It may be as simple as washing your hands

Not that I don't agree with the concept of washing your hands, but your generalization about getting sick because of it is quite inaccurate. Yes, you can get sick more frequently ... but it's a very low cause of constant colds. Diet is the biggest factor, mainly because it affects how your immune system reacts to virus infections. A person who digests less iron, vitamin D and vitamin C is going to get sick more often than someone who does. Genetics plays a large part, as well. I have a crappy immune system, I always have. I get every cold that wanders around, regardless of how much vitamin C or vitamin supplements I take. My son is much the same way, at 12 years old he already is prone to picking up every cold or flu that's going around. Cold infections are highly contagious, and there are over 100 basic strains that travel around continuously, each mutating into a different strain as it travels. So catching it simply by leaving your house is pretty much a certainty. Then it's a simple matter of how your body deals with it. Then you get into the soap .... bar soap is a breeding ground for germs. Even if you wash your hands, face and whatnot religously ... if you're doing it with bar soap, you're defeating the purpose. Liquid anti-bacterial soap is much healthier and doesn't retain old germs and bacteria. Other high risk aspects to how often a person catches a cold or a flu is public telephones, sharing drinking glasses, stairwell handrails & doorknobs. And of course, smoking increases your chance of susceptability.

I always wash my hands after using the restroom and before I start preparing meals. But no matter how careful a person is there is still a possibility of catching some sort of illness whether by touching something or from it being airborne, or through water consumption. And like what was stated before it really has to do how strong a person's immune system on how often they are getting sick. Although I watch my diet, take my vitamins everyday, wash my hands and use filters that filter germs and what not out of the air in my home I still find myself getting sick a lot because my immune system is cruddy. But even though there is a possibility of me getting sick everytime I step out the door, I don't let germs take over every aspect of my life. Getting sick is a part of life and we all have to face it at some point no matter what precautions we take.

I am this way too, I can not stand people who do not wash their hands, I am trying to instill it into my son as well. I feel that getting a cold or such is a warning to people who don't wash their hands that they need to. My husband says I am over protective because I keep hand sanitizer in my person and sanitizing wipes in my car and use them and make my son use them all the time, after touching anything public, going to walmart ect because there are so many sick people out there and germs everywhere.

first of all, i don't think not washing your hand is the only reason why you get sick... there are other reasons such as lack of sleep, poor diet, etc that can make your body susceptible to viruses and bacterias... yes, i believe that people who do not wash their hands after using the restroom is disgusting... but you just can't judge based on that factor alone the reason they get sick... secondly, i always try my best to wash my hands whenever i can... it is mandatory especially if you are going to touch food... it is for health reason...

Washing your hands will definitely help you from getting ill sometimes, though it will take more than that to be or stay healthy. I always wash my hands after using the restroom and never skip that. I think it is disgusting for someone not to wash their hands after using the restroom or even the kitchen faucet. I also wash after having a meal as well.

I agree with you for the most part. Though, in public restrooms, I wonder if you're not better off not washing, and trying desperately not to touch anything on the way out. The handles on everything are far more contaminated that most people know.

Yes i hate it to.. and i wonder how many out there in deli's, or restraunts really do. thats kinda gross if you really think of it.. But i as a worker of a deli would always was my hands after each order.. I couldn't go with out it.. so now at home i am the same way. As i am cooking i am always washing my hands.. Yes i believe its mandatory for workers to wash their hands.. but i don'think they stand their and watch them do it.. so how do they know they really did..thats pretty gross

oh my god, you are right... i also noticed that expecially men do not wash their hands after using toilets...it is a disgusting thing. when people shake my hand, after some minute I must run to the bathroom to wash it. i agree with you! i wash my hands about 10 times in a day...or more.. it depends on the situations!

I do belive that u havea point HOWEVER I am one of those who washes my hands a million times a day, just because I am afraid of germs, but is till get sick all the time... My Imunsystem just sucks, so there can be alot of different reasons - not just the obvious!

It always amazes me the amount of people that don't wash their hands in public restrooms. That is so gross, especially at a restaurant. I mean, really, it takes all of a few seconds to wash your hands and it might save you a week or more of being sick or getting others sick.

thanks for the advise and in addition drink clean water and you will stay away from disease .but vulnerability to diseases is also individualistic and depends a lot on your fitness level.daily excercise and eating good food can work wonders and thats what the doctor orders for each one of us.

Im agrre with you. Some germs astay alive on our hands for up to three hours and in that time they can spread to all the things we touch including food and other people. So wash your hands regularily throughout the day and specially at these time: Preparing food eating Caring for the sick: changing dressing, giving medicines Looking after babies or the elderly Starting work:specially if you are a food handler or health professional. Putting in contact lenses

Good topic here! I love the title alone! I can consider my dad as someone like you too, a germaphobe. He always, always washes his hands. He washes his hands too much it makes his skin break! He's very very clean. My mom is a clean person too but he exceeded her. And he's the guy here! Anyways, he thought all of us that its also as simple as washing hands often. You'll be saving your life countless times if you do that.

I agree with you. A person should wash their hands frequently throughout the day. Any door knob, shopping cart, hand rail, etc. that you touch can get you sick if someone else who is sick also touched it prior to that. The second thing to do is to try not to touch your face at all. It's through your eyes, nose, and mouth that the germs or bacteria cause colds, flus, etc. There is also a new campaign for people who have to suddenly sneeze to sneeze into the crook of their elbow instead of putting your hand over you mouth. Because if you sneeze into your hand you inevitably touch something else and it spreads to someone else.

I alway wash my hand I can stand having a feeling of dirty hand I always carry wipe with me. But I do have to tell you my youngest son is a freak about his hands and he get sick quit a bit so I think there is a bit more to it then just clean hands. Germ are being passed around all over the place.

I never used to be that fanatic about hand washing, until I had a baby. Now I have things of antibac liquid soap next to each basin, including the kitchen sink. Something that really bugs me, though, is what to do re public toilets??! I generally find that the tap handles in public toilets are FILTHY - and you have to turn them off of course after washing your hands - which in most cases will make your hands MUCH more germy than the actual going to the toilet did! What do people do here? Any suggestions?!

I always wash my hands after I go to the bathroom but you can still get sick from something you inhale if you are near a sick person.

I agree with 100% I always make sure to wash my hands after I use the bathroom. I don't see how people don't wash them, that's just sick! At my friends' apartment, they never have soap (because they are lazy boys) and it always makes me mad because I want to wash my hands after I use the bathroom, so now I always keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse.

I'm pretty big on handwashing, but I don't think I'm quite as obsessed with it as you are. I wash my hands after going to the bathroom, changing my son's diapers, any of that sort of thing. Also touching money. I work at a bank, and money is just disgusting. At work there are little bottles of hand sanitizer at every teller window, so we can all use it before we do things like grabbing a snack. I do get sick a lot anyway. I have a very bad immune system because of health problems that started before I was even born because of my mother's lifestyle while pregnant with me. But I like to think I'm healthier than I would be if I didn't take good care of myself.

Are you saying that I'm dirty because I'm ill a lot? I wash my hands after every use of the toilet, I wash my hands before and after preparing food and when I have done any gardening and after other things when my hands would get dirty. I happen to have a lowered immune system...maybe your friends do as well.