11
votes
Accepted
Brushing teeth before or after breakfast
Yes. The acid in the food can harm the enamel and brushing it to soon can remove it. So wait at least 30 minutes, brush before or avoid acidy foods.
Brushing abrasion of softened and remineralised ...
- 2,975
10
votes
Accepted
Why handwash should last for 20 seconds or more?
This is something people have been studying since 1847 when Ignaz Semmelweis hypothesized that childbed fever was caused by physicians assisting at deliveries without cleaning their hands (sometimes ...
- 911
9
votes
Accepted
Washing hands after going to the washroom to prevent epidemy
Hands play a major role especially in the transmission of blood-borne, fecal, and respiratory tract viruses.
Hand washing after use of bathroom aims at preventing the transmission of pathogens, ...
- 3,194
8
votes
Accepted
Is there evidence that the over-avoidance of germs weakens our immune system?
The hygiene hypothesis
For some reason I hold the opinion that the immune system needs to be kept busy so it wont get weak
In scientific terms, this is known as the hygiene hypothesis. It was ...
- 6,982
8
votes
Accepted
What are some ways to stop and prevent acne?
While I cannot comment on the issue of laying on your back causing acne, I hope my answer helps with your concern for prevention.
There is some evidence that glycemic index (GI) is related to more ...
7
votes
Accepted
What causes smelly feet?
This is an interesting question. You are certainly not an isolated case.
The "origin" of foot odor has been examined in many studies.
This study conducted by Marshall et al focused on the microflora
...
- 3,194
6
votes
Accepted
Is dry urine sterile?
Urine is not sterile, not while in the bladder and certainly not when it comes out.
Contrary to dogma that urine is sterile in the absence of a clinical urinary tract infection (UTI); our research ...
- 6,982
6
votes
Accepted
Can adults get new gut bacteria from external exposure?
In principle: yes, the gut microbiome can be altered by external exposures. It is the large but and a large range of buts that follow.
The newborns indeed get their initial "seeding" by ...
- 6,887
4
votes
How is a beard dirtier than a toilet?
A better comparison than "beard vs toilet" may be "face with beard vs face without beard."
This is actually a reasonable concern in the context of healthcare, where healthcare staff can be a vector ...
- 13.7k
4
votes
Is it ok to not wash a contact lens?
Much like you probably won't catch a cold every time someone sneezes on you, you also most likely won't get an eye infection every time you neglect contact lens hygiene. We all did it at some point, I'...
- 107
3
votes
Accepted
How to clean out all the earwax buildup in ears from hearing-aids if hearing-impaired? Q-tips are unsafe, right?
I am not aware of any evidence based research looking at the efficacy of at home ear wax removal. In general the goal is not to make your ear canals 100% free of wax at the microscopic level. Rather, ...
- 1,462
2
votes
Any benefits (or harms) for hair removal (beyond possible aesthetic reasons)?
Adverse Effects: A study [See Reference] analyzed the literature and did interviews with medical staff and found that the most common risk for laser hair removal is burns and changes in pigmentation. ...
- 411
2
votes
Accepted
How does one effectively/safely clean-out or wash their belly button to prevent omphalolith-umbolith (navel stones)?
I had never heard of these things and never had them. I had to find out what they are and came across an article in Volume 21 - Issue 7 - July 2013 edition of The Dermatologist.
The article says ...
- 6,164
2
votes
Should I wash dental floss pick before passing on the next teeth?
The correct use of dental floss is to use a new portion of the floss for every site. The easiest way to achieve it is through the loop or circle technique, using a new part of the loop every time.
...
- 814
2
votes
How often should I shower?
There is no official medical advice on this matter, taking regular showers doesn't yield any known health benefits. Except for certain specialized professions e.g. in the medical field where you need ...
- 2,260
2
votes
Accepted
Replacing bedding and underwear for hygienic reasons
I agree with the comments in that article. It's rubbish.
Does the NHS toss their bedding every few years??
To get rid of dust mites
Wash bedding weekly. Wash all sheets, blankets, pillowcases ...
- 13.2k
2
votes
Alternatives to Talcum powder for personal hygiene?
The evidence is inconclusive linking talcum powder to cancer. However, most doctors say there is no reason for you to use it, at all, ever, on any part of you.
If you want to absorb perspiration, ...
- 3,849
2
votes
Where do you even start going into the world of physical health?
Since you approach this from a mathematical point of view, you should consider reading this first. Von Neumann's theory on universal constructors captured the essentials of biochemistry long before ...
- 2,260
2
votes
Accepted
What kind of health effects do beards have, if any?
A similar question is answered here: https://medicalsciences.stackexchange.com/a/17052/8728 but isn't really a duplicate.
This has been studied, not in the context of health to the individual with the ...
- 13.7k
2
votes
Looking for an alternative for aloe vera oil for hand disinfectant
The Aloe Vera is just to help moisturize the skin and is being used when glycerine can't be bought.
Essential oils are a waste of time, and you need to add a water based substance to moisturize the ...
- 13.2k
2
votes
Accepted
What do we know about the connection between SARS-CoV-2 and meat plants?
There have been suspicions for a long time that meat processing plants are just plain unhealthy due to poor hygiene as well as likely aerosolizing animal viruses which are then inhaled by meat ...
- 13.2k
1
vote
Accepted
For best hygiene, should we use hard block/bar soap or bottled soft soap?
TLDR: They're both equally effective. Technically, liquid soap is "cleaner" than bar soap unless the soap container is usually refilled.
In more detail:
From my understanding, any soap is effective ...
- 144
1
vote
Can this product kill coronavirus?
The EPA has a list of products known to be effective against COVID-19. I can't tell you if your Lysol cleaner is one of them -- the list includes 14 different products sold under the Lysol brand, ...
- 2,013
1
vote
Where do you even start going into the world of physical health?
There's no quick fixes. The deeper you dug yourself in the pit, the taller and heavier the ladder you're gonna need to get yourself out.
In general, there are a few rules to start with that should ...
- 481
1
vote
Teeth brushing technique: what to avoid, and how is it better done?
There are a number of techniques available to brush one's teeth and gums.
Now each technique has its own indications and contraindications.
To name a few these include, modified bass technique, ...
- 1,020
1
vote
What are some ways to stop and prevent acne?
Pimples on the back can be either acne or staphylococcal folliculitis, that is a bacterial infection of the hair follicles, which can look very similar to acne - some pictures here. Staph folliculitis ...
- 15.8k
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