Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/786984
Knowingthatwe'rein the cold and flu season, I picked up a recent is- sue of the University of Califor- nia, Berke- ley Well- ness Let- ter to get up to speed on how we can prevent illness in our homes and offices this winter. In that issue, a reader asked, "What's the single most important way to prevent illness?" The an- swer: Wash your hands often, before eating; be- fore and after handling food, particularly raw meat or fish; after hav- ing sex; before putting in contact lenses or treat- ing a wound; after using the toilet; after sneez- ing, coughing or blowing your nose, particularly when you have a cold; af- ter changing a diaper; af- ter playing with a pet or cleaning a litter box; and after gardening or any other task that leaves the hands grimy. That just about covers it all. Germs are everywhere. In fact, Berkeley peo- ple often refer to them as "resident flora." And no- where are harmful germs passed around faster than in a school classroom. I picked that up from Miss Dare, one of my elemen- tary school teachers. Now- adays, I'm sure we'd call her a clean freak; back then, we thought of her as a walking bar of Lifebuoy soap. Remember that? With such a distinctive fragrance, there was no doubt in our 10-year-old minds that the woman not only bathed with Life- buoy several times a day but also used it for per- fume. I'm sure she had a bar with her at all times and used it frequently to maintain her impecca- ble personal hygiene. This teacher squeaked when she walked, that's how clean she was. When asked how we should wash our hands, the folks at Berkeley Wellness say we should do it thoroughly with soap and water. And any kind of soap is fine. And while warm water cuts through oil on our hands faster, cold water will also do the job. Rub your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (or long enough to sing "Happy Birthday" twice) to loosen germs and dirt. Rinse all soap away, and then dry well. Soap and water don't actually kill microorganisms, but they create a slippery en- vironment so that the critters slide off. Drying your hands re- duces bacteria levels further, but it's debat- able whether using pa- per towels, cloth tow- els or a warm-air dryer is best. A study from the Mayo Clinic in 2000 found no differences be- tween these methods in terms of removing bac- teria from hands. Other research suggests paper towels are more effec- tive. If you use a dryer, keeping your hands still removes more bacteria than rubbing them to- gether. There are many health reasons to wash your hands, but it can also have psychological ef- fects. Using a variety of tests, researchers have found that hand-washing can indeed have a psy- chologically cleansing ef- fect. Hand-washing is not likely to wash away re- morse over extreme mis- deeds — guilt-ridden Lady McBeth for exam- ple, feverishly scoured an imagined bloodstain on her hands to no avail. Next time you feel guilty over, say, eating too many cookies or yelling at your kids, besides re- solving to do better next time, see whether a good scrub helps. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Thecleanhandseffect Mary Hunt The Resource Conser- vation District of Tehama County is hosting a series of technical workshops to help agricultural land- owners apply for the CD- FA's 2017 State Water Effi- ciency and Enhancement Program — SWEEP — grant funding. To serve as a guide, the following project types are eligible for funding and address the required greenhouse gas emissions reductions and water sav- ings: Sensors and Telem- etry Components for Irri- gation Scheduling; Micro- Irrigation or Drip Systems Infrastructure (new or up- grading an existing sys- tem); Renewable Energy Installation for Irrigation Systems; Pump Fuel Con- version (from fossil fuel to renewable energy pro- duction); Improved En- ergy Efficiency of Pumps (retrofit or replacement); Low Pressure Irrigation Systems; Variable Fre- quency Drives and Re- duced Pumping. California agricultural operations can apply for SWEEP funding of up to $100,000 per project for ir- rigation projects that pro- vide quantifiable water savings and greenhouse gas reductions. Proposed projects shall implement a project design already in place. Growers are encouraged to review the "Request for Grant Ap- plications" at https://www. cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/. The grant application pro- cess requires applicants to create a FAAST account at https://faast.waterboards. ca.gov/ and submit the USDA NRCS Irrigation Water Savings Calculator Workbook and the Califor- nia Air Resources Board's GHG Calculator Tool to meet the quantifiable pa- rameters. The CDFA is accept- ing SWEEP applications through 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 14. If awarded the grant, the project must be complete by May 31, 2018. Technical assistance workshops are in place to provide hands-on appli- cation assistance and are scheduled for 10 a.m. Sat- urday, Feb. 18 and 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 in Eng- lish at the District, 2 Sut- ter St. in Red Bluff, and 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 in English and Spanish at Rolling Hills Casino San- chez Meeting Room, 2645 Everett Freeman Way, Corning. In addition to the work- shops, the District is avail- able by appointment for one-on-one assistance with the calculator tools. Call 737-5181 if you are inter- ested in attending a work- shop, to schedule an ap- pointment or have further questions. CONSERVATION DISTRICT Grantfundingforwaterefficiencyprojects Snickers is a therapy dog with Prescription Pets who makes regular visits to St. Elizabeth Community Hos- pital in Red Bluff. Cathleen Cahill adopted SnickersfromDeservingPets Rescue after he was picked up as a stray, suffering from parvo virus. Cahill has been involved with therapy dog programssincethe1980sand Snickers is her fourth dog to do this type of work. A dog that is friendly with people,getsalongwithother dogs and has basic obedi- ence is a good candidate to become a therapy dog. Af- ter attending a workshop and passing an evaluation, a handler and dog team is qualified to begin visiting as a registered team with Prescription Pets, which is basedinRedding.Insurance is provided by the national organization, Pet Partners. Visit prescriptionpets.org for more information and to sign up for the next work- shop on Feb. 25. CANINES Workshop set for prospective therapy dogs, handlers The public is invited to a panel discussion titled "The Trump Economy: What Should We Expect?" being held 2:30-5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25 in the Community Room of the Redding Li- brary, 1100 Parkview Ave. The moderator will be Fred Chavez, owner of Web- SoMedia, who has a degree in Political Science. The panelists include Mark Kent, host of "Sov- ereign Minds" on KCNR 1460-AM; he is a member of the conservative group Redding Patriots and is li- censed with the Califor- nia Tax Education Coun- cil. Rob Rowen, chairman of the Shasta County Dem- ocratic Central Commit- tee, will also participate; he was a candidate for State Senate last year. Michael Perelman, an author and economics instructor from Chico State, is slated to be on the panel. "By the time this discus- sion takes place, President Trump will have been in of- fice for a little more than a month, and we should have a very good idea what his economic plans are for the next four years," said Chris- tine Mitchell, one of the or- ganizers. Questions will be taken from the audience after the panel members are done speaking. This event is sponsored by Berniecrats of Shasta County. For more information, call Christine Mitchell at 226-8339 or write to pro- gressivesunite1@charter. net. POLITICS Panel discussion set on 'Trump Economy' CONTRIBUTED Snickers, a therapy dog with Prescription Pets, makes a special connection with Judy Hecker on one of his regular visits to St Elizabeth Community Hospital in Red Bluff. Th er e a re m an y he al th re as on s to w as h y ou r han ds , b ut i t ca n a ls o h av e psyc ho l og ica l ef fe ct s. beginthe healing process You are Worth it! Ifyouexperiencedsexualviolenceasachild, please know it is not your fault. You are not alone. 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