It’s January and with the start of the year comes certain things that folks might either like or dislike. Many people enjoy the feeling of a fresh start, newly made resolutions to lose weight or to accomplish a goal – others may not like the cold weather or possibility of snow/ice. But I think there is one thing that everyone can be on the same side about during these winter months: hatred for being sick.
Something that I’ve talked about and highlighted in the past – cold and flu season is here folks and the germs are having a ball. And if you think that you have it rough with the co-worker who you just saw coming out of the bathroom sneezing into their hand and wants to shake yours moments later – think about parents of young children! We’ve all seen it. Riding on the train or bus and little Jonny seated comfortably next to Mom or Dad, effortlessly decides to unleash a series of hacking coughs or sneezes into the open air. The parent might either shrug it off or firmly tell him to cover his mouth with his sleeve next time and then proceed to furiously wipe down his hands with a Wet Wipe (I’ve seen both happen). The fact is, parents of little kids are constantly battling colds and fevers with their young ones. How many of the old wives’ tales actually work? Does going through a container a week of Lysol Wipes do any good? Don’t antibiotics help cure everything?
Those are probably questions that go through the head of every parent and recently I was sent a video offering some help on those issues. Should the parent just let the child “be a kid” and roll around in the dirt? Or should they be ultra-vigilant on the war on germs? In this MicrobeWorld Video piece that I was happy to receive from my friend Chris Condayan – Dr. Harley Rotbart, author of Germ Proof Your Kids: The Complete Guide to Protecting (without Overprotecting) Your Family from Infections gives us candid insight into the world of keeping our kids healthy.
Dr. Rotbart, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at The University of Colorado and The Children’s Hospital of Denver, has practiced, researched, and taught germ defense for the past 25 years. His new book serves as a resource for parents and health care providers to help put science back into the discussion of protecting kids from microscopic dangers. In addition to evaluating the traditional approaches to infection prevention (vaccines, antibiotics, etc.), Dr. Rotbart also analyzes the science behind Mom’s advice about the effects of hygiene, nutrition, sleep, stress, exercise, and even wearing boots in the rain. It turns out Mom was right most of the time.
This is one of the many reasons why I love public health communications. The importance of clearing up common misconceptions in order to improve the health and well being (and sanity of parents) is priceless. I truly hope this video helped ease some worries or at least create a curiosity to find out more information.
All about you being empowered to learn more.
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Reader Question:
What are some ways that YOU have prevented getting a cold or getting sick at all? I’m going to try to collect some thoughts and put it into a blog post – we definitely have more time with this weather!
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Chris Condayan works with a great team over at Chocolate City Media to create in depth and high quality audio/visual solutions on the Web, such as the video you just saw. Be sure to check them out!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
In my house it just keeps cycling around. How long until spring?uggh
Mother still insists that we keep our (adult) heads covered in cold or damp weather. She also cautions against going outside with wet hair or “open pores”. Friends tease me for listening to old wives tales, but I stay healthy during flu season when I take mother’s advice. Whenever I do get sick, I can recall having violated one of mother’s rules.
Plenty of vitamin C, making sure to wash my hands often enough, and never using my hands to touch my face. Need to sneeze? Cover that mouth and nose with your arm!