Avoiding germs?

[ShayBells]

I'm hoping this question falls under "strategies."

The last thing I want is for me or DS to get sick on this upcoming trip. I've heard good things about Airborne but am unsure how it works. Do you just use it while you are there or before or start it how long before and keep it up throughout your vacation?

If you use airborne what kind do you get and what is your "strategy" for using it?

 

[Alesia]

Airborne is a huge waste of money. It is completely ineffective.

What is effective is washing your hands (with soap and water, not hand sanitizer) regularly and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Being a germophobe is one of the best ways to get sick. Seriously.

 

[bumbershoot]

The original research about vitamin C involved very large doses. Airborne and Emergen-c don't have those very high doses. My mom had us on very high doses and it seemed to help, but I was nauseated all the time from all the vitamins all the time.

Wash your hands. Often. Keep your hands out of your face. Eat good, healthy foods. Don't let vacation = treating your body like junk. Sleep. Hydrate. Take very high doses of C if you would like. And wash your hands some more.

 

[kmb584]

Airborne is a huge waste of money. It is completely ineffective.

What is effective is washing your hands (with soap and water, not hand sanitizer) regularly and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Being a germophobe is one of the best ways to get sick. Seriously.

This.

 

[scrapquitler]

The number one best way to avoid germs is to wash your hands OFTEN and avoid touching your face.

Sleep enough, eat right also help.

 

[Alesia]

The original research about vitamin C involved very large doses. Airborne and Emergen-c don't have those very high doses. My mom had us on very high doses and it seemed to help, but I was nauseated all the time from all the vitamins all the time.

Wash your hands. Often. Keep your hands out of your face. Eat good, healthy foods. Don't let vacation = treating your body like junk. Sleep. Hydrate. Take very high doses of C if you would like. And wash your hands some more.

Keep in mind that high doses of vitamin C cause stomach upset and cramps. Also diarrhea, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and gut blockage.

 

[StarWarsJez]

Airborne is a huge waste of money. It is completely ineffective.

What is effective is washing your hands (with soap and water, not hand sanitizer) regularly and maintaining a healthy immune system.

Being a germophobe is one of the best ways to get sick. Seriously.

One of the most intelligent posts I've read on this forum for a long time. The only thing I'd add is SLEEP - don't stress yourself out in advance of your trip and ensure you get plenty of restful sleep!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Being a germophobe is one of the best ways to get sick. Seriously.

Being a germaphobe might make you miserable but it doesn't actually make you sick.

 

[ArwenMarie]

When we fly, I wipe the armrests and tray tables when we get on the plane with Wet Ones or Clorox Wipes. I think a lot of the illnesses people pick up at WDW are actually from the flight.
We use Purell after every ride where you are touching handlebars where hundreds of people have touched. Ditto for the finger scan at the gates.
We use WetOnes for our hands before we eat.
And of course washing hands with soap and water as often as possible.
We've taught the kids not to drag your hands along handrails and stuff where it's not necessary.
That's about it!

We don't do any Airborne-type stuff.

 

[Lavitz]

Keep in mind that high doses of vitamin C cause stomach upset and cramps. Also diarrhea, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and gut blockage.

For what it's worth I hate taking meds so when I feel a cold or something coming around, or others have it, I OD on OJ and other vitamin C rich fruits. It usually works, though if it works because the vitamin C is actually doing something or my body just thinks it's doing something I'm not sure. And I never get any of those side effects.

 

[Alesia]

Being a germaphobe might make you miserable but it doesn't actually make you sick.

But it does cause you to do things that weaken your immune system, such as disinfecting everything.

 

[Alesia]

For what it's worth I hate taking meds so when I feel a cold or something coming around, or others have it, I OD on OJ and other vitamin C rich fruits. It usually works, though if it works because the vitamin C is actually doing something or my body just thinks it's doing something I'm not sure. And I never get any of those side effects.

You're not taking high doses.

 

[ArwenMarie]

But it does cause you to do things that weaken your immune system, such as disinfecting everything.

Then why wash your hands at all at WDW? (other than after the bathroom)

 

[jec6613]

Being a germaphobe might make you miserable but it doesn't actually make you sick.

It actually can - over-use of hand sanitizer kills not only the bacteria that make you sick, but also the bacteria that are normally on your skin and keep it healthy. Symbiotic bacteria in your body actually outnumber your own cells, and are extremely important to keeping you healthy.

Right now I'm on high dose of pretty potent antibiotics, and trust me, I'm miserable, they're wrecking all sorts of havoc through my entire body, especially in my GI tract, skin, and muscles. It's taking care of the infection I got, which had it gone untreated would have become life threatening and instead remained localized and is now almost entirely gone, but I'm pretty miserable right now.

Then why wash your hands at all at WDW? (other than after the bathroom)

Washing with soap and water doesn't kill everything on and in your skin, just things on the surface you picked up recently. It's the anti-bacterial nastiness that is a scorched earth policy. Believe it or not, one of the most sanitary things in a bathroom besides the soap is actually urine.

 

[Alesia]

Then why wash your hands at all at WDW? (other than after the bathroom)

Washing your hands with soap and water is far different than disinfecting everything. Overuse of disinfectants interferes with your intestinal flora. hand washing does not.

 

[ArwenMarie]

It actually can - over-use of hand sanitizer kills not only the bacteria that make you sick, but also the bacteria that are normally on your skin and keep it healthy. Symbiotic bacteria in your body actually outnumber your own cells, and are extremely important to keeping you healthy.

Right now I'm on high dose of pretty potent antibiotics, and trust me, I'm miserable, they're wrecking all sorts of havoc through my entire body, especially in my GI tract, skin, and muscles. It's taking care of the infection I got, which had it gone untreated would have become life threatening and instead remained localized and is now almost entirely gone, but I'm pretty miserable right now.

Washing with soap and water doesn't kill everything on and in your skin, just things on the surface you picked up recently. It's the anti-bacterial nastiness that is a scorched earth policy. Believe it or not, one of the most sanitary things in a bathroom besides the soap is actually urine.

Actually, refillable soap dispensers in public bathrooms can deposit more bacteria on your hands.

http://news.discovery.com/human/health/soap-bacteria-clean-110506.htm

 

[ArwenMarie]

Washing your hands with soap and water is far different than disinfecting everything. Overuse of disinfectants interferes with your intestinal flora. hand washing does not.

Hand sanitizer for a few days at WDW does not disrupt your intestinal flora.

Anyway, you keep doing your thing and I'll keep doing mine

 

[LoveThatMouse!]

My children probably heard 'Don't touch the handrails' thousands of times from me.
To this day, (and they are all grown)...when we're traveling as a family and we hit an escalator or a flight of stairs, I will hear one of them say,
'Don't touch the handrails...' haha

 

[Alesia]

Hand sanitizer for a few days at WDW does not disrupt your intestinal flora.

No it doesn't. but disinfecting everything in sight every single day of your life (which is what I was talking about) does.

 

[cdnjason]

Bring this with you:

http://www.amazon.com/PURELL-Hand-S...87&sr=8-1&keywords=hand+sanitizer+travel+size