Sick Kids

[MilDoc]

Study after study after study show that kids that grow up in a GERM environment are HEALTHIER overall. Such exposure increases and MATURES their immune system.

In that case why not start with Bubonic Plague ?

Better yet why not a family Vacation to Plum Island ?

Wow, TYPICAL nonsensical, totally irrational, apples and oranges response of a true germophobic.

Sorry, I neither have the time nor the patience to respond to that nonsense.

Tell me? Do YOU believe in vaccinations? THEY prevent SERIOUS disease..

And if you THINK you can prevent bubonic plague by UV lights etc, then you prove to me your absolute ignorance of microbiology.

[MilDoc]

OK, sorry to suggest something that might help.
Do what you feel is best-keep windows and doors tightly shut and avoid any introduction to freshly exposed outside air if you feel that is best which is probably what the environments of those "other kids" are like.

No. Homes are now designed to be "sealed." LET fresh air in!

[JSUPreston]

Paul, you're repeating the same things I've been saying for years. Thank you, since coming from a doctor, it carries a lot more weight than from a lay person like me.

[annunaki]

Twisting Words

Never suggested UV could prevent Bubonic Plague.

That response was to the absurd suggestion that exposure was somehow good.

Vaccinations- I have mixed thoughts on that.
I don't get Flu shots because of side affects and they are usually last years strain and not the current one.
Fever- While fever can kill germs with its higher temp, by all means keep an eye on it because too high of a temp will cause brain damage and worse.

OK. I think the consensus here is Exposure=Good, Avoidance=Bad

Reminds me of that Pasture movie where the Doctors ridiculed him because he washed his hands before surgery.

[annunaki]

Why The Masks?

EXPOSURE to germs BUILDS immunity, DECREASES allergies, etc etc etc etc etc etc!

Gee that's a profound concept.

Then why do Surgeons and staff wear masks in the Operating Room ?

Is it because the patient's deodorant doesn't work well and he smells bad?

[crokett]

OK, sorry to suggest something that might help.
Do what you feel is best-keep windows and doors tightly shut and avoid any introduction to freshly exposed outside air if you feel that is best which is probably what the environments of those "other kids" are like.

Opening windows and doors in 50 degree weather isn't exactly the smartest thing to do and won't cause my kids to get well quickly enough to outweigh the downside. It is cold out there. Keeping sick kids warm and comfortable surely makes it easier to fight the illness than making them live in temperatures that cause additional stress.

As for exposure being good or bad, going overboard and wiping everything down with Lysol all the time is at best impossible and at worst only breeds super bugs. That .1% in the commercials that say "kills 99.9 of germs"? Pretty soon that will be the 100% that doesn't die. This has already happened in hospitals with certain staph strains. So, trying to protect my kids from every germ on the planet is bad and not realistic.

[annunaki]

In Moderation

I never suggested you open doors and windows and LEAVE THEM OPEN, only briefly, to "air out the place".
Dressing the adequately during that short interval would keep them warm.
We all have our opinions as to what works for best for each of us.

For those that would fault my suggestion of "Fresh Air and Sunshine", that is your choice and right.

My choice and right is perhaps somewhat different, even from those that might represent forms of Government Health Care, but that is what is great about our land-the ability to respectfully disagree.

The Bottom Line Here, is that I hope they get well soon.
My weather in North Florida finally got to 70*, and all doors were open to the CLEAN air and Sunshine.

Best to you and yours.

[MilDoc]

Never suggested UV could prevent Bubonic Plague.

That response was to the absurd suggestion that exposure was somehow good.

Vaccinations- I have mixed thoughts on that.
I don't get Flu shots because of side affects and they are usually last years strain and not the current one.
Fever- While fever can kill germs with its higher temp, by all means keep an eye on it because too high of a temp will cause brain damage and worse.

OK. I think the consensus here is Exposure=Good, Avoidance=Bad

Reminds me of that Pasture movie where the Doctors ridiculed him because he washed his hands before surgery.

Exposure IS good. Which is why FARM kids and others are LESS susceptible to multiple infections then are those in an overprotective environment like you suggest.

First, flu shots are based on a prediction of this years viruses (not germs), NOT last years.

Second, Fever IS NOT hazardous until it reaches a 105-106 height. You mat FEEL bad but fever is GOOD. Gee, I wonder what evolutionary advantage that was? Or, if you are religious, why God would designed us to run a fever if it was BAD? The ONLY risk of a temp of > 100.4 is dehydration. Period.

And, sorry it wasn't Pasture for being ridiculed for washing his hands. That was Ignaz Semmelweis in 1844 or so.

BTW, back then they didn't even know about bacteria, viruses, atypical bacteria, mycobacteria, fungi, yeast, etc etc etc.

Sorry, but I fight your ignorance every day. And, in the "modern age," it really grows very tiresome.

[MilDoc]

EXPOSURE to germs BUILDS immunity, DECREASES allergies, etc etc etc etc etc etc!

Gee that's a profound concept.

Then why do Surgeons and staff wear masks in the Operating Room ?

Is it because the patient's deodorant doesn't work well and he smells bad?

OMG! THAT is not even worthy of a response.

[MilDoc]

Opening windows and doors in 50 degree weather isn't exactly the smartest thing to do and won't cause my kids to get well quickly enough to outweigh the downside. It is cold out there. Keeping sick kids warm and comfortable surely makes it easier to fight the illness than making them live in temperatures that cause additional stress.

As for exposure being good or bad, going overboard and wiping everything down with Lysol all the time is at best impossible and at worst only breeds super bugs. That .1% in the commercials that say "kills 99.9 of germs"? Pretty soon that will be the 100% that doesn't die. This has already happened in hospitals with certain staph strains. So, trying to protect my kids from every germ on the planet is bad and not realistic.

Yep. Bacteria reproduction rate can be a division as often as every 10-15 minutes. ONE left behind multiplies exponentially. 30 minutes later your surface is as contaminated as it was before Lysol etc.

[MilDoc]

I never suggested you open doors and windows and LEAVE THEM OPEN, only briefly, to "air out the place".
Dressing the adequately during that short interval would keep them warm.
We all have our opinions as to what works for best for each of us.

For those that would fault my suggestion of "Fresh Air and Sunshine", that is your choice and right.

My choice and right is perhaps somewhat different, even from those that might represent forms of Government Health Care, but that is what is great about our land-the ability to respectfully disagree.

The Bottom Line Here, is that I hope they get well soon.
My weather in North Florida finally got to 70*, and all doors were open to the CLEAN air and Sunshine.

Best to you and yours.

First, being cold DOES NOT MAKE YOU SICK! Another ridiculous old wives tale, just like water / air in the air causes ear infections. Stupid and ignorant. Just LOOK at the folks in Alaska, Norway, Finland, etc etc etc.

Second, SUNSHINE = GOOD, but probably not for the reasons you believe. Sunshine = Vitamin D production in your skin (but, as you get older, or live up North, or wear sunscreen, the amount you make DROPS). Vitamin D should really be considered a HORMONE in its multiple, site dependent, uses. It's called a "vitamin" simply because the human body does not make it w/o sunshine.

Sorry, your "choice" is sad, misinformed, ignorant, and based on misinformation. Period.

Now, let's compare credentials. I am a Board Certified Pediatrician, for 35 years. I was a Professor of Pediatrics at a top 5 medical school for 15 years. I read a lot of INFORMATIVE studies every year, continue to teach, and accumulate over 150 hours of Continuing Medical Education every year.

And you?

I fight your brand of ignorance about BASIC microbiology, medicine, etc every single day because THIS country is MORE FEVER and GERMOphobic than ANY country on Earth.

Good luck to you. But if you are interested in learning, I can suggest a LOT of GOOD RELIABLE internet sites, rather than most of what is out there that are garbage, nonsense, ridiculous, and harmful

[crokett]

Paul, serious question and something I've always wondered... I know fever is an important part of fighting off viruses and infections. So, assuming I take medicine to bring my fever down, am I impairing the ability of my body to fight whatever it is that is making me sick?

[MilDoc]

EXPOSURE to germs BUILDS immunity, DECREASES allergies, etc etc etc etc etc etc!

Gee that's a profound concept.

Then why do Surgeons and staff wear masks in the Operating Room ?

Is it because the patient's deodorant doesn't work well and he smells bad?

On second thought, I really do have to respond to this illogical, absured, apples and oranges BS.

In surgery, there is an OPEN wound. No matter how sterile we try to keep ORs, that is not completely possible. THUS, gowns, gloves, masks, covered tables and sterilized instruments, etc.

To even attempt to compare that to exposure at Wal-Mart, daycare, school, work.

is completely absurd

and helps prove my feeling about your level of knowledge

[MilDoc]

Ultra Violet light destroys germs. In a lab when done with a Germ Culture in a petri dish, it is placed under an ultra violet lamp to destroy the culture.

Do you understand the difference between bacteria, viruses, fungi, mycobacteria, yeast, atypicals, etc etc etc. UV wil NOT kill all of them.

Ultra violet light cannot penetrate glass. This is why you cannot get a sunburn through a glass window.

PARTIALLY CORRECT. Not 100%

Both of these practices contribute to massive build up of germs, and movement from room to room and person to person.

Wrong. Germs multiply exponentially. Letting air in is good, but WILL NOT kill them.

If you have a ducted forced air system, there are add on ultra violet purifiers that can be inserted in such a way that eventually all heated or air conditioned air must pass the UV section and be cleansed. This avoids the costlier air exchange.

BIG DEAL. This has NO effect on the "germs" in your home, on surfaces, on your skin, etc etc etc. Not to mention the ones YOU bring in. "Germs" are MICROscopic ard are NOT sucked up into your ducts! Such and expensive option is a waste of $$$$$.

[MilDoc]

The "massive buildup" of germs in my house is because I have two kids, both of whom spend time with other kids and they are all germ magnets. Treating the central air with UV might work, but I highly doubt it.

First comment - yep.

Second comment (re: UV): NOPE. Unless, of course, you want to bathe your entire interior in UV. But even THAT will not necessarily kill ALL viruses, the most common cause of simple infection.