The TruTh By Jennifer Smith richardS
We explain the facts
about our germy,
germy world.
You are covered in germs.
That pen? Germy. The doorknob? Eww. Everything's
covered in germs, tiny organisms we
can't see that can (and will) make us
sick. It's tempting to give in to this
advice: Don't touch anything. That's not
practical, of course. Best to brush up
on your germ IQ instead.
True or false:
Hand sanitizer is just as good as
washing with soap and water.
The TruTh
AbouT
Can we avoid getting sick?
Are all germs bad? The
(sometimes icky) low-down
38
Su m m er 2015
PhoTo BY GETTY/MAcIEj ToPoroWIcz, nYc
Germs
False (For tHe most part).
"Good old-fashioned soap and water is
better" as long as you're not a wimpy
washer, says Stanley Maloy, PhD, a fellow
of the American Society for Microbiology.
"Sometimes when people wash, they do
it for five seconds."
That's not good enough. What makes
soap-and-water washing effective is that
it's a mechanical process-you're actually rubbing germs off of your hands. So
spend a little time on your scrub to make
sure you're getting clean.
In the absence of soap and water,
experts say an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is better than nothing.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Living Well - Summer 2015 - Beaufort