Re: hand santizers

We have a Purell (alcohol based) hand sanitizer dispenser on the wall at work. We handle a lot of money and our hands get very dirty. I happened to read on the Purell container that it 'only kills bacteria on clean hands'.

I am assuming that means if your hands are covered with dirt, fish guts or rabbit blood, you need to clean them pretty thoroughly BEFORE you rely on the Purell.

Sue

Wow. Well that's cool to know.

Leaves an interesting gap as to 'what to use'? ... I guess just some form of disinfecting soap.

You don't need anything fancy. A travel sized bar of Ivory will kill pretty much everything, with Purell picking off the survivors, and it lasts forever.

Oh, and if you use Purell gel, don't get the stuff with aloe. The plain stuff burns real well, the kind with aloe not so well. The stuff in the Purell wipes doesn't burn period.

I'd have replied sooner, but I was in the process of moving.

Yeah, that's a good call. I prefer dial for soap though. At least I have a full year to consider what to get before I build a supplement!

I heard that too Izzy, but it was several years ago.... that being that sanitizers actually kill the bacteria produced by your own body to kill foreign bacteria.

So... while on a trip with my agency in 2004, we had a nursing staff come in to do basic physicals on us. I asked each one (there were three, one was an MD) and they said they had never heard of this. The MD theorized that it had merit, however, the problem is that:
bacteria on our hands can be ingested before our natural bacteria can get to it, let alone kill it. The theory behind washing our hands with (lye) is sound: get rid of the bacteria-carrying dirt before we ingest it. The theory of anti-bacterial follow-up (i.e. Purell) is a fail-safe: kill any bacteria that remains. The fact that our own bacteria (that produced by our body) is killed is inconsequential... our bodies will simply produce more.

Sorry to get so carried away but, taking this a step further, someone could argue:
1. If our bodies produce anti-bacterial bacterium, and we ingest a harmful bacteria, won't they kill it inside of us as well as on our hands? I say no but I'm no MD (or nurse, or anything else). Why not? Because we get colds, flues, etc.

2. If we use anti-bacterial soaps and end up destroying our own "good" bacteria and the bad, won;t our bodies stop producing it? I say no but I'm no MD (or nurse, or anything else). Why not? Because we are ever-producing this stuff, at all times, not just when there is foreign bacteria present.

Look, I don;t think you're going to see hospitals get rid of these anti-bacterial soaps, lotions, and gels. And even if they do, they'll be back to using it a few years later, just as we return to all basics after our societal lunatics convince us to abandon this or that.

No, I'm not saying the study is lunacy. It makes sense: Wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap and you're probably going to kill good bacteria secreted from our own body.

In the end, if you wash your hands with soap and water, often, just like Mom and Dad said to, you'll be fine. If you follow-up (occassionally) with some anti-bacterial solution because of some weird juju you just touched, you'll be fine. This is my theory.... for what it's worth.

This link redirects to the Chamber of Commerce?

Odd. I went back and clicked it and it worked fine for me. Maybe it was a temporary site-related issue?

Great job garland!!! I think your gifts will be much appreciated and I hope you get to see the fruit of your labor.

I, too, gave similar gifts to my friends and family for Christmas. I gave Doug's PSK's BUT I didn't go as far as you did with the instructions, etc. Wish I had thought of it though. It's given me the inspiration to put together something similar and send it out this month. Hopefully it will act as a friendly reminder for them to get the kit out and do some study and add to it.

Thanks very much. I put the kit together for about 65-85/kit. I probably could have spent much more but funds were not permitting. As it is, my family has at least played with it but my older sister has gone to town. She's been testing everything in the kit, so I've been busy answering her questions. Already she's added tampons, peppermint candy, sugar, salt, etc..

I've advised her I'll create a supplement for next year but told her what it would include:
Travel bar of dial soap
Electrolyte powder mix
Water rations
200sht "camping" rolls of toilet paper.

She will likely add this stuff on her own though. I'll post pictures of the kits once I find my digital camera.

How come it says file does not exist? Is there a new link?