environments. That’s our body’s way of fighting off these germs. We need to let our body kill off the little intruders. The heat also activates other immunity parts which help in the battle. My suggestion would be to tolerate a fever as long as possible.
But can’t fevers be harmful to us? That’s why we want to break them, right? Yes, the downside of fevers is if our bodies get too hot, some organs and other parts can get damaged. It's worth looking into. You can learn a little more about it here but if our bodies get over 108º we should get to the hospital. However, we can take low doses of a fever so if it’s a smaller one, try and utilize it.
Now, I’m not a doctor, nor do I claim to be so, please take all of this with a grain of salt. I also don’t say any of this to reveal that I have mysophobia or that you should be OCD about germs either. I understand that bacteria are everywhere. There’s no getting around them. I just love science and only seek to inform the ones that maybe don’t know as much. We’re all here to learn.
If you’re looking for how not to get sick, all it takes is good hygiene. Wash your hands often and maybe don’t eat as much ‘floor-food’ and you’ll be fine. Stay safe and stay healthy.
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