The dangers of not washing your hands

According to MayoClinic.com, if you don't wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch, such as computer keyboards, telephones and doorknobs.

Think there are a lot of germs at home, school and work? It's nothing when compared to what you'll find at a doctor's office or in a hospital setting - places where sick people congregate.

Everything is a potential source of germs, including doorknobs, chair arms, bathrooms and even the pen and check-in register.

The healthcare community is fighting back by educating the public and patients about preventing infection.

Healthcare workers are doing more today than ever before to combat infection.

With heightened awareness and concern over methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and other drug-resistant superbugs, hospitals are applying the latest technology to prevent the spread of infection.

Hospitals are installing wall-mounted dispensers throughout the hospital and outside patient rooms to make hand hygiene convenient.

They are reviewing their hand hygiene procedures and implementing training programs to prevent deadly viruses. Visitors, patients and family members are encouraged to use the hand hygiene products just as nurses, doctors and other personnel do.

If your healthcare professional doesn't wash his or her hands in front of you, make a point of asking them if they would.

And don't be surprised if instead of turning on the faucet, they put their hands under a dispenser for an alcohol-based antiseptic rub.

Some of the more popular products showing up in doctor's offices, hospitals, nursing homes and hospital operating rooms these days are Sterillium Rub and Sterillium Comfort Gel by Medline Industries.

These brushless, waterless, alcohol-rub products contain ethanol and a well-balanced blend of emollients that the user rubs into the skin to ward off germs.

Healthcare professionals say they prefer using rubs like this one to simply washing with soap and water because they are faster to use, more accessible because no sinks are required, more gentle on the hands and because they leave hands soft and smooth, rather than chapped and dry.

In fact, alcohol-rub products are preferred to soap and water because they also provide better protection against germs.

In the wintertime, dry, itchy, irritated skin is a big problem not just for healthcare professionals but also for just about everyone.

When it's not enough to just clean the skin, you can moisturize, protect and nourish it with the help of Remedy advanced skin care products, also by Medline Industries.

All Remedy products contain Olivamine, a proprietary blend of amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins and methylsulfonylmethane.

This patent-pending blend represents a well-balanced meal for skin cells. The Remedy products also deliver natural oils to help bind the water and maintain the barrier properties of the skin.

Keeping the skin in good shape is necessary to avoid excessive loss of moisture, which leads to cracked, itchy and painful hands.

The Remedy line includes cleansers, moisturizers and skin protectants that help deliver vital nutrients to the skin in an all-natural way. Consumers can purchase the products in the first aid aisles of CVS stores.

Hand washing, or using alcohol-based hand disinfectants such as Sterillium, doesn't take much time or effort, but it offers great rewards in terms of preventing illness. Adopting this simple habit can play a major role in protecting your health. To learn more about the benefits of proper hand care, log on to the Web site www.medline.com.