Hand Sanitizing during Mass

[tobbias88]

A nod - Japanese style - to your fellow-worshippers is much more sensible & acceptable. Whether you like it on not many bugs, esp. cold viruses are passed by hand-shakes in winter. Kids often wipe their noses or stifle a sneeze so their hands are often contaminated. If you’re uncomfortable with it don’t do it.
As for communion in the hand, I used to do it regularly until one day I ended up licking my fingers since two sizeable crumbs had broken from the main host. In the mouth is the safest & most secure method.

 

[lostsheepindeed]

I just have to rant a bit…
I felt a little upset today during Mass. After the Our Father and the Sign of Peace handshakes, the woman next to me pulls out hand sanitizer and wipes her hands I understand their are people that have phobias about germs but it really bothered me that they would do such a thing…as if they were that clean! oh well just ranting thats all.

When I first read this, I thought you were writing about ME! But then I saw where you are located, so that couldn’t have been about me. LOL

I am “one of those people” that did the hand sanitizer thing. But I only did it during flu season and when I was taking medicine that lowers the immune system. I sat in the very back pew, as I did not want to draw attention to my hand sanitizing. I took out the little bottle (about 3 inches in length) and squirted a drop or two on my hand - keep in mind I did this as discreetly as I could, meaning when I was kneeling and below the top of the pew in front of me. I felt bad for doing it, but I had to protect myself. I tried to just wave and nod, but some people insist on shaking hands. Now that I’m not on that medicine, I haven’t used it.

What I’m trying to say is that maybe that lady had a medical reason. Even if she didn’t, if she did it discreetly, I don’t see why that would matter.

 

[jrabs]

When I first read this, I thought you were writing about ME! But then I saw where you are located, so that couldn’t have been about me. LOL

I am “one of those people” that did the hand sanitizer thing. But I only did it during flu season and when I was taking medicine that lowers the immune system. I sat in the very back pew, as I did not want to draw attention to my hand sanitizing. I took out the little bottle (about 3 inches in length) and squirted a drop or two on my hand - keep in mind I did this as discreetly as I could, meaning when I was kneeling and below the top of the pew in front of me. I felt bad for doing it, but I had to protect myself. I tried to just wave and nod, but some people insist on shaking hands. Now that I’m not on that medicine, I haven’t used it.

What I’m trying to say is that maybe that lady had a medical reason. Even if she didn’t, if she did it discreetly, I don’t see why that would matter.

You seem as if you are apologizing for your use of sanitizer.
Do not apologize - it is nothing to be ashamed or sorry about.

 

[PatrickJT914]

these hands sanitizing with women is so freaking funny.

REAL men also do it. Because they want to protect their family and others, just as a REAL man is supposed to do. That’s part of a REAL man’s characteristics. To be a protector and defender of the weaker members of society.

give me a break , your so freaking brainwashed and scared now of germs you bring this useless product with you .

It’s not a question of being brainwashed, granted we should’nt go overbroad with the germ issue. There some good germs out there.
However, doing this quick, simple, easy preventive measure is not only common sense, it’s compassionate, charitable, considerate,and to protect ourselves.

you live in fear of people places and things , …your controlled by fear of everything. Unless your a doctor you shouldnt be worrying about germs like this. your grandmothers…the throw back real women which are few and far between these days would even laugh at you.

Healthy fear is natural human emotion to be careful, not to take unnecessary risks, to protect ourselves, to find a way to combat that emotion. Unless you’re a hermit, shut-in, or anybody that does not see a lot of people in the course of the day. You may not have to worry about germs. However, if you are like the rest of us who have to go to places where people gather. You know CHURCH, work, school, parish activities, sporting events, concerts, the list goes on. And people being people have to relieve themselves at sometime in the day. Do go to the bathroom, some fully wash their hands, some just run it under a running faucet and either shake their hands or use a papel towel, while others (In case you weren’t aware) don’t even bother to wash their hands. Without being graphic or disgusting can you imagined what they could’ve touched while going to the bathroom?
And you know something this people handle our food, cook our food, cut hair, shake our hands, and other things that we come in contact with. To help make matters worse what about all the illegal immigrants that enter. Do we know if they follow or understand the basic concept of disease prevention.

I wonder how many Grandmothers lost children, husbands, other family members and friends to diseases? I know that my maternal Great Grandmother died of influenza in the epidemic of 1918. My Grandpa lost his Mom while he was about 17-18 yo
You know some of today womens in many ways are bravier than yesterday’s women. And in some cases bravier and stronger than some of today’s men.

Come on ladies…

Come on SoulRebel 77, get with the program!

And if your a man and you use this…seriously…check your …uh huh

Are you questionning the manhood of men who use these products? Well then maybe you are also questionning the manhood of the following:
Firefigthers- They don’t need all that protective gear to rush into a burning building.
Police Officers (especially SWAT)- They don’t need bulletproof vests, and other equipment that protects them.
Military- Basically the same as above, while being shot at.

 

[Sarabande]

haha give me a break sara.
In the last few years its growing more and more popular. you people live in fear of sickness, and of the real world maybe this is why you spend to much time on the computer?? just a thought. …

Wow, you don’t know me very well. I’m a well-traveled person and I spend most of my time on other fulfilling things than the computer. I just had a huge voice recital yesterday, and I’m just vegging out. I had spent the last 5-6 months immersed in music, rehearing, planning and perfecting my program along with my numerous other events and gigs.

You realize this hand product you all were brainwashed to start using doesnt do anything right? You all buy into what the advertisers are saying to you through there clever commericals and the latest news broadcast about health…

Along with studying music, I was a “Journalism, Public Relation and Advertising” major, so I’m very well-aware of what the media can do. I very rarely watch the media (we only have three stations and I don’t watch them) and when I do read or watch the news, I tend to question it, anyway, due to my own training.

those are my thoughts ladiies…
If you were my wife, girlfriend fiance , , sister, mom …id make you throw it away and free you from that phobia…

Oh puh-lease! You’re free to have those thoughts, but don’t make me into germ-concious freak - I certainly am not. You’d find me digging around the dirt for fossils with my husband (he’s a geologist/paleontologist), hiking, camping and doing 18th century reenactments where the conditions aren’t the most cleanly of places. It can be down-right scuzzy and disgusting. I won’t assume, but I may have even been in more dirty and germ-y areas than you have ever been and I’ve not been “disgusted” by it, although I’m very aware of history and know how unsanitary conditions and bad hygiene led to high mortality rates too.

I mostly used that sanitzer those two years that I was teaching after getting sick every other weak the first couple of months teaching. And I probably used it 20 times since I taught 5 years ago. I can say that it did help me during that first year of teaching, whether or not you believe it. Now, I usually just find a place to wash my hands if my hands feel scuzzy, as I don’t feel like spending money on things like that and because it gives my ring finger a rash when it clashes with my platinum.

I am also the daughter of two medical professionals - a doctor and a nurse, so I know very well how to keep healthy. My parents weren’t germ concious freaks as you would make me out to be, but they did believe in good hygiene and that’s key in keeping healthy - especially as I’ve read in medical history books. And no, he’s not one of these drug-popping doctors at every sickness, as he was a pharmacist prior to becoming a doctor and knows what these things can and can’t do. (He’s never done over by the sales reps because of his knowledge in pharmacology.) He is a major proponant of exercise, rest, healthy eating, etc. first. Drugs second. And we grew up with my Dad always saying that he saw worst with sickness whenever we had slight colds and let those colds runs its course, so we had pretty good constitutions and immune systems.

But when you’re surrounded by 50 or so 3-6 year old children with snotty hands every day, coughing and sneezing, it’s very hard to fight it off every day that first year - and I worked in a my father’s office for a number of years before that, so I thought I was immune to things like that. (I’ve never gotten the flu or anything major like that.) Since I’ve stopped teaching, I rarely get sick unless I’m surround by people like those three on the subway sneezing and coughing in my direction last year. But that is because I do take care of myself and take the proper precautions in keeping clean and healthy - and I don’t do it consciously. It’s just part of my being, so it’s not like I constantly worried about it. And I have a feeling other people on here are the same. We’re just discussing it too.

So, please don’t assume anything of me before you know who you are talking to.

 

[PatrickJT914]

Whoops, I did this wrong my comments got tied with the qoute. So, unfortunately you’ll have to read the whole thing.

 

[Sarabande]

I don’t eat as well as I should, don’t exercise, and am under stress and yet I haven’t been sick much at all. I wash my hands, clean the phones and doorknobs at work, and, when soap and water aren’t available I use sanitizers. I am aware of their limitations and prefer regular soap, not antibacterial.

Healthy eating, exercise and other healthful practices are good habits to have but they are not a panacea.

Less condescension is a good habit, too.

Yes, thank you. I totally agree. Some people are naturally “stronger” than others when it comes to resisting infections, viruses and the like. They may have grown to become like that or was born that way. You and possibly him seem to be those kind of fortunate people.

Others are not as lucky. If they lived 100, 200, 300 etc. years ago, those not-as-lucky people probably would have died before the age of 10 or might have been lucky to make it to 20. He might have survived into adulthood in 1775, but not before seeing over half of his siblings pass away some of which were due to poor health and hygiene conditions which could have been prevented had they known better. We are so fortunate to live in this time whenever I think about that.

I will never knock any person who are prone to sickness and are fearful of getting sick. That first year of teaching was the sickest I had ever been, having been fairly healthy before and since, so I can totally understand where these people with weaker constitutions are coming from.

 

[Sarabande]

I wonder how many Grandmothers lost children, husbands, other family members and friends to diseases? I know that my maternal Great Grandmother died of influenza in the epidemic of 1918. My Grandpa lost his Mom while he was about 17-18 yo

My husband also lost his maternal great-grandmother during the influenza epidemic. She was a seemingly healthy woman who survived 6 childbirths - the youngest being his grandmother and barely a toddler. His maternal great-grandfather died a couple years later leaving all 6 children orphans. His grandmother barely knew either of her parents.

My paternal great-grandfather was the oldest of 10 children - the rest girls. Many of the girls died young and three died either during childbirth or complications and ****infections ****from childbirth (again lack of hygiene). The babies were buried with their mothers.

My paternal grandmother also lost a beloved brother at 28 from TB. He was engaged to be married - a strong, healthy robust young man who caught the TB from eating at a diner frequently where they found out the cook had TB and that many other customers who frequented the place also contracted it. Hmmm… I wonder if he didn’t think it was important to clean his hands before touching the food he cooked.

 

[rpp]

My younger brother is completing his course in chemotherapy. It so totally knocked out him immune system, that the doctor told him not to go out in public, avoid personal (physical) contact with people, and carry hand sanitizer with him at all times. He will have to do this for a few months after the chemo is over as his immune system returns to normal. (I do not know the details so I may be wrong on the timing here.)

I can draw no conclusions about someone who uses hand sanitizer in the manner in which the OP described.

 

[SwizzleStick]

SoulRebel777, I’m a pretty healthy person too, and until recently hadn’t been to the doctor for illness in years. But, we all get sick sometime or another. And, there are some very nasty bacteria out there that antiobiotics cannot even knock down. From what I understand, if you get one of those, you pretty much are finished. So, why not try to stay healthy by using whatever means that one has available to them?

I never bought hand sanitizer at all before it turned up on my kids’ school supply list as a required supply for the school year. I’ve been required to purchase it for the last several years now and I recently started buying it myself for use too. Kids, God love 'em, are germ factories and they have some pretty icky habits sometimes (i.e. they have this need to touch everything, the more unnecessary, the stronger the need), so it is just fine with me to have some means of defense against some of those undesirable habits.

 

[SwizzleStick]

SoulRebel777, I’m glad that you are absolutely certain that the people you interact with do not sneeze or cough into their hands, never blow their noses or pick their noses or pick their teeth without washing afterwards. It must be nice to know that when they use the bathroom, that they use adequate amounts of TP to prevent hand contamination AND then also thoroughly wash their hands afterwards AND that they have not shaken hands with someone with bad habits and then have shaken hands with you. It is good that you KNOW they never touch escalator hand grips, touch germy door knobs, play at arcades with their kids where there are buttons and knobs, and ball pits, and leaky diapers and germs everywhere just waiting to be picked up and spread by someone. It must be reassuring to you to be SURE that the person you just met and shook his hand hasn’t just picked TP off the bottom of his shoe that he picked up in a public restroom and just noticed but he has no place to wash his hands now.

Good for you to be so certain of everything, good for you that you do not need this product. But, I am not that certain about everyone I encounter. So, I’ll use this product as a defense to help protect my family from illness. That is better than taking chances with people and their habits that I know nothing about. Yes, I’m being extreme in making my point, but the point is that one never knows. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

[rpp]

People have survived and not gotten ill for a very long time before the advent of hand sanitizer. While it is certainly true that hand-to-mouth is a common vector for disease, it can be over played.

For example most people do not realize that the natural oils on our skin are anti-bacterial by nature. In addition, most bacteria have a very short life, just a few minutes, when exposed to the oily environment found on our hands.

Thus hand-to-mouth infection is usually a short-term thing, basically if there is a duration of a few minutes, the chance of infection is quite low.

Frequent use of hand sanitizing solutions will only hasten the development of resistant bacteria and viruses. Most of the time it has been overused. And certainly there has been a growth in “germophobia” as we see on this thread.

I would also like to add that we should all try to remain charitable and refrain from snarky or sarcastic responses, even when responding to an uncharitable post.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I would also like to add that we should all try to remain charitable and refrain from snarky or sarcastic responses, even when responding to an uncharitable post.

You are correct. I apologize for being snarky. Though I think the superbugs of today are a danger, I should not have been so aggressive in making my point. I’m sorry.

 

[Cat]

People have survived and not gotten ill for a very long time before the advent of hand sanitizer. While it is certainly true that hand-to-mouth is a common vector for disease, it can be over played.

For example most people do not realize that the natural oils on our skin are anti-bacterial by nature. In addition, most bacteria have a very short life, just a few minutes, when exposed to the oily environment found on our hands.

Thus hand-to-mouth infection is usually a short-term thing, basically if there is a duration of a few minutes, the chance of infection is quite low.

Frequent use of hand sanitizing solutions will only hasten the development of resistant bacteria and viruses. Most of the time it has been overused. And certainly there has been a growth in “germophobia” as we see on this thread.

I would also like to add that we should all try to remain charitable and refrain from snarky or sarcastic responses, even when responding to an uncharitable post.

Antibacterial sanitizers will not create resistance in bacteria.

The reason is that antibiotics create resistance by disrupting the biochemical pathways of the bacteria; the resistant strains are those that can figure out a different biochemical pathway to accomplish the task necessary to life.

But a sanitizer disrupts the molecular structure of the bacteria; i.e., it smashes the bacteria into bits.

Bacteria will not develop resistance to chemicals like bleach, alcohol, phenol, etc. It would be like humans developing a resistance to a flame thrower–it just won’t happen.

So go ahead and slather on the sanitizers!

BUT…use antibiotics wisely, and do EXACTLY as your physician directs you and don’t try to play doctor! The primary reason for the develop of antibiotic resistance is MISUSE of antibiotics.

For example, when you “save” some of your antibiotic for the next time you have an infection, you end up leaving some of the really resistant bacteria alive, and then they multiply and you end up with a super infection. But now the antibiotic won’t work, so you have to have a more powerful antibiotic. Chances are good that this big gun antibiotic will be much more expensive and also have even more yucky side effects than your original antibiotic.

 

[rpp]

Antibacterial sanitizers will not create resistance in bacteria.

The reason is that antibiotics create resistance by disrupting the biochemical pathways of the bacteria; the resistant strains are those that can figure out a different biochemical pathway to accomplish the task necessary to life.

But a sanitizer disrupts the molecular structure of the bacteria; i.e., it smashes the bacteria into bits.

Bacteria will not develop resistance to chemicals like bleach, alcohol, phenol, etc. It would be like humans developing a resistance to a flame thrower–it just won’t happen.

So go ahead and slather on the sanitizers!

BUT…use antibiotics wisely, and do EXACTLY as your physician directs you and don’t try to play doctor! The primary reason for the develop of antibiotic resistance is MISUSE of antibiotics.

For example, when you “save” some of your antibiotic for the next time you have an infection, you end up leaving some of the really resistant bacteria alive, and then they multiply and you end up with a super infection. But now the antibiotic won’t work, so you have to have a more powerful antibiotic. Chances are good that this big gun antibiotic will be much more expensive and also have even more yucky side effects than your original antibiotic.

Ah, yes. You are correct about the chemical stuff. I was incorrect to generalize like that. An organism can no more develop a resistance to something like bleach than a human could become immune to acid.

Thank you for the correction.

 

[SoulRebel777]

[Edited]

Sara, you seem like a cool girl, but seriously you need to chill with your hand cleanser thing. If I were a child in your class and i just gave you my teacher a big kiss on the cheek for being cute or nice whatever , and then you went and sprayed your hands with some cleaning spray i would be crushed !! think about how your affecting the kids by sending them a subconscious message they are dirty and diseased.

Listen your immune system isnt so weak that it cant fight off such germs unless your so serverly ill which 99 percent of you arent. [Edited]

Love people , hug them , squeeze them, kiss them on the cheek like they do in italy. dont be afraid to show even strangers they are loved, espically those in your church.

Dont let the world control you through fear ladies…

And Patrick…are you seriously comparing firemen running into a burning house to using good hand cleanser !! haha…you have lost your common sense

[Edited]

We had saints that worked among lepers without being afraid of getting sick, but you people cant even be around normal heathly people without being afraid…

We need to Love again as a culture and a society and not fear each other or think everyone who smiles at our kids is some kid toucher…

its crazy…how much fear is spreading…lets spread love and peace to each other.

 

[ElizabethPH]

If I have a cold and have no way of cleaning my hands, I’ll tell the other I have one and just wish them peace with my words. People usually understand and appear very grateful. If I shake hands with a person who was sneezing (I just did this yesterday. I didn’t realize she was the one sneezing until right after I shook her hand) I make a point not to touch anything and at the end of the mass, I find a place to wash my hands

yes I know that.

 

[onetimeposter]

Soulrebel could care less what any of us think. Why are we wasting our time.

Soulrebel, I hope you at least you soap and water…or is that for the paranoid and wimpy as well?

 

[SoulRebel777]

of course I use soap and water but i still get grief from my girlfriend because I use bars of soap and not the litttle soap dispenser thing haha.

 

[Sarabande]

Antibacterial sanitizers will not create resistance in bacteria.

The reason is that antibiotics create resistance by disrupting the biochemical pathways of the bacteria; the resistant strains are those that can figure out a different biochemical pathway to accomplish the task necessary to life.

But a sanitizer disrupts the molecular structure of the bacteria; i.e., it smashes the bacteria into bits.

Bacteria will not develop resistance to chemicals like bleach, alcohol, phenol, etc. It would be like humans developing a resistance to a flame thrower–it just won’t happen.

So go ahead and slather on the sanitizers!

BUT…use antibiotics wisely, and do EXACTLY as your physician directs you and don’t try to play doctor! The primary reason for the develop of antibiotic resistance is MISUSE of antibiotics.

For example, when you “save” some of your antibiotic for the next time you have an infection, you end up leaving some of the really resistant bacteria alive, and then they multiply and you end up with a super infection. But now the antibiotic won’t work, so you have to have a more powerful antibiotic. Chances are good that this big gun antibiotic will be much more expensive and also have even more yucky side effects than your original antibiotic.

Oh, my gosh!!! Thank you, Cat!!! I couldn’t have explained that better myself. My father doesn’t like to prescribe antibiotics too much mainly because of the misuse and also because he believes they are often times over-prescribed for things that shouldn’t require it, but will do it when necessary. He does have patients who too many times would not follow his explicit instructions of being sure to complete the entire amount of antibiotics prescribed and to take them with or without food, even when he explains to them the ramifications that you just described - and even when the drug, itself, makes it easy on the patient giving them the exact dosage needed. And they were usually the same ones and, not surprisingly, the same ones who would continually get sick. Whereas the ones who did follow his directions remained healthy. Hmmm…
I remember him getting the calls on the weekend with the certain Patient A complaining that his infection “came back” and sometimes was worse. He’d ask them if they completed the antibiotic. “No.” “Why?” “Well, I felt better, so I stopped taking it.”

And I admit, I was sometimes a bad patient by not listening to my Dad either with taking my antibiotic for a horrible infection - and of course, it came back. Lesson learned.