Working in healthcare I frequently see the ramifications of poor handwashing. It is the culprit of many infectious disease outbreaks, and reinforced to healthcare workers on a daily basis. I often wonder these days when I go into restaurants or obtain prepared food from another source as to if the person preparing the food washed their hands? It’s not always a pleasant thought prior to eating.

Seeing videos like this also make me wonder what might happen to my food before it arrives for me to eat:

I wonder if that’s ever happened to my pizza en route to being delivered to my home? Did they wash the tomatoes prior to chopping them up? Wash the lid of the cans of ingredients prior to opening? All these little grotesque things that could have been missed prior to my consuming this otherwise tasty meal.

Flu season is going into full swing, and it’s a good time to start thinking about these things. But most of all, what are you doing to protect yourself and others? Are you washing your hands prior to food handling and preparation? How about after going through that drive-thru and handling the dirty money?

You can lose your appetite just thinking about it. Maybe it can be a way to lose weight in ‘09!

I don’t know about you, but there are some things that just really get under my skin. Some of these are misconceptions that people believe to be true, others may be common grammatical errors, and others may be just annoyances in general. Below are ten of these things-with the facts included. You might learn something-or maybe you have some of your own to add to the list! Enjoy.

1. There is no such thing as the “stomach flu.” It irks me when people say someone “has the flu,” just to find out that it’s really a gastrointestinal illness. The flu, or rather, influenza, is a contagious respiratory illness that can lead to fatal complications. Find out more from the CDC here: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/index.htm

2. Stop blaming your Thanksgiving sleepiness on the turkey. You’ve probably heard this many times-that the L-tryptophan that is contained in turkey is what makes people sleepy after a Thanksgiving meal. Buzz! Wrong answer! The sleepiness is due to the “usual suspects” of food, such as carbohydrates, fats, and overeating in general. But if you like to exist in a state of denial, go ahead and blame the turkey, anyway. http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidaysseasons/a/tiredturkey.htm

3. You do not catch the common cold by exposure to cold or dampness. The common cold is caused by a virus – the rhinovirus. http://www.commoncold.org/

4. Vegetarians do not eat chicken. Eating chicken as your only meat, therefore, does not make you a vegetarian You may be a “Flexitarian” or “Semi-Vegetarian” instead. Vegetarians are classified as lacto-ovo (eat eggs and dairy products), lacto- (eat dairy products but no eggs), or ovo- (eat eggs but no dairy products). No animal products beyond eggs and/or dairy products are consumed.

5. Storm “watches” mean that conditions are favorable for producing that type of storm. They are not something to panic about, but just to be aware and prepared just in case the storm develops. Storm “warnings” mean that there has been that type of storm spotted, and to take appropriate measures for your safety. So please, don’t get your panties in a wad when you hear the term “watch.” Use some common sense.

6. This Book of the Bible – Hosea – is not pronounced HOE-SAY. It is HOE-SAY-UH!! You need to pronounce the “a” at the end. Hosea was not some Hispanic dude, people.

7. You cannot “might could” do something. You “could” do something, but leave the “might” part out. Example: “I might could go to the store” should read, “I could go to the store.” Save yourself the extra word. You might need it for something more appropriate later on.

8. “Vitamin Water” is not a healthy drink. First, the only vitamins it contains are B-complex and C, because they are water soluble (most vitamins are fat soluble). Your daily intake of these vitamins is likely already sufficient. Second, it contains an artificial sugar, crystalline fructose. It’s closer to a soft drink than a health drink. So don’t go waving your “health food” in my face-if you do, the joke’s on you. http://scienceline.org/2007/12/03/ask-intagliata-vitaminwater/ - PS: did you know that Glaceau, the maker of Vitamin Water, is a subsidiary of Coca-Cola? Yep.

9. Southern Illinois is south of Springfield. Chicagoans please note: Kankakee is in Northern Illinois; Peoria is in Central Illinois. When I say I’m from Southern Illinois, please do not insult me by suggesting I am from one of those places. For those who need a map: http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/states/illinois/

10. Always seek the truth. People often spend too much time listening to opinion and speculation, and not enough time separating out the facts. Use critical thinking-don’t let someone else do your thinking for you. Everyone has bias, and some more than others. Turn off the “talking heads,” read a newspaper instead, and underline the FACTS presented. Hopefully what they have stated as fact is just that-but you can’t trust all news sources. So keep an open mind-and remember that all are innocent until proven guilty.

Update:

 Here’s another, courtesy of @sparkyfirepants:

It’s not “butt” naked, it’s buck naked. Chris Rock was wrong.