Hands

by Betty Mitchell RN BSN
Parish Nurse, Emmanuel Bethel Church, Royal Oak, Michigan

As we enter the holiday season and gather with family and friends, it becomes more important that we pay close attention to washing our hands often during the day to be protected from the germs that get on our hands as we greet each other.

Flu season occurs during the fall and winter months when we have indoor celebration events, especially for Christmas. No one wants to miss out on the festivities, even if they do not feel well or do not realize they are coming down with an illness.

The best way to prevent getting the flu is to stay away from people who have flu-like symptoms or who have the flu. Since there is no practical way to completely do this, getting the flu vaccine is an important way to protect yourself from some of the flu viruses that are common this time of year.

Since a cold and the flu are both respiratory illnesses caused by different viruses, it may be difficult to know the difference as you become ill. Generally, the flu is worse than a cold and symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness and dry cough are more common and intense. Colds are more likely to produce a runny nose, and do not result in serious health problems.

In an effort to prevent germs on your hands from spreading to others, it becomes very important that you wash your hands after shaking hands, caring for someone who is sick, blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and warm water are not convenient to use, an alcohol based hand sanitizer can be used. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds — hum “Jesus Loves Me” — before rinsing under running water. Dry your hands with a clean towel or air dry them.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/coldflu.htm;   http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/is-it-a-cold-or-flu; http://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html

I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting… (1 Timothy 2:8)

May you have a healthy and happy time of celebrating Christ’s birth,