Page 7 - Boca Exposure - April '20

Boca Exposure, Page 7
Reality Check √… Healthy Answers

On Living And Loving Life: ‘Why Sanitize?’

By Dale Brown, B.S., sanitizers were literally everywhere, near elevators, you may want to consider using hand sanitizers on children
M.A., C.E.C. Dale is a restaurants, bathrooms, anywhere you went; anything you only when necessary, and always keep alcohol-based gels
motivational speaker who touched you were made aware of the spread of germs. The out of their reach.
has spent many years as a crew had to wash hands and sanitize every time they went in The major objective of using hand sanitizers is to kill
Certified Life Coach and has and out of the galley, which was multiple times throughout germs before they can spread or make you sick. You see
written numerous articles the day and during mealtimes. ads everywhere for antibacterial hand soap, dishwashing
and e-books relating to self- I remember years ago when hand sanitizers first became liquid, cleaning fluids, and many more. It is estimated that
improvement and ways to acutely visible in schools, hospitals, childcare centers, more than 700 antimicrobial-infused products are on the
build a high-performance airports, and atop the gangways of cruise ships. People were market, all claiming to keep you safe from viruses, colds,
team. Her education and reminded but didn’t always comply. It wasn’t something and flu.
years of experience in you automatically did unless you were reminded. If you are confused about what to buy to guard against
physical fitness and training For as long as we’ve been together, my husband has harmful bacteria you’re not alone. Take a look at a few terms
of elite athletes has enabled her to sharpen her knowledge in carried a hand sanitizer in his pocket. At that time I thought and their functions to help you sort out which product is
many health-related areas. The following is one in a series of he went a little overboard, so I decided to do some research best for the job.
columns devoted to many topics that deal with the mind/body myself on whether hand sanitizers were all they were • Antimicrobial – a general term for an ingredient that
connection and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. cracked up to be. My article first appeared in 2011 and, kills bacteria, viruses, or molds.
Dale, a Bocaire resident, can be reached at dalebrown@ given our current circumstances, I thought it helpful to pass • Antibacterial – only effective against bacteria.
lovingmondays.com. along some findings that might be helpful and of interest • Disinfectant – products that kill micro-organisms
When my husband and I left on Feb. 20 for our cruise to to others. (usually both bacteria and viruses) on surfaces such as
Antarctica it was like any other day here in Boca Raton and Hand sanitizers are not recommended in place of soap countertops.
around the world. Loaded with excitement and anticipation, and water because alcohol doesn’t cut through grime, so • Antiseptic – products for use on skin for cuts and
we sailed away to a part of the world very few people dirt, blood, feces or other soil should be washed away scrapes.
experience. As the days passed news of the Coronavirus first. If soap and water is not available, of course, alcohol- An FDA advisory panel of experts decided that
increased, and by the time we had reached the Falkland based rubs are a healthy precaution. Studies have shown antibacterial soaps were no more effective than regular
Islands, it had become a pandemic. that microorganisms are much more prevalent on phone soap and water in fighting infections. Most soap contains
No one on our ship was infected, and we had been receivers, computer keyboards and desktops, so using a an ingredient called triclosan that kills bacteria but has little
literally quarantined for 21 days in a part of the world hand sanitizer in this situation is a good idea. or no effect on viruses.
where viruses are nonexistent. However, that didn’t seem Not all brands of hand sanitizers are the same. A study Always read the label and be careful when buying a
to matter to those countries that were slowly closing their published in the Journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases product that claims to have germ-killing ingredients. There
borders to both ships and aircraft. When Uruguay refused disclosed that at least one brand did not contain the are a number of alternative antimicrobials available that are
us entry, we thought for sure we would be one of those necessary 60 percent alcohol needed to kill harmful bacteria also nontoxic:
ships drifting with nowhere to go. and viruses. The concentration of ethyl alcohol, ethanol, • Vinegar and borax are excellent agents for cleaning
Just when we had given up hope, we were informed that or some variation should be between 60 and 95 percent in but will not disinfect.
Argentina had agreed to allow us to disembark – but only if order to be effective, so be sure to read the label before • Tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract are often used
we went immediately to the airport. Everyone on board had buying the product. Most brands of hand sanitizers look as disinfectants, and are used as ingredients in some
one day and a half to exit the country or we would remain alike: same bottle, pump and price. commercial products.
there in quarantine. The scramble to book flights took hours Knowing how much to use is important, too. Use enough • Hydrogen peroxide is one of the safest disinfectants
trying to connect to airlines that were backlogged online gel to cover your hands thoroughly on all sides. The rule on the market and can be purchased as an over-the-counter
and by phone. of thumb is, if your hands dry within 10 to 15 seconds you antiseptic. Be sure that the concentration of hydrogen
While on board, cleanliness was paramount. Hand haven’t used enough. If you are a parent or grandparent, peroxide is not more that 3 percent. A higher percentage is
dangerous and should not be used for this purpose.
Do whatever you can to prevent the spread of germs.
The CDC recommends that you wash your hands for a least
20 seconds, meaning the time that you are actually rubbing
your soapy hands together.
None of us could have envisioned a pandemic of this
magnitude in our lifetime. May this be a lesson to all of us
going forward to be mindful to wash hands first, and yes,
sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!

Advertise,

Check out our Website!

www.seabreezepublications.com

or call

746-3244

Southern Exposure Technologies
Computer Install/Setup/Repair
(561) 315-0144
getsetgo.annie@gmail.com
* DSL, Broadband,Wireless Install
* Networking, Troubleshooting
* Instruction
* Hardware/Software Installation
* Virus/Spyware/Adware Fix
* Cleanup/Maintenance/Backup
* Business Consult/Startup/Move
* Website Design/Maintenance
Call S.E.T. to install your “new computer, printer
and wireless network”!
GET S.E.T. GO!
REASONABLE HOURLY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY RATES
FOR SMALL BUSINESSES FOR AS LOW AS $50.00 AN HOUR,
WITH A MINIMUM OF 6 HOURS A MONTH,
OR 2 HOURS A WEEK, OR ON AN AS-NEEDED
BASIS RATE OF $75.00 P/HOUR.
START YOUR NEW YEAR WITH SECURE BACKUPS,
QUALITY MAINTENANCE, ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND
PERSONABLE ON-SITE SUPPORT!
(561) 315-0144
CALL S.E.T. TODAY FOR YOUR COMPUTER NEEDS!