Last week we talked a little about possibly changing the way we greet others so as to not pick up or pass along a pandemic virus — actually any type of bacteria or virus.  We also talked about the possibility of working out of your home so that you can stay home and stay well.  It would also be helpful to work out of your home if you needed to take care of someone that is ill.  But not all of us have that option.  Some of us will still need to physically show up to work and socialize with others.  What to do then?

The biggest advice that medical experts suggest is to wash your hands several times during the day.  They also want you to disinfect your work station or area daily including: phones, door knobs, drinking fountains, keyboards, chair arm rests and other heavily touched or high traffic areas.

Another suggestion is to disinfect you.  Mostly your hands.  A lot of doctors suggest that you use the alcohol based hand sanitizers, but I don’t much care for them.  Yes they do work – until they dry.  As we all know, the minute the alcohol dries, the sanitizing abilities stop.  Also, alcohol, used consistently on the skin, will dry your skin out and actually cause cracking which gives bacteria and viruses more areas of entry into our bodies.  Another thing that I don’t like about alcohol based sanitizers is that they smell funny (like alcohol) and they leave a sticky feeling residue behind that is really irritating – in more ways than one.

I prefer the PureWorks® brand of sanitizing products because it feels good when you put it on and it is persistent for up to four hours.  It is not alcohol based but uses Quaternary Ammonium (QUATS) compounds as an active ingredient to be a first aid antiseptic and to help guard against infection.  They even have a One-Step Disinfectant to use as a surface cleaner.  The One-Step Disinfectant has been proven to kill the Avian Flu virus, salmonella, and many more viruses and bacterium on any surface.  This claim is supported by the EPA and the foam and lotions are compliant to FDA regulations.

I carry the portable foam dispenser with me in my purse so that I can use it whenever I go into public places and am going to be touching things that others have touched before (e.g. shopping carts, door handles, countertops, etc.), but my favorite product is the lotion.  I like the lotion because it doesn’t have a strong smell, it has a nice feel (it’s not greasy and there is no sticky residue) and I can apply it to my face, especially around my eyes, nose and mouth as a protectant.  I use the lotion in the morning, before putting on my makeup, which helps protect me around my ears, eyes and nose for at least a little while, and then I have another bottle at my desk to use on my hands throughout the day.

You can’t apply alcohol-based products on your face or around your nose or lips because it is too harsh and is dangerous if accidentally ingested.  The PureWorks products are safe to use.  The best part of using PureWorks® is that the product has what is called “persistence” meaning it doesn’t stop working like the alcohol does when it dries, but it continues working up to several hours (4 hrs.), depending on the circumstances you are in.  It is also safe for children and more mature folks who have thin skin. It is not absorbed by the body, it just stays on top as a protective barrier.  I have been using it for years and I really think that it makes a big difference.

There is another thing that you need to be concerned about if you are buying anti-bacterial products – do they have Triclosan as one of the ingredients?  If they do, be careful.  Triclosan is a pesticide and it is actually absorbed into your skin, even more quickly into your children’s skin and older adults’ skin because their skin is thinner.  I really don’t like the idea of using pesticides to wash my hands and I especially don’t like the idea of my children absorbing pesticides into their little bodies.  Remember, one of the most effective ways to protect yourself is to wash your hands – just make sure that you do it with safe products, good old fashioned soap and water is a good option here. (Two gallons of water, per person, per day for a two-week period)

Another product that people have considered using to protect themselves, and which the government also suggests as a good idea (go to www.cdc.gov/eid/content/15/2/233.htm for full article), is facemasks.  But not just any face mask will do.  You need a face mask that can help filter out viruses - at least to some degree.  In my research, I found out that most masks only make you feel as though you are protected, but they actually do very little or nothing at all, when it comes to protecting you from viruses.  You need to have at least an N-95 or N-99 filter to get any degree of protection.  If you are interested in potentially using a mask, you might want to look at an article that I found that talked about face masks and the Avian Flu virus.  You will want to educate yourself more about what you really need in order to try to stay healthy.

Myself, I have decided that I probably won’t wear a mask if I’m healthy, unless I am in a very precarious situation, but more than likely I will only use the masks if I am sick and don’t want to go out and possibly infect others – but that’s just me.

Before you go hog-wild and purchase a lot of masks, you might want to wear one around and try it out first.  I get a little claustrophobic when I put one on and I notice I tend to breathe a lot heavier and deeper when wearing one (yes, I did get light headed).  I once used a disposable mask that had a breather hole on the front and I found it much easier and more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.  Also, if you have glasses, the masks with the breather holes help your glasses not to fog up as much.  I did find a disposable face mask, T-5000V P95, that has a breather hole in the front
(http://www.safetyhood.net/1845590.html) and I think that I am going to get it because if I’m going to be wearing an uncomfortable mask, I want to be comfortable as possible.

Probably the most effective way to protect yourself, if you have to be in the public during a pandemic or bad flu year, is to stay at least seven-feet away from anybody, if possible.  They (the people that measure sneezes and coughs) have found that most sneezes and coughs generally travel about six-feet from point of delivery. (Droplets travel approximately 3’ and micro-droplets — the stuff you can’t feel — about 6’).  If you are doing the sneezing and coughing, shame on you – go home and go to bed!  Don’t go out and share the misery, unless you have to, but make sure to wear your mask if you do.

Now go wash your hands and make sure you stay hydrated and healthy.