LMS Health Tip Friday: Surgical Masks & Kissing

That's right kids! It's Health Tip Friday here at Little Merry Sunshine! You didn't know we had Health Tip Friday, did you? Well, as of today, we do!

As you probably know, Swine Flu (aka H1N1) is all the rage and not in a good way. You may have thought that no one cared about it anymore because the media coverage has died down a bit, but you'd be wrong. Swine Flu is about to be back and more vicious than ever, so now, in addition to thoroughly washing your hands on a regular basis, the good folks at the Centers for Disease Control have some new advice for you:

Always Wear a Surgical Mask While Kissing

Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt demonstrate how you can still be romantic while wearing surgical masks.

Seriously.

Now you and I both know that this possibly takes some of the fun out of tonsil hockey, but it's for your own good and it will require you to be a little more creative. So just do it. I'm going to.

You should also avoid sharing eating utensils with sick friends - whether they're wearing a surgical mask or not.

I can't help but wonder, if preventing the spread of potentially deadly germs is important, wouldn't placing a condom on your tongue or a dental dam be more effective than what is essentially a two-ply paper towel?

PSA: How to Properly Wash Your Hands

A lot has been made about washing our hands this week in light of the Swine Flu (aka H1N1). President Obama has told us repeatedly to wash our hands as a way to reduce germs. Newscasters keep screaming it at us.

Because I want each of you to remain healthy and reading my blog for years to come, I'm hereby suspending today's regularly scheduled post and providing you with this Public Service Announcement: How to Properly Wash Your Hands.



Now that you've learned how to wash your hands, I'd like to say a few words . . .

1. I'm concerned about the vast amount of water that is being wasted in this video. In my own house, I try to turn off the water when soaping up my hands, but when I'm in public, I try to touch the faucet (or anything else) as little as possible.

2. The narrator says that you should use your paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the bathroom door. Good ideas. I do this in public. However, after she uses her paper towel to turn off the faucet, she again wipes her hands with it. Ick. Again, paper towels are bad for the environment. At my house, I use cloth towels, but in public I absolutely want paper towels.

Balancing what's good for the environment and what will keep me healthy is quite the balance. I want to help the environment and do what's right, but I also don't want to touch dirty surfaces. Does that make me a little OCD?

How do you handle this conundrum?