The prevention of the spread of disease is important. Lately in the news there have been stories saying we should stop shaking hands to prevent disease. For doctors, wearing ties is out, and coats is of serious question. Sterile technique for any procedure is a major ritual. In reality, are we going a bit crazy with our fear of germs? The answer is probably yes, but we do need to use some common sense.
Our bodies depend on bacteria to maintain our health. The mouth and colon are filled with bacteria that digest our food and are essential to us getting the right nutrition. The skin has bacteria all over it, which prevents the wrong bacteria from taking hold. We use yeast to create food and drink for us daily.
There are microorganisms that help us live, and others that make us sick. If we live in a germ-free bubble, the body never learns to distinguish good and bad, and the immune system in our bodies becomes unable to fight the correct germs. The best example is our ability to fight the flu virus. Children are much more prone to get sick from the flu every year since they have not had exposure to these viruses and the body has no antibodies to fight the virus. Older adults have developed antibodies to many strains of the flu and often do not get sick from the various strains spreading every year.
Hand Washing and Bacteria
Healthy people will have a variety of germs on their hands. Touching another person or shaking their hand should not be an issue. As a physician, washing hands between patients is logical, especially if treating sick people who may have contagious problems. Treating healthy people with pain problems, or many other problems like high blood pressure or high cholesterol, should not be an issue of spreading disease.
In the past, physicians that touched their patients – categorized as hands-on doctors – were found to be the best liked and most successful healers. For a physician, washing hands in-between patients makes sense to prevent the accidental spread of unknown infections. Shaking a patient’s hand and touching a patient allows one to establish a good relationship and do a good exam. The body can handle normal germs in the environment and our immune system is geared with this ability. Recognizing the conditions when contamination can occur and preventing those issues is the important message. If you are healthy, the body should be able to control most common germs and it is okay to shake a person’s hand and not panic.