I'll bet you haven't thought about this, but one of the dirtiest things in your home is the TV remote. Everyone in the household has handled it - sometimes with food in hand which just sets up a great place for organisms to grow. Also, remember if you or someone in the family is home sick, what is the most likely thing that they touch? The TV remote!
Keep a canister of sanitary wipes near the TV so that the remote can be cleaned often.
Showing posts with label Virus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virus. Show all posts
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Staying Healthy - 6 Things to Keep You Healthier
We know that contact with microbes either bacteria or viruses is how we get sick. So how do we prevent that contact. Living in a germ free bubble is not the answer!
I know you have all heard this, but the number one thing you can do to prevent illness, is to wash your hands. Almost everything you touch is covered with germs which are looking for a good place to set up and cause infection. So be diligent about washing your hands.
If you are not some place where you can wash your hands, carry around a small bottle of hand disinfectant. This is especially useful when you go into a restaurant, handle the menu, before you eat, just disinfect your hands. You never know who else has handled that menu and what may be on it.
Stayed tuned for the next 5 things that can keep you healthy.
I know you have all heard this, but the number one thing you can do to prevent illness, is to wash your hands. Almost everything you touch is covered with germs which are looking for a good place to set up and cause infection. So be diligent about washing your hands.
If you are not some place where you can wash your hands, carry around a small bottle of hand disinfectant. This is especially useful when you go into a restaurant, handle the menu, before you eat, just disinfect your hands. You never know who else has handled that menu and what may be on it.
Stayed tuned for the next 5 things that can keep you healthy.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
More on the Immune System
Yesterday I talked a little about the immune system. There are some viruses which do not get completely killed off by the immune system. One of the most common is the virus that causes chicken pox - Varicella virus. You may know this virus by its more common name shingles or herpes zoster. If you had chicken pox, you will not have it again, but the virus usually lies dormant in your body, waiting for a time when the immune system becomes compromised so that it can take hold.
This usually happens latter in life, but can happen any time that the immune system becomes compromised. Today we are seeing more of this in younger people because of the stress of our lives. For more on stress, visit a site about conquering stress by clicking here.
When the virus emerges, it attaches itself to the nerves and basically what you end up with is a viral infection that follows the nerve routes. Diagnostic of this virus is the fact that it will only present on one side of the body.
This usually happens latter in life, but can happen any time that the immune system becomes compromised. Today we are seeing more of this in younger people because of the stress of our lives. For more on stress, visit a site about conquering stress by clicking here.
When the virus emerges, it attaches itself to the nerves and basically what you end up with is a viral infection that follows the nerve routes. Diagnostic of this virus is the fact that it will only present on one side of the body.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Why You Need Your Immune System
With all of the information out there about swine flu and people being worried about whether they should get a flu shot or not, someone asked me about their immune system. Here's a layman's guide as to how the immune system works for viruses.
When a virus enters your body, your immune system recognizes the virus as NOT you, so it begins to attack the virus and kill it. In addition, the immune system is able to take an imprint of the virus so that is makes something called antibodies, which float around in the blood and attach themselves to that particular virus if it is found in a cell or in the blood stream. The virus is only able to thrive and multiply if it gets into the cells and is not killed by the immune system. Of course, the response depends upon the particular virus and your body.
Many people wonder if this is how it works how come I keep getting colds, isn't that a virus. The answer is yes, it is a virus, but the virus keeps mutating just slightly, so that your immune system does not recognize it when it first enters your system. That's why there are flu shots every year, because the viruses mutate and change.
When a virus enters your body, your immune system recognizes the virus as NOT you, so it begins to attack the virus and kill it. In addition, the immune system is able to take an imprint of the virus so that is makes something called antibodies, which float around in the blood and attach themselves to that particular virus if it is found in a cell or in the blood stream. The virus is only able to thrive and multiply if it gets into the cells and is not killed by the immune system. Of course, the response depends upon the particular virus and your body.
Many people wonder if this is how it works how come I keep getting colds, isn't that a virus. The answer is yes, it is a virus, but the virus keeps mutating just slightly, so that your immune system does not recognize it when it first enters your system. That's why there are flu shots every year, because the viruses mutate and change.
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