How do You stay healthy?

[ducklite]

I believe we use too many antibiotics (and in the US are beyond over exposed to the due to the way out food supply works--unless one maintains an organic diet). I'm not one to seek antibiotics for any little sniffle, but there are times where they are indicated--strep throat, sinus infections, etc.

 

As far as hand washing goes, I wash before meals, before preparing food, after preparing food with meat, raw egg, etc. Obviously if I make a cup of tea I don't necessarily wash hands. If I walk the dogs and pick up the poop, I wash hands. If they just do pee I don't. I wash after using the toilet, and any time I might have gotten some sort of icky on my hands.

 

I do not sneeze into my hands, so don't wash after sneezing. I usually pull my shirt up over my nose and sneeze into my chest. Much better for everyone around.

 

I don't use hand sanitizer unless I am in a situation where washing after going to the bathroom or before eating isn't possible (using an outhouse for example). I will also use it if I am at a convention or something and shaking hundreds of hands every day. I use less than an ounce a year, so that tells you how seldom I use it. I also don't use antibacterial soap.

 

Personally the #1 illness on cruise ships is Noro, and the #1 way to prevent it is with scrupulous hand washing. Not the rinse once method I see for to often, but real hand washing. Wet hands. Apply soap. Bring to a lather, then sing Happy birthday or count to 60. Rinse thoroughly. If everyone did this every time they used the rest room, the risk of norovirus would diminish by 90%.

 

According to my husband, over half of all men use the urinal and leave the bathroom without washing. Think about how quick someone is when they enter and then leave a bathroom, and if there was any way possible that they washed their hands. The answer is far too often, "no."

 

If I see someone leaving without washing I call them out on it with an "Aren't forgetting something?" Yes, my intention is to shame them while at the same time keep all of us healthier.

[pris993]

All the suggestions here are great, we do many of them and stay healthy 90% of the time. Just came back, in spite of best efforts came down with a nasty sore throat that I could not get rid for more than 10 days, finally went on antibiotics. So regardless, still can get sick. Don't stress about it and 90% of the time you will stay healthy.

[PinkUK]

We are discussing staying healthy on a cruise ship - populated with people from all over, many of whom were recently on airplanes: an ideal situation for passing on viral infections. Frequent handWashing and trying to avoid touching contaminated surfaces is not obsessive in that context - it is simply common sense. The frequency of noro outbreaks on ships just shows the common sense necessity of adopting stricter than usual hygiene measures. A cruise ship is not the place to toughen your immune system by exposing it to whatever is out there.

 

You asked "How does keeping clean weaken your immune system?" This is the question I attempted to address. It is usual for me to wash my hands after I visit the toilet and prior to preparing or eating food, I find this to be sufficient to keep healthy on a cruise ship; if you are inclined to bite your nails it would be wise to avoid doing so. If this is more 'strict' than your usual hygiene routine then I would agree you would be well advised to adopt a more strict regimen while cruising. :)

[MrsPete]

Call me old fashioned but I think all the extremes of keeping clean and sanitized can lead to a weakened immune system. Of course wash your hands before and after food prep/coughing and eating but thats about it.

 

The best way to stay healthy is build up your immune system by eating right, taking supplements if desired and not sectioning yourself off from every breath and hand print/sneeze that is in your area.

 

My teaching procession means I work with little ones that likely hardly wash their hands, sneeze without covering their mouth and dribble over each other. My first year of teaching I had time off but since then my immune system is like an ox with the things that fly around.

 

In essence....a healthy regime and a bit of sniffle exposure is the key. ;)

I agree with you . . . For everyday life. However, I do think some extra precautions are reasonable when you're on vacation:

 

1. If I get sick at home, I have a full medicine cabinet at the ready, and if I am a bit under the weather, I can go to bed early and take it easy for a few days. But I don't want to lose vacation time!

 

2. On vacation we are living in a more crowded location, closer to more people and more germs. It does make sense to use some caution that we wouldn't use at home. That is, to wash hands more frequently, to use hand sanitized (though it isn't really a healthy habit), to up your water intake.

 

3. Also, don't let your good habits slide on vacation. Don't skip your vegetables, don't drink to excess, don't be a couch potato.

 

What we do in a single week doesn't necessarily mirror how we live the rest of the year.

Edited May 18, 2014 by MrsPete

[Jane2357]

I found it interesting that while my husband and I drove to the port - no nasty airline air - did most of the same activities, kept the same schedule - by day 7/8 I was getting ill and he never caught it.

 

The ship did have a small noro out break during this time and they were using very strong chemicals around the ship, even spraying in the hallways. I've wondered if I could have had a reaction to that. Started with a slight tickle in my throat, then a slight sore throat and then into full blown coughing fits that came on with no warning. The ship Dr also gave me prednisone which only made my chest burn so badly that I almost pasted out. I was also never confined to my cabin so they weren't worried about it spreading.

 

I have another 14 night cruise booked and will be traveling for about 18 nights with a several long flights involved. I do pack most over the counter meds and will have the antibiotics too but would not take those without first consulting a Dr. I'm just going to chalk it up to bad luck getting sick the last time and take every precaution that I can this next go round.

[ducklite]

I've never gotten sick on a cruise (aside from motion sickness which went away as soon as the weather and seas began to cooperate). I have gotten sick on land based trips. I caught influenza at Disney World. It is the only possible place given the incubation period--I became symptomatic 18 hours after returning home. I caught pneumonia in Napa, and can even pinpoint who gave it to me. grrr... I caught Noro at home. I most likely picked it up from someone at work.

 

My husband had a bad head cold on out B2B, but given the timing, he wasn't exposed to it on the plane, but possibly on the cruise or more likely in one of the ports. A trip to a pharmacy in Kotor for some nasal spray and decongestant/cough syrup (we think, it was all written I a language that we still aren't sure which one) got him fixed up and feeling better within 24 hours.