

  The Minority/ Black Health Blog  

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Want To Get The Flu? Keep Doing These 3 Things

No one wants to get the flu, but yet many people do exactly the things that will make it easier to contract. Here's a list of the top three things that people do that are big no-nos:

#1) Touching Public Buttons
You can easily get the flu or any other virus when you touch elevator buttons, ATM machine buttons, vending machine buttons, etc. People never think to wash their hands after doing this, but these areas are never cleaned, and yet hundreds of people will touch them each week (or even each day.) Even gas pumps, staircase rails, and door handles are super germ-filled!

#2) Not Buying A New Toothbrush
Experts say you should get a new toothbrush every one or two months. Why is this? Because toothbrushes are usually kept in the bathroom, the most dirtiest part of the house. Studies have shown that over time, toothbrushes are filled with microbes, bacteria, and germs. Yuck! Even more, if you had the flu before and you got better, but kept using the same toothbrush, you could re-introduce the same virus back into your body.

#3) Using The Same Ole' Dirty Pillow
Most people wash their bed sheets and blankets often, but few actually wash their pillow. Even fewer will actually throw old pillows away and buy new ones. Well, guess what? Pillows, like any other fabric, can contain mold, bacteria, viruses, germs and more - especially if it's a pillow that you've had for years!
