sneezes
Interesting article on abcnews about how kids are now being taught to sneeze/cough into their elbows instead of hands, to prevent the spread of germs.
I wonder, though …
Some prevention is a good thing.
But I’ve been thinking about it, ever since reading War of the Worlds in particular, but before that too …
In fact, right back here. Our immune systems are a huge asset to us. And getting things that make us miserable for a week or two at a time when we’re young trains our immune systems to handle bigger, badder things when we’re old.
I rarely take precautions to keep myself from getting sick… I chew on pencils and pens and such, I rub my face a lot, I haven’t had immunizations in like 6 years … but in my entire college career, swinging doors and common contact points with a bunch of other people, I’ve gotten sick maybe 5 or 6 times, other than allergies or eating the wrong things. And several of those were initially started up by allergies, for that matter! I dunno how many times I’ve had allergy problems for like a week or two that turned into a cold… but that’s probably most of what I’ve gotten here. A flu once, I guess.
This really crackpotted guy who I knew back in hillenbrand … his name was Dave something or another, and he lived down the hall from me. He advocated exposing yourself to as many non-serious pathogens as possible. So when a piece of silverware would hit the floor in the dining room, he’d reach down, pick it up, and lick it. Because he was a freak… but more to the point, he had the right idea about that stuff, I think. What’s the point of lowering your defenses, when you’re fighting a war you are perpetually stalemated in? You’re still going to get colds and flus … but pushing to get them less often probably means getting hit harder whenever you do.