Don’t lend out your cellphone!

26 Tuesday Sep 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

Tags

bacteria, cell, cellphone, cold & flu season, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, flu season, germs, I have a cold, I have the flu, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, sick, Stanford University, toilet handle, touch-screen

sick-cell-wp

It’s the start of the flu season… And if someone is sick, don’t let them borrow your phone. Or if you do, clean it before you use it again. Gadgets with glass touch-screens carry 18 times more bacteria than a toilet’s flush handle! And a recent Stanford University study found that if you put a virus on a glass surface, at least 30% of that virus will end up on your fingertips!

Follow me on Facebook

If you eat in the car, what happens to the crumbs and spills?

13 Wednesday Sep 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bacteria, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, Dr. Romney Humphries, eating in the car, food in the car, germs, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, mold, pathology, sticky, UCLA

eat-in-car-wp

Well, according to pathology professor Dr. Romney Humphries from UCLA, those food spills grow thousands more bacteria than anything else that gets in your car. And although they’re unlikely to make you seriously ill from a stomach bug – the bacteria could create an explosion of allergy-triggering mold! So, vacuum your car at least once a month. And clean up spills and sticky fingerprints with anti-bacterial wipes. The top 3 places where germs live are the steering wheel, the door handles and the gearshift… All high-touch areas.

Follow me on Facebook

Afraid to shake their hand?

24 Thursday Aug 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

afraid, bacteria, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, don't touch your face, germs, hand shake, handshake, infected, infections, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, Johns Hopkins, scared, shake hands, shaking hands

shake-hands-germs-wp

Don’t be afraid to shake people’s hands – that’s NOT what’s going to make you sick. Johns Hopkins researchers say germs on hands get quickly embedded in your skin oils, so they aren’t transferred to other people when you shake hands. What does transfer germs? Putting your hands to your face – and touching your eyes, nose or mouth! In fact, you can cut your risk of infections nearly in HALF by keeping your hands away from your face. Because even if you touch something contaminated – if you don’t touch your face, the germs won’t get into your system.

Follow me on Facebook

GROSS! Is that toilet seat wet?

03 Thursday Aug 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bacteria, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, disgusting, germs, gross, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, public bathroom, public restroom, restroom, toilet, toilet bowl, toilet seat, wash your hands

public-toilet-wp

What happens if you go to a public restroom, sit down, and realize someone sprinkled on the seat? It’s gross… But is it dangerous? Microbiologist Dr. Phillip Tierno says, no. You won’t pick up an illness or infection UNLESS you have an open wound on your rear end, or you touch the damp seat, then touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Because, although urine does contain bacteria, it’s generally not harmful. Just remember to wash your hands after using the restroom.

Follow me on Facebook

If you’re too lazy to floss, chew gum.

08 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bacteria, better breath, cavities, chew gum, chewing gum, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, floss, floss your teeth, good breath, gum, healthy gums, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, plaque, sugar-free, sugarless gum, the Netherlands, too lazy to floss, wad, wad of gum

lazy-floss-chew-gum-wp

Because new research from the Netherlands finds that chewing gum cleans teeth.
In the study, people chewed sugar-free gum for up to 10 minutes. Then the researchers analyzed the chewed gum, and found about 100 million bacteria trapped in each wad!
That actually makes up just a small percentage of all the bacteria in your mouth, but the reduction is still significant: It can lead to fewer cavities, healthier gums, and better breath.
That’s because when you chew gum, it actually cleans plaque and pieces of food off your teeth.
Flossing is still the best way to get rid of bacteria-causing particles… But if you can’t floss, at least chew some sugarless gum.

Follow me on Facebook

If you can’t enjoy your coffee without sugar…

06 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bacteria, cavities, coffee, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cream and sugar, drink it faster, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, sugar, Tim Hortons

drink-coffee-fast-wp

Drink it faster! The bacteria in your mouth feeds off sugar… So when you slowly sip your coffee all morning, you give the bacteria time to grow and that can cause cavities. So if you need a Tim Hortons “double double” – two creams two sugars – drink it fast.

Follow me on Facebook

How gross is your grill?

05 Friday May 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Albert Einstein, bacteria, barbecue, BBQ, charcoal, charred, clean the grill, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cook, cooking, Einstein, fire, flames, germs, grates, grill meat, grilled meat, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, summer

dirty-bbq-wp

Outdoor grilling adds a lot of flavor without a lot of calories. But how sanitary is it to throw fresh meat on a grate you haven’t used since last summer? Or on a public grill at a park or campground? The good news is, the heat quickly kills any microbes that sprouted on the grates since its last use. That’s from microbiologist Dr. Steven Porcelli, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He says the flames essentially sterilize the cooking surface before food comes into contact with it. But still, if the grates are covered with charred residue, it can affect the taste of your meal. So scrape and rinse the grates before cooking.

Like melon? Then do this for maximum health benefits:

03 Wednesday May 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

antioxidant, antioxidants, bacteria, beta-carotene, cantaloupe, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, health benefits, healthy, honeydew, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, melon, nutrition, refrigerator, room temperature, USDA, watermelon

melon-room-temp-wp

To get the biggest nutritional boost from watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe and more, store them at room temperature. That’s because the antioxidant levels in melons continue to rise after they’re picked… But refrigerating them can stop that process cold, and cut the number of antioxidants in the fruit in half.
A USDA study found that watermelons kept at room temperature developed nearly double the levels of beta-carotene as refrigerated melons, which promote healthy skin and eyes. But once a melon’s been cut, keep it chilled to prevent bacterial growth.

The danger of wearing earbuds while exercising

26 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bacteria, cardio ear, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, danger, earbuds, eardrum, exercise, gross, headphones, infection, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, old school, oozing, painful, running, sweat, swimmer's ear

earbuds-exercise-cardio-ear-wp

If you exercise while wearing earbuds – you’re at risk from cardio ear! It’s similar to swimmer’s ear – because when sweat collects in your ear canal, it can cause an infection within 24-hours. Ear, nose and throat specialist Dr. Eugene Chio says when sweat gets trapped in your ear, it creates the perfect moist environment for bacteria to thrive. So how do you know if you have cardio ear? It’ll be painful, throbbing with an oozy discharge… and it’s not just gross, it’s dangerous. It could rupture your eardrum! So give your earbuds a rest at least once a week – and go old-school with over-the-ear headphones.

The RIGHT WAY to clean fruit…

25 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

apple, bacteria, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, Cornell University, correct, correct way, fruit, germs, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, pesticides, plum, right, right way, rinse

wash-apple-or-plum-wp

Have you ever rubbed an apple or a plum on your shirt to clean it? Well, it didn’t do much good. The Produce Safety Alliance at Cornell University says, rubbing fruit on your clothing may remove dust – but NOT bacteria or pesticides. And depending how dirty your shirt is, it could add germs to your fruit. So, if there’s no water handy to rinse fruit, you’re better off using a paper towel to dry-rub that apple.

ConnieSelleccaBlog

~ Intelligence for Your Life

Tag Archives: bacteria

Don’t lend out your cellphone!

If you eat in the car, what happens to the crumbs and spills?

Afraid to shake their hand?

GROSS! Is that toilet seat wet?

If you’re too lazy to floss, chew gum.

If you can’t enjoy your coffee without sugar…

How gross is your grill?

Like melon? Then do this for maximum health benefits:

The danger of wearing earbuds while exercising

The RIGHT WAY to clean fruit…