The Amazing Nutritional Benefits Of Okro

In most Nigerian and African homes, okro soup is a daily delicacy. The soup combines easily with foods such as pounded yam, fufu and eba which it aids to travel easily down the gullet into the stomach - quite unlike other kinds of soup in which the swallower has to exert pressure to force the morsel down. Also referred to as lady’s finger and gumbo, Okro is a nutritional powerhouse used throughout history for both medicinal and culinary purposes. Once loved by the Egyptians and still used in many dishes today (such as the infamous gumbo dish), this pod-producing, tropical vegetable dates back over 3500 years ago. But still today, many are enjoying both okro health benefits and the vegetable’s edible delight.

Like the kiwi fruit (okro actually shares many kiwi fruit benefits), okro is known for it’s high vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate content,(although not quite as high as kiwi). Further, okro is known for harnessing a superior fiber, which helps with digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, and helps to control the rate at which sugar is absorbed.
But there is much more to okro.

While the “amount of nutrition” from okro varies based on how it’s consumed (pods, grams, etc), some of the key substances in the vegetable remain the same. Here are some prominent vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients found in okro that deserve some spotlight. Each figure is based on 1 cup (100g) of okro.

• Fiber – 2.5 grams. 10% of RDA (recommended daily value)

• Vitamin C – 16.3 milligrams. 27% RDA.

• Folate – 46 micrograms. 11% RDA.

• Vitamin A – 283 international units. 6% RDA.

• Vitamin K – 40 micrograms. 50% RDA. The vitamin K found in okro is known as vitamin K1, one of two beneficial forms. The other beneficial form is K2; K3 is synthetic and should be avoided.

• Niacin (Vitamin B3) – 0.9 mg. 4% RDA.

• Thiamin (Vitamin B1) – 0.1 mg. 9% RDA.

• Vitamin B6 – 0.2 mg. 9% RDA.

• Magnesium – 36 mg. 9% RDA.

• Manganese –  0.3 mg. 15% RDA.

• Beta carotene – 225 mcg.

• Lutein, Zeaxanthin – 516 mcg.

As mentioned, Okro is rich in numerous vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are responsible for the health benefits the plant has to offer. Here are some of okro’s health benefits:

• Okro Promotes a Healthy Pregnancy – An extremely important B vitamin for producing and maintaining new cells, folate is an essential compound for optimal pregnancy. The vitamin helps prevent birth defects like spina bifida and helps the baby to grow sufficiently. Vitamin C is also essential for fetal development. Okro is rich in both folate and vitamin C.

• Helps Prevent Diabetes – Thanks to fiber and other nutrients, okro proves beneficial in normalizing blood sugar in the body, helping with diabetes.

• Helps with Kidney Disease – One study published in the Jilin Medical Journal found that regular consumption of okro can help prevent kidney disease. In the study, “those who ate okro daily reduced clinical signs of kidney damage more than those that simply ate a diabetic diet.” This also ties in with diabetes, as nearly 50% of kidney disease cases are caused by diabetes.

• Supports Colon Health – Okro is full of dietary fiber, which is essential for colon health and digestive health as a whole. The fiber Okro provides helps to clean out the gastrointestinal system, allowing the colon to work at greater levels of efficiency. Additionally, the vitamin A contributes to healthy mucous membranes, helping the digestive tract to operate appropriately.

• Could Help with Respiratory Issues like Asthma – Okro contains vitamin C, which has been shown to help with respiratory issues like asthma. One study concluded that “the consumption of fruit rich in vitamin C, even at a low level of intake, may reduce wheezing symptoms in childhood, especially among already susceptible individuals.”

• Promotes Healthy Skin – Vitamin C helps keep the skin looking young and vibrant. The vitamin aids in the growth and repair of bodily tissues, which affects collagen formation and skin pigmentation, and helps to rejuvenate damaged skin. Okro is full of vitamin C.

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Melon (Egusi) Soup: Rich Supplement For Mother Nature

Elena Davert, an expert nutritionist from Nourishing The Planet, extols the health benefits of consuming melon soup, otherwise known as egusi in West Africa. Egusi, a wild member of the gourd family, has the potential to spread its popularity on the global market nearly as quickly as it grows. Native to parts of Western Africa, this peculiar looking plant can grow just about anywhere, from humid gullies, to dry savannahs, to tropical highlands –making it a source of food for farmers in even the worst conditions.

Although the egusi looks almost identical to its cousin, the watermelon, don’t be fooled, they are actually quite different.  Because the egusi is filled with very dry, bitter flesh, the seeds are the true delicacy of this melon. Composed of nearly 50 percent edible oil and another 30 percent pure protein, these little seeds pack a lot of nutrition into a very small package. In many parts of Africa, where farmers lack access to meat or dairy, the high oil and protein content can make an excellent dietary supplement.

While the seeds are often shelled and eaten individually as a snack, many processed forms of the seeds have made their way into common cooking practices. After soaking, fermenting, or boiling, the seeds take on different flavors and are frequently added to thicken soups and stews. On their own, the seeds can also be roasted and ground into a spread like peanut butter.  With further preparation, egusi-seed meal can be pressed into patties to be used like a meat substitute, and its oil can be used for cooking.

The egusi can also be an important supplementary baby food, helping prevent malnutrition. Blending the seeds with water and honey produces a milky liquid that can be used as formula if breast milk is unavailable, making the plant as diverse in its uses as it is easy to grow.

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Why Processed Meat Can Cause Cancer - WHO

Even though health providers have been warning against it, many people, especially meat lovers, were taken by surprise yesterday when the World Health Organization (WHO) released the report that processed meat could cause cancer.

While doctors have long warned against eating too much meat, the World Health Organization's cancer agency gave the most definitive response yet about its relation to cancer - and put processed meats in the same danger category as cigarettes or asbestos.

A group of 22 scientists from the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France evaluated more than 800 studies from several continents about meat and cancer.

Based on that evaluation, they classified processed meat as "carcinogenic to humans" and red meat as "probably carcinogenic."

Meat industry groups protest the classification. The North American Meat Institute argued in a statement that "cancer is a complex disease not caused by single foods" and stressed the importance of lifestyle and environmental factors.

Doctors have warned that a diet loaded with red meat is linked to cancers, including those of the colon and pancreas. The American Cancer Society has long urged people to reduce consumption of red meat and processed meat.

Dr. David Agus, one of the world's leading cancer specialists and a CBS News medical contributor, told "CBS yesterday" that processed meats can "slightly increase your risks," predominantly for colon cancer.

"To put this in perspective, the lifetime risk of colon cancer is 5 percent," Agus said. "If you have a hot dog every day, your risk goes to 6 percent."

Examples of processed meats include bacon, hot dogs, ham, sausages, corned beef, beef jerky and canned meats - any meat transformed to improve its flavor or preserve it through techniques like salting, curing or smoking.

"We've always known, processed meats - too much is bad," Agus said. "Processed meats aren't good for blood pressure, have a slight increase in colon cancer risk, potentially a slight increase in prostate and pancreatic cancer [risk]. They're very small. But the key is what grandma used to say: moderation."

He said research shows that three and a half servings of regular meat per week appears to have no negative health consequences.

Dana White, a clinical assistant professor of athletic training and sports medicine at Quinnipiac University, in Connecticut, concurred with the message on moderation. "As a registered dietitian I like to look at the big picture of the overall diet," she said. "Red meat can provide important nutrients such as essential amino acids, iron and vitamin B12. When lean cuts are consumed in moderation, it can still fit into a healthy diet."

The WHO report noted that red meat contains important nutrients but said it was associated with some cancers in several studies. Their report said grilling, pan-frying or other high-temperature methods of cooking red meat produce the highest amounts of chemicals suspected to cause cancer.

While the WHO report classifies processed meats as "carcinogenic to humans" - the same category as tobacco smoking and asbestos - it points out this does not mean such foods are as hazardous as cigarettes.

The classifications "describe the strength of the scientific evidence about an agent being a cause of cancer, rather than assessing the level of risk," it explains. "This classification is based on sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer."

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Plants Based Diets Healthier For The Brain - Study

Following a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish and healthy fats may preserve a more youthful brain in old age, a United States (U.S) study has stated. Previous research has connected Mediterranean diet to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative brain conditions, noted lead study author, Yian Gu of Columbia University in New York.

For the current study which is published in the journal Neurology, researchers focused on elderly people with normal cognitive function to see if the diet might also be tied to losing fewer brain cells due to aging, Gu said. Scientific evidence has shown that ageing can cause the brain to shrink.

Deterioration of the brain sneaks up on most people. As people age, their reflexes slow. They walk and act slower and in some, memory begin to fail especially the short term form of memory ability that is so crucial for learning new things.

Although, ageing brain is a major risk factor for most common neurodegenerative diseases, including mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, cerebrovascular disease, Pakinson’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease, the U.S study shows that consumption of diet of Mediterranean countries, characterized especially by a high consumption of vegetables and olive oil and moderate consumption of protein confers health benefits. Countries with coastline on the Mediterranean Sea have through their diet culture carved a niche for themselves as researchers have found their eating plan to be healthier as well as heartfriendly.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts and replacing butter with healthy fats, such as olive oil. It also includes using herbs instead of salt to flavour foods. Furthermore, Mediterranean diet features fish and poultry – lean sources of protein – over red meat, which contains more saturated fat.

Red wine is similarly consumed regularly but in moderate amounts. Explaining details of the U.S. study, Gu said: “Among cognitively healthy older adults, we were able to detect an association between higher adherence to a Mediterranean type diet and better brain measures.”

To understand the relationship between the diet and brain health, Gu and colleagues reviewed surveys that 674 elderly people completed about their eating habits and then examined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brains. Compared to the people who didn’t regularly follow many aspects of the Mediterranean diet, the participants who adhered to this way of eating more often had larger total brain volume, as well as more gray and white matter.

Higher fish intake and lower meat consumption, one aspect of a Mediterranean diet, was tied to larger total gray matter volume on the brain scans. Also, eating less meat was independently associated with larger total brain volume.

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Banana Peels Are Packed Full With Nutrients

They are traditionally tossed aside, consigned to the rubbish and long forgotten. But, rather than deserve their reputation as a slippery hazard, the butt of cartoon jokes, banana skins are, in fact, good for us.

Whether you're partial to a green, yellow or browning fruit, the peel is packed with nutrients that can prove beneficial to the body. While it may strike you as an alien concept to use banana skin in your daily diet, in many parts of the world, notably India and the Caribbean, the peel is used to add flavour and substance to dishes.

And, there is now a growing consensus, which suggests the nutrients, compounds and minerals hidden away within the skin could help aid weight loss, and boost your mood. 

Banana skins are packed with various nutrients and vitamins that can boost your health, aid weight-loss and improve your mood, nutritionists say.

Nutritionist Ella Allred says while 'at first the peel may seem like an odd choice of food, when you investigate further you will realize there are nutritional benefits'.

She says: "The extra fibre in banana skins will certainly help with bowel regularity. The nutrition profile of magnesium, potassium, vitamin C and B6 is not something to be sniffed at." Laura Flores, a San Diego-based nutritionist agrees.

She told LiveScience: "It contains high amounts of vitamin B6 and B12, as well as magnesium and potassium, and some fibre and protein."

Furthermore, according to an article in the journal of Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, banana peels also contain 'various bioactive compounds like polyphenols, carotenoids and others'.

The skins are packed with vitamin A, which aids in healthy teeth, bones and soft tissue.

While B6 aids the body's immune system, promoting brain and heart health. It also regulates blood sugar levels, and so can help boost your mood.

And B12, also helps the brain and nervous system. Furthermore, B vitamins and the antioxidants lurking in the skin help stoke the metabolism and can therefore prove useful for those trying to lose weight.

And when it comes to being diet friendly, the peel adds no calories to your daily diet, only extra sustenance. 

Adding the peel of your banana to a smoothie is a good way to enjoy its benefits, adding fibre to the drink 

and helping you feel fuller for longer

Vitamin C aids the body in healing, growing new tissue and ligaments, while fibre can help you feel fuller for longer, making the skin diet-friendly.

The peel is also high in the mood-boosting hormone serotonin - a neurotransmitter derived from tryptophan. 

As well as helping to give you a life, tryptophan, an essential amino acid, is often prescribed to help treat sleep problems.

Past research has found fibre helps to lower cholesterol, in turn protecting against heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.

High levels of lutein contained within the peel can help protect your night vision.

The compound has also been found to play a role in preventing cataracts and macular degeneration - one of the leading causes of blindness.  

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Ebola: Virus Exists In Survivor's Semen For 9 Months

An electron micrograph scan shows the Ebola virus emerging from an infected cell.

Researchers have long known that the Ebola virus can linger in certain bodily fluids even after an infected person begins to recover. But a new study shows that remnants of the virus remained in the semen of some male survivors in Sierra Leone for 9 months after the onset of symptoms, raising new questions about how long Ebola might remain transmissible.

"These results come at a critically important time, reminding us that while Ebola case numbers continue to plummet, Ebola survivors and their families continue to struggle with the effects of the disease," Bruce Aylward, the World Health Organization's top Ebola official, said in a statement. "[The study] provides further evidence that survivors need continued, substantial support for the next 6 to 12 months to meet these challenges and to ensure their partners are not exposed."

The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, are part of a long-term effort to decipher the mysteries that still surround the deadly disease. While the unprecedented Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 11,000 people, it also has left behind something previous outbreaks did not -- thousands of survivors that researchers hope can teach us more about the virus.

The study involved analyzing semen samples from 93 Sierra Leonean men who had survived Ebola.

Researchers detected the presence of the virus's genetic material in the semen of all nine men tested in the first three months after their illness began. More than half of the 40 men tested between four and six months after the onset of their symptoms also tested positive, as did a quarter of the 43 men tested between seven to nine months after their illness began.

The findings shed new light on how long the virus can remain in the body. As recently as last October, the WHO noted that while the virus is spread primarily through contact with blood, feces and vomit -- and typically during the height of illness -- it also had been detected in breast milk, urine and semen. "In a convalescent male, the virus can persist in semen for at least 70 days; one study suggests persistence for more than 90 days," the organization wrote then. The study suggests that the virus can hang around even longer than many researchers expected.

But plenty of questions remain. The authors acknowledged that they still lack data about how the presence of Ebola virus RNA in semen relates to the likelihood of actual transmission. Despite some suspected instances of Ebola being spread through sexual activity, it is exceedingly rare, and "the risk of sexual transmission is unknown and is being investigated," the study states.

The explanation for why some men retain fragments of the Ebola virus in their semen for months while others clear the virus also remains unclear. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are conducting more tests on the samples to determine whether the virus is live and potentially infectious. In the meantime, health officials have urged the more than 8,000 male Ebola survivors to abstain from sex or use condoms until no remnants of the virus remain in their semen.

The study, conducted jointly by the CDC, the WHO and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, comes as the countries hard-hit by the Ebola crisis are pushing to end the outbreak nearly two years after it began. The epidemic is now confined to small areas of Guinea and Sierra Leone, the WHO said. Liberia remains free of Ebola. In general, the epidemic is considered over in a country when no new cases are identified for 42 days, twice the incubation period of the virus.

However,  it is believed that, so long as there is a case of Ebola in any part of the world, there is the risk that it could be imported into any other part of the world.

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Why Marriage Could Lead To Obesity In Both Men And Women

Marriage, the legal contract between spouses has now been shown to be a risk factor for weight gain, a new study has suggested. According to the research, which is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, when one spouse becomes obese, the other’s risk of obesity almost doubles.

“Normal weight people whose spouses went from being normal weight to obese were more likely to become obese,” said Laura Cobb, who led the study as a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “This suggests that changes in one spouse are likely to also be reflected in the other spouse, likely because of similar changes in diet, physical activity or other behaviors that impact obesity,” Cobb disclosed.

Weight gain is an increase in body weight which could ultimately result to obesity, a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have a negative effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems.

Some health challenges that could arise from obesity include cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis, and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon).

In African societies, weight gain due to marriage is mostly experienced by women. This has been attributed to a whole lot of factors ranging from sexual to dietary. But, with this new research, both men and women are liable to obesity due to marriage.

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Danger: Children Addicted To Phone Could develop Hunchback

Children as young as seven are developing hunchbacks and curved spines because of the hours spent bending over smart phones and tablets, a chiropractor has claimed.

Dr James Carter warned that he had seen an "alarming increase" in the condition.

He said patients often came in complaining of a headache but that a simple heel-to-toe test revealed that they had developed a backwards curve in the neck having spent hours hunched over electronic devices.

"I have started seeing lots of cases over the past two years, especially in young schoolchildren and teenagers," Dr Carter told Daily Mail Australia.

"The condition is called 'text neck' because it is often caused when people sit with their heads dropped forward looking at their devices for several hours at a time. nstead of a normal forward curve, patients can be seen to have a backwards curve. It can be degenerative, often causing head, neck, shoulder and back pain. Many patients come in complaining they have a headache, but we actually find text neck is the cause of it. They often fail a simple heel-to-toe test and tend to fall over," he added.
 
Sammy Margo, from the UK's Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, agreed that "text neck" was on the rise.
She said: "When you drop your chin on to your chest for a long period you are stretching the whole structure. Eventually, in conjunction with a sedentary lifestyle, it could lead to serious consequences."
Dr Carter, from Niagara Park on Australia's New South Wales Central Coast, warned that the condition could lead to anxiety and depression as well as spinal damage.

And he said 50 per cent of the patients he diagnosed were school-aged children and teenagers.

A recent survey by the consultancy ComRes for Channel 4 News found just over half of parents worried their kids were exposed to sexual content on their electronic devices, while 52 per cent said they were worried about them meeting strangers online.

It also found that children spend an average of nearly three hours a day in front of their screens – whether playing games, watching videos on YouTube or using social media.

Dr Carter advised avoiding using laptops or phones while sitting or lying in bed and raising monitors or devices to eye level.

Dr Chris McCarthy, a consultant spinal physiotherapist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, cautioned against the use of X-rays to diagnose such a condition.

He expressed concern that patients suspecting they had the condition would go to their GP and expect to have an X-ray, which he said were not recommended in the treatment of neck pain and would expose them to unnecessary radiation.

Whilst he said he had heard of "text neck", he suggested that the broader problem was more likely to stem from a sedentary lifestyle and a general lack of exercise.

"Non-specific neck pain can be related to sedentary postures," he said.

"As physios, we would support a notion that if a child does not do any exercise and stays in a static position playing computer games and on Facebook there is more chance they will get spinal pain, including in the neck."

 

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Herbal Remedy For Male Infertility

According to Hethir Rodriguez, a renowed researcher with Natural Infertility, low sperm count and infertility in men is more prevalent than most couples think. People tend to think that if a woman is not getting pregnant the fertility issue must be with the woman, but that is not necessarily always the case. There is an equal chance that male factor infertility can be the cause of a couple’s difficulty in achieving pregnancy. While women have many tests to try to find out the cause of infertility, men have only a couple, the sperm analysis being the easiest.

If you have been trying to get pregnant for more than a year, make sure that both of you go and get fertility test. There are at-home sperm count tests available in stores, or you can have a complete semen analysis performed at your doctor’s office.

The results of a good test would be a sperm count of 20 million or more sperm with healthy motility and morphology. Suboptimal levels are less than 20 million sperm. If you find that your sperm levels are low or are having issues with mobility, motility or morphology, it is necessary to consider some natural therapies you can use to help improve sperm count and health.

There are many potential causes of low sperm count and male infertility. Fortunately, we have control over many of them by reducing their exposure.
Here is a list of the top culprits:

• EMF’s – Electromagnetic frequencies (EMF’s) have been shown through studies to lower sperm count due to the heating of the testicles from the EMF’s. Do not keep your cell phone in your pocket and do not place your laptop computer on your lap.
• Radio frequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) – A study performed in 2011 (Fert. Ster. 1/2012) showed that RF-EMWs emitted from devices connected to Wi-Fi (wireless internet) decrease sperm motility, while increasing sperm DNA fragmentation. Men should avoid using laptop computers running on a Wi-Fi connection directly on their lap. In addition, be sure to avoid carrying a smart phone in your front pocket.
• Cigarette smoking – Smoking damages the sperm. Period. The good news is the damage done from smoking can be reversed as long as you quit smoking.
• Pesticides and hormones in foods – The pesticides found on produce and the hormones added to dairy and meat have a HUGE effect on a man’s hormonal balance. Pesticides mimic estrogens in the body while the added hormones in meat and dairy are actual hormones (like estrogen) you do not want in your system.
• Soy foods – Highly processed soy foods (soy milk, TVP, soy burgers, etc.) contain concentrated amounts of isoflavones, a type of phytoestrogen shown to block estrogen receptor sites that are needed for testosterone.
• Alcohol– In a study of men with poor sperm quality, excessive alcohol consumption was associated with a decrease in the number of normal sperm.
• Plastics – When plastics are heated they release xenohormones which mimic estrogen in the body.
• Hyperthermia (overheating) – The testicles need to keep the sperm at a healthy temperature (which is less then the body’s temperature). It is thought that this may be in part why the male reproductive organs are external. Heat is known to damage sperm, so it may be best to avoid repeated exposure to activities that may elevate the temperature of the testicles. Examples are frequent use of saunas or hot tubs. In addition, tight underwear like briefs can keep the testicles from being able to hang and regulate their temperature. Boxers could be an alternative to briefs.
• Stress – Stress can have a big impact on hormone balance which can in turn have an affect on sperm production...
• (TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)
• For effective herbal cure for male infertility, call or sms +2347031040178.

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Getting The Best Out Of Your Hands Washing Therapy

As the world marks Global Hands Washing Day, we cannot but look into those issues bothering on hands washing and how it can help promote the health of the individual. Washing your hands correctly (or using an alcohol-based hand rub) is the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself against a number of infectious diseases, such as influenza (the "flu") and the common cold; infact, hand washing is now a spotlight in view of the recent cases of ebola virus disease invasion. Not only will it help keep you healthy, it will help prevent the spread of infectious diseases to others.

Even if your hands appear to be clean, they may carry germs. Hands pick up micro-organisms (germs) in a number of ways.

When people who are sick sneeze or cough, the germs that are making them sick are expelled into the air in tiny droplets. If these droplets get onto your hands, and then you touch your mouth, eyes or nose without washing away the germs, you carry the infection. You can also get sick if you don't wash your hands before and after preparing food, after handling raw meat, and after using the toilet.

Washing your hands not only prevents you from getting sick, but it also reduces the risk of infecting others. If you don't wash your hands properly before coming into contact with others, you can infect them with the germs on your hands. Other people can also get sick from the germs unwashed hands leave on shared objects like doorknobs, keyboards, and other equipment in the home or workplace.

Hand-to-hand contact can spread mild conditions, such as the common cold, but also more severe or life-threatening diseases. Infectious diseases are a particular risk to the very young, the elderly, those with a pre-existing disease, and people with a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV or AIDS.

Although hand washing might seem like a simple task, you should follow these steps to thoroughly rid your hands of germs.

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Alcohol-based hand cleansers are useful when soap and water are not available. In most cases antibacterial soap is not necessary for safe, effective hand hygiene.
• Remove any hand or arm jewellery you may be wearing and wet your hands with warm water. Add regular soap and rub your hands together, ensuring you have lathered all surfaces for at least 15 seconds. How long is 15 seconds? The length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday.
• Wash the front and back of your hands, as well as between your fingers and under your nails.
• Rinse your hands well under warm running water, using a rubbing motion.
• Wipe and dry your hands gently with a paper towel or a clean towel. Drying them vigorously can damage the skin.
• Turn off the tap using the paper towel so that you do not re-contaminate your hands. When using a public bathroom, use the same paper towel to open the door when you leave.
• If skin dryness is a problem, use a moisturizing lotion.

If you have sensitive skin or are in a position where you must wash your hands constantly (as a healthcare worker must), you might want to use an alcohol-based hand rub instead.

• An alcohol-based hand rub can be used if soap and water are not available.
• If your hands are visibly soiled, it is best to use soap and water. If it's not possible to wash with soap and water, use towelettes to remove the soil, then use an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Use hand rubs according to the manufacturer's instructions. Make sure your hands are dry, as wet hands will dilute the product.
• Use enough product to cover all the surfaces of your hands and fingers.
• Rub your hands together until the product has evaporated. If dry skin is a problem, use a moisturizing lotion.

 This article was produced in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

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