Discovery of these health news reports spurred this digest for the week of 15 March 2010. Three items are reviewed and followed by suggested action plans to enhance one’s health.
@DoctorJames

Touch and Interaction are Essential

Feelings of loneliness increases blood pressure over time in those who are 50 years or older

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

• Ensure personal knowledge of one’s baseline blood pressure (BP)
• Seek appropriate treatment from a licensed health care professional for BP problems AND STICK TO IT
• Actively participate in groups: community, religious, gym, recreational, or affinity social groups
• Actively cultivate and nurture friendships
• Positively engage relatives and those who are surrogate family members
• Practice the 10 Easy Steps to Happiness that Really Work from the Slough, England year-old social experiment THAT WORKED

Preventive behaviors reduced H1N1 household transmission in 2009

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

• WASH YOUR HANDS – handwashing saves lives, resources, and elevates your health and wellness: HERE’S HOW TO DO IT PROPERLY


Handwashing is Vital to Good Health

• Unless medically disadvised, get the annual seasonal or other influenza vaccination
• Talk with your housemates about how to prevent the transmission of influenza
• Teach and persistently reinforce good handwashing and basic hygiene to all children
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow – not your hands

Local carbon dioxide domes reduce air quality

SUGGESTED ACTIONS

• Pay attention to local air quality ratings and alter your outside behaviors as recommended
• Minimize or avoid outdoor grilling or trash-burning
• Change your commute practices to enhance environmental qualities: biking, carsharing, use of public transit, or walking
• Recycle and reuse, compost, and pre-cycle so that packaging trash is minimized
• Act to better air quality by pushing local and regional initiatives to negate carbon output at the source

Everyone in the world of modern communication has heard about H1N1 influenza. To protect one’s health in these circumstances and in everyday living, a change in personal hygienic behaviors will defend and improve respiratory and general health.

Humans have reason to fear and prepare for influenza pandemics, especially given that an estimated 50 to 100 million people died in the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920, a total equal to one third of the European population. Many deaths were from secondary illnesses, such as pneumonia or tuberculosis, which is instructive.

There are simple behaviors that can keep one from getting these illnesses or minimize one’s chances of getting them. If adopted these habits can effectively avoid or minimize community-acquired illnesses throughout the year. With practice, nearly all who do will see a significant drop in their colds and other respiratory illnesses. As well, these are highly effective methods for improving one’s general fitness and health.

HERE’S HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR RESPIRATORY HEALTH

• For one day, pay attention to all of the surfaces your hands touch in public settings: bathrooms, buses or trains, workplace surfaces, etc. Remind yourself of the people who have also touched these surfaces and of the poor hand hygiene of many people.

• Improve your hand hygiene, which consists of both handwashing and hand sanitizing. Hand SANITIZERS remove or kill bacteria, but not viruses: this is a common misunderstanding. HANDWASHING removes bacteria, viruses, and physical soiling from hands. Thorough handwashing is always the preferred method.

• Sneeze or cough into your inner elbow, which covers and contains your coughed secretions and keeps material from your hands. Minimize touching your face unless your hands have been recently washed.

• Knuckle it: use your knuckles on keypads for ATMs or other access: do not use your fingertips.

• If you must use a public pen for a signature, promptly sanitize your hands after using it.

• Do not touch straps, poles, or any part of a bus or train when commuting. If you must steady or reposition yourself, on exiting the vehicle immediately sanitize your hands and then wash your hands at your next opportunity.

• Always wash your hands when you return home (see handwashing technique below).

HAND HYGIENE

Proper use of hand sanitizers means that you cover your hands with enough solution to briskly rub over the hands, then allow them to air dry. Hand sanitizers are not meant to be a substitute for handwashing, but are used when handwashing is not convenient or indicated. Handwashing is a better method of hygiene than is hand sanitizing. Handwashing should always be used when one has soiled hands. The best practice is to WASH YOUR HANDS more often.

PROPER HANDWASHING includes:

• turn on faucet  and wet dirty hands with water first (soap is too harsh on your skin unless first diluted)
• apply enough soap to adequately wash hands
• wash all surfaces of hands briskly and thoroughly: palms, finger tips, back of hands, wrists, and between fingers
• wash all hand surfaces by rubbing vigorously with soap and water for 15-20 seconds: sing “Happy Birthday” or “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” 3 times to yourself until you have learned the proper length of time
• turn off faucet with paper towel or use your elbow if towels are unavailable
• dry hands thoroughly
• do not touch surfaces or door handles when you exit the bathroom: instead, use a paper towel, your coat, or your foot
• if you handwash frequently, consider using a non-scented lotion after  handwashing to maintain skin integrity, as frequent use of soaps can cause micro-breaks in the skin of the hands and these can provide access to bacteria or viruses

Once you begin to practice these simple methods, you may notice others’ lack of proper hand hygiene, especially when using public facilities. You may also be surprised by a drop in colds or other community-acquired infections and illnesses.

Simple practices support one’s general health.

Choose to improve your hand hygiene and elevate your wellness.