by Dr. Adam Seigers, Medical Health Contributor
Keeping hands clean is without a doubt the most important way to prevent the spread of germs and disease.
It is especially important during the cold and flu seasons.
Hands should be washed before preparing or eating food, after using the rest room, blowing the nose, coughing, or sneezing.
They should even be washed after touching an animal or pet.
Proper hand washing technique consists of wetting the hands with warm or cold water.
The temperature of the water is for comfort only since even warm water is too cool to kill bacteria.Soap is then applied to the hands and they are rubbed together for at least 20 seconds.
This is about the time it takes to sing the happy birthday song two times.
Soap removes the oils on the hands where bacteria reside. It also contributes to the dry hand problems many of us experience who wash our hands frequently.
If soap and water are not available, an alcohol-based substitute can be used.
This substitute should contain at least 60 percent alcohol.
While alcohol based products do reduce bacteria counts on the hands, they do not eliminate spores produced by some bacteria such as clostridium difficle.
In addition, when hands are visibly soiled soap and water are always preferred.
In choosing soap, remember, antibacterial soap is no more effective than regular soap and it contributes to the problem of resistant bacteria.
Therefore, as a rule it should not be used.
Drying hands is most effectively accomplished by using paper towels, which have been shown to further decrease microorganism counts by about twenty-five percent.
In contrast, hot air driers actually increase bacteria counts on the hands by about the same amount.
They can also disseminate germs found on contaminated hands to other unsuspecting passersby across the room.
For more information please contact your primary care provider.
Dr. Seigers is a physician with Faxton St. Luke’s Adirondack Community Physicians (ACP) Boonville Medical Offices on Rte. 12.
