Dose of Gross: Hospital handwashing FAIL

The LA Times writes about a study that shows hopsital workers don’t always wash their hands when working with different patients.

It wasn’t good when any of the healthcare workers skipped the soap, but it was definitely worse when the peripatetic workers failed to wash their hands, the researchers found. If a single peripatetic worker flunked the hygiene test, the spread of disease was three times worse than if a nurse or doctor did. In fact, they calculated that if just one peripatetic worker refused to wash his or her hands, the effect was the same as if ALL healthcare workers washed their hands only 77% of the time, they wrote in a study published online today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Yuck. That’s all I can say.

I’ve always liked Lucky Charms, but…

I’ve never been fooled about its health benefits.

But a new push by food manufacturers are blurring the line between healthy foods and the sugar-laden deliciousness of Lucky Charms, Froot Loops, as well as pizza and other snacks.

According to the Los Angeles Times:

A logo adopted by food company giants is showing up in major supermarkets: a green Smart Choices check mark meant to replace the blizzard of health labels that clutter food package fronts: “Sensible Solution, “Smart Spot,” and so on.

Sponsors say the logo will help an overweight and overwhelmed public make better food choices in a way that reflects how people really shop.

Critics say Smart Choices won’t help end confusion because its nutrition standards are far too lenient. They see the program as an attempt by food companies to bill less-than-stellar processed foods as nutritious.

“In a way that reflects how people really shop,” indeed. What do you think: Helpful shopping hint or shameless marketing tactic?

Dose of Gross: How clean is your shower head?

Well, this is disturbing. Scientists at the University of Colorado have found that dangerous microbes can breed inside your shower head. So when

Calling my landlord...

you’re soaking in your morning shower, you might actually be inhaling bacteria that could have deadly effects.

Writes Julie Deardorff:

Healthy people probably don’t need to panic. But the opportunistic microbes, which thrive in the dark and wet environment of a shower head, might cause problems for some. If you’re pregnant, a substance abuser or otherwise immune-compromised with cystic fibrosis, cancer, AIDS or a recent organ transplant, you may be at risk, the researchers said in the findings published in this month’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Here are some tips to keep your shower head clean and healthy (that sounds weird, doesn’t it?).