Hand washing is one of the simple and best ways to protect yourself and your family from getting sick. It has been often seen by us in Homoeopathic Clinical Practice that patients do come to us with stomach upsets. When inquired if they had food outside, they tell us that they had food in a quality restaurant and the restaurant follows good hygiene. Hence one should not blame the restaurant and its quality certification. Agreed! Then we ask them to have you washed your hands before eating the food you ordered? The answer we get is yes, of course. Then we further inquire about the sequence they followed in the restaurant:

1. Arrive at the restaurant
2. Wait in a queue for the table to be allocated
3. Once the table is allocated occupy the table
4. One by one go to the wash basin for a hand wash then come back to the table occupied
5. Choose the food to be ordered from the menu card
6. Place the order
7. Resort to social media on your mobile – click some selfies – update your status
8. Food delivered to your table
9. Have food
10. Wash your hands
11. Leave the restaurant

I hope everyone will agree to the chain of events described by me above. The patients to whom we ask confirms the above sequence. Now, we point out to them two infected contact points – 1. The Menu Card – handled by each of the visitor of the restaurant 2. Your mobile hand set. And the patients are convinced though we don’t challenge the quality certification of the restaurant, doctor you are right with those infected contact points. Additionally, the technique of washing hands too is questionable. Few of you may argue but we eat using spoons and fork. Agreed, however, we Indians are habituated to eat at restaurants as well as at home with our own hands. When hungry, most of us do not use spoons and forks as they are perceived as hurdles in hunger.

 We recommend following changed sequence to avoid getting infected:

1. Arrive at the restaurant
2. Wait in a queue for the table to be allocated
3. Once the table is allocated occupy the table
4. Choose the food to be ordered from the menu card
5. Place the order
6. Resort to social media on your mobile – click some selfies – update your status
7. One by one go to the wash basin for a hand wash then come back to the table occupied
8. Food delivered to your table
9. Have food
10. Wash your hands
11. Leave the restaurant

When is it necessary to Wash Hands?

You can help yourself and your loved ones stay healthy by washing your hands often, especially during these key times when you are likely to get and spread germs:

1. Before, during, and after preparing food
2. Before eating food
3. Before and after caring for someone at home who is sick with vomiting or diarrhea
4. Before and after treating a cut or wound
5. After using the toilet
6. After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
7. After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
8. After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
9. After handling pet food or pet treats
10. After touching garbage
11. Before going to bed

Method of Washing Hands

Washing your hands is easy, and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community—from your home and workplace to childcare facilities and hospitals.

Follow these steps every time.

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the enough soap.
3. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
4. Right palm over left dorsum with interlaced fingers and vice versa
5. Back of the fingers to opposing palms with fingers interlocked
6. Rotational rubbing of left thumb clasped in right palm and vice versa
7. Rotational rubbing, backwards and forwards with clasped fingers of right hand in left palm and vice versa
8. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Count 1 to 25 numbers.
9. Rinse hands with water
10. Dry hands thoroughly with a single use towel
11. Use towel to turn off faucet
12. Your hands are now safe

References:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html (accessed on 25-Mar-2020)
2. John Hopkins Medicine – YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IisgnbMfKvI (accessed on 25-Mar-2020)
3. World Health Organization (WHO) – Hand Hygiene – Why, How and When Brochure – https://www.who.int/gpsc/5may/Hand_Hygiene_Why_How_and_When_Brochure.pdf (accessed on 25-Mar-2020)

© March 2020, Dr. Ashutosh Pradhan