Author Archives: Steven Cheema

Is Hand-Sanitizer Helpful or Is It Just Causing You Harm?

Posted on November 4, 2013 | 3 comments

Flu Season. Image Source: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/143/f/d/changing_seasons_by_laurynduerr-d66adh8.jpg

With the weather changing from the gorgeous sunny days to the dark and grey rainy days, people do just about anything to avoid contracting the flu. Some people go as far as getting a flu shot every year, whereas other people just do basic stuff such a layering on the clothes before going out. One common thing that most people do is use hand-sanitizers to kill off the bacteria and viruses they contract during their everyday routine such as opening doors, using transit, and using the elevator, but is using hand-sanitizer really as helpful and as harmless as you think it is? I’ll fill you in on the two main types which are triclosan-containing and alcohol-based sanitizers.

Normal Hand-Sanitizer. Image Source: Flickr

Triclosan is the main anti-bacterial ingredient used in hand-sanitizers that do not contain alcohol. Based on the study conducted at the University of Michigan, it is shown that it does not reduce illness and infections and is not even used in hospitals in the US and Europe. Furthermore, triclosan does not protect against viruses, which is the main factor that contributes to the flu. Triclosan is also found to be harmful in animal studies, which show a decrease in muscle strength and also causes harm to the immune system. Verdict? Skip using these, they have no better effect than just washing your hands with soap and water.

On the other hand, alcohol-based sanitizers are pretty good germ killers. They are used on cruise ships to reduce the outbreak of sickness but there is still a downside in using these. Alcohol-based sanitizers cannot break through dirt, which means that if your hands are dirty, the bacteria will not be killed. Verdict? Alcohol-based sanitizers are a good alternative to soap and water when there is no sink near by, but using soap and water is still the way to go.

Washing your hands with soap and water is still the most effective way to reduce the spread of germs during the flu season. Here is a short video on how to properly wash your hands to avoid contracting the flu.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/16/health/hand-sanitizer-toxic-upwave/index.html?hpt=he_bn3

3 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement

Tagged Flu, health, Influenza, Sanitizer

Is exercising with a cold harmful?

Posted on October 15, 2013 | 2 comments

As the seasons change from summer to fall, the first thing that usually happens is the decrease in temperature which then leads to people getting the common cold. The common cold is usually just a neck cold, which in other words is a runny nose, clogged sinuses and a mild headache. People with the common cold are told that the best cure for it is rest so that the immune system is at its best, but what about those people that cannot rest and feel they need to be in the gym? I can help with that.

image source: flickr

Some of the best exercises to do when you have a cold are walking, jogging, Qi gong, yoga and dance. Walking and jogging are considered to be good exercises because they are fairly low intensity, which means that it will not put much stress on your body, allowing your immune system to function at a high rate, and it clears your head while breaking a sweat. Qigong is an exercise that is a cross between martial arts and yoga that enhances the blood flow in your body and permits the immune system to be working at a high standard. Dance is also low impact and it lowers the cortisol levels in the body, which then will let the immune system to work at a greater level.

image source: flickr

The worst exercises to do when you have a cold are endurance running, lifting weights, using machines at the gym, and team sports. Endurance running and lifting weights are bad because they are high intensity exercises and require a lot of your body’s resources to do these exercises, which leads to the decrease in energy put towards the immune system. Using machines at the gym and team sport are not good because these just influence the spread of the cold.

Having a cold is not a good enough excuse for sitting on the couch and watching the TV, so get out of bed and go for a walk or a jog to clear your head, but avoid going to the gym so that you are not the reason that everyone in the gym is sick. Here are a couple of simple yoga poses to help with your cold.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/10/health/exercising-with-cold-flu/index.html?hpt=he_t3

2 Comments

Posted in Science Communication, Uncategorized

Tagged cold, exercise, health

To Throw Away Or To Not Throw Away?

Posted on September 22, 2013 | 2 comments

Is the milk unsafe or just past the peak freshness? credit to info.abcr.com

Have you ever opened the fridge, looked at the expiration date on the milk and realized that it has past? First thought that probably goes through your head is that the milk has gone sour and it needs to be thrown out, but does it?

A study was recently published by TIME magazine that stated that consumers are prematurely throwing away food because of the confusion of what the use by dates actually mean. According to the Natural Resources Food Council and Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic, consumers mistakenly take the expiration date as a safety guide, when in reality the expiration dates on food are only used to indicate when the farmers think that the food will be at its peak quality. Furthermore, the expiry dates on food are not related to any food poisoning, which means that once the date has passed, it does not mean that the food is inedible. For example, a carton of eggs may have an expiry date that lasts a week after purchase, when in fact they can be consumed for up to five weeks after purchase. According to this new study, 90 percent of Americans throw away food because of this misconception.

Wasted food due to miscommunication of expiry date credit to www.myessentia.com

Now I thought to myself, “How many times have I spilled milk down the sink just because the label said it was expired?” and to answer my own question, too many times. To combat this misconception, I think it would be a far stretch to completely eliminate the use by dates, and the authors of this article agree.

The way that the authors of this article think that this problem could be resolved is to have a country wide standard as to how the food dating system should be. This would involve standard dates and wording that is used to help all Americans understand that this date is about quality, not safety. I think that this would be a strong step toward eliminating the millions of pounds of edible food that are thrown away just because of miscommunication.

Here are a couple of tips to help you decide whether the food past the expiration date is safe to consume.

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/19/health/sell-by-dates-waste-food/index.html?hpt=he_t2

2 Comments

Posted in Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged Best Before, Expiration Date, Safety

Author Archives: Steven Cheema

Is Hand-Sanitizer Helpful or Is It Just Causing You Harm?

Is exercising with a cold harmful?

To Throw Away Or To Not Throw Away?

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Author Archives: Steven Cheema

Is Hand-Sanitizer Helpful or Is It Just Causing You Harm?

Is exercising with a cold harmful?

To Throw Away Or To Not Throw Away?

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