Producer/Host: Rhonda Feiman
Production Assistance: Petra Hall
Studio Engineer: John Greenman
To (Hand)Shake or Not to Shake…? That is the question (and more) which host Rhonda Feiman explores with Dr. Miryam Wahrman, author of The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World.
Key Discussion Points:
a) What role does the immune system play in keeping us healthy, and how can we stay healthy in a “germ-filled world”?
b) Won’t our immune system take care of any infectious germs we are exposed to, and why should we wash our hands, when we have an immune system?
c) Just why IS hand washing so important, and what is the best technique for hand washing?
d) Do alcohol wipes or hand sanitizers work? Do we need hand sanitizers with anti-microbial additives?
e) Should we use anti-bacterial agents?
f) What are the risks we face when visiting a healthcare facility? What should health care providers do, to better protect themselves and their clients- and why should you not be shaking your doctor’s hands (and substitute a bow or a fist bump instead!)?
Guest:
Miryam Wahrman, Professor of Biology at William Paterson University and author of The Hand Book: Surviving in a Germ-Filled World.
The Hand Book makes the case for hand washing as a vital means to reduce the risk of infectious disease, and presents the history, religious and cultural roots of hand washing, how scientists discovered that germs cause disease, and the science behind hand hygiene. It also exposes the shocking truth that many people – including healthcare workers- do not wash properly. Professor Wahrman offers tips to improve hygiene to stay healthier at home, work, school and, most importantly, in healthcare facilities where poor hygiene can be deadly.
FMI: facebook.com/SafeHandsBook/