How To Stay Healthy | Mark Gendreau | TEDxCambridge

Summary

In this TEDx talk, emergency physician Mark Gendreau emphasizes the importance of proper handwashing to prevent infections. He reveals that hands are responsible for spreading 80% of infections, and a significant portion of individuals either don't wash their hands or don't do it correctly. Gendreau stresses that merely passing hands under water or using alcohol gel isn't sufficient. Instead, he suggests the "Happy Birthday" technique — washing hands thoroughly for 20-30 seconds while singing the song twice — to effectively eliminate germs and improve overall health.

Highlights

• Mark Gendreau highlights the critical role hands play in spreading germs — 80% of infections start there! ✋
• A quick rinse or a dab of hand sanitizer isn't enough for clean hands. Scrub for 20-30 seconds! 🕒
• Singing 'Happy Birthday' twice while washing can help you time your handwashing effectively. 🎤
• Thorough handwashing is a scientifically-backed method to stay healthy and prevent disease. 🧼
• Mark shares a personal testament: effective handwashing keeps him healthy even in a germ-filled ER! 👨‍⚕️

Key Takeaways

• Hands are responsible for spreading 80% of infections — wash them well! ✋
• Most people don't wash their hands properly, increasing the risk of illness. 😷
• Proper handwashing involves scrubbing for 20-30 seconds, the time it takes to sing 'Happy Birthday' twice. 🎶
• Washing hands thoroughly can prevent illness and reduce antibiotic resistance. 💊
• Clean hands protect not only your health but also the health of those around you. 🌍

Overview

Mark Gendreau opens his talk with an engaging question about birthdays, linking it to a life-saving practice: proper handwashing. He unfolds the startling statistic that 80% of infections are spread through hands, emphasizing their pivotal role in our health. Germs are everywhere, and many people aren't washing their hands after bathroom trips, or if they do, they’re not doing it right. His humorous and light-hearted approach demystifies handwashing as a boring task and frames it as fun and life-saving.

Throughout the talk, Gendreau shares both alarming and enlightening truths about hygiene. Using 'germ glow', he visibly demonstrates how germs remain on hands despite quick rinses. Gendreau stresses the need for thorough washing, teaching a comprehensive method that includes the palms, backs, cuticles, and between fingers — the nooks and crannies where germs love to hide. By effectively debunking myths that soap harms immunity, he empowers everyone to embrace cleanliness as a shield against infections.

To make handwashing effective, Gendreau recommends an easy-to-remember ritual: sing 'Happy Birthday' twice. This fun tip ensures a 20-30 second wash, which allows soap to undermine the germs' cell membranes. He closes by assuring the audience that proper handwashing not only protects their health but also aids in the fight against antibiotic resistance. Ending on a motivational note, Gendreau celebrates hygiene as an integral part of daily life that can keep us all healthy and happy.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Birthday Question The chapter begins by addressing the audience and asking if anyone has a birthday today. It then promises to reveal why this question is relevant, hinting at an important point related to singing 'Happy Birthday.'
• 00:30 - 01:00: Germs and Infections The chapter "Germs and Infections" discusses the omnipresence of germs and their potential impact on health. The narrator, an emergency physician, highlights how everyone, including the audience, encounters thousands of germs daily, approximately 60,000. These germs are silent, invisible, and reside on every surface we touch—even in a setting like a theater. The chapter could delve into strategies for dealing with germs, the significance of maintaining hygiene, and the role of medical professionals in managing infections.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Importance of Hand Washing The chapter titled 'Importance of Hand Washing' emphasizes that a significant percentage (80%) of infections are transmitted through hands. It highlights that on average, people touch their faces 16 times an hour, providing ample opportunities for introducing germs into the body. The pathways for these germs are typically through the eyes, nose, and mouth, which become entry points for many infections.
• 02:00 - 03:30: Demonstration of Improper Hand Washing The chapter titled 'Demonstration of Improper Hand Washing' reveals surprising statistics about hand hygiene. It begins with a rhetorical question asking the audience to reflect on their hand-washing habits, specifically after using the bathroom. The chapter highlights that half of the people, especially men, do not wash their hands after bathroom use. Moreover, among the half who do wash, 95% are not doing it properly. This sets the stage for a demonstration of proper hand-washing techniques.
• 03:30 - 06:00: Proper Hand Washing Technique The chapter emphasizes that simply passing hands under the faucet or using alcohol gel quickly is ineffective. It introduces 'germ glow', a fluorescent microscopic particle, to illustrate the importance of proper hand washing techniques.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Conclusion and Health Wishes The chapter titled 'Conclusion and Health Wishes' discusses the effectiveness of common handwashing habits in eliminating germs. Using a simulation with a 5-micron substance to represent germs, it is demonstrated that inadequate handwashing techniques can be akin to germs remaining illuminated on hands. The chapter aims to emphasize the importance of proper hand hygiene practices to ensure health and cleanliness.

How To Stay Healthy | Mark Gendreau | TEDxCambridge Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 anyone have a birthday today happy birthday you may be wondering why am I asking that well I want to show everybody that by simply singing happy
• 00:30 - 01:00 birthday it could save your life you see I'm an emergency physician and I come into contact with thousands of germs every single day and so does everybody in this room 60,000 to be exact germs are everywhere silent invisible and on everything you touch they're in this theater so how can
• 01:00 - 01:30 we stay healthy well first you got to understand that 80% of all infections are spread by hands how well we're touching our face about 16 times an hour ample opportunity to inoculate ourselves since our eyes nose and mouth are the pathway of entry for most germs into our body so I know what you're
• 01:30 - 02:00 thinking well I already wash my hands well let me ask you this how many of you washed your hands after your last trip to the bathroom it turns out that half of you are lying and gentlemen you're the worst offenders and those the half that do wash their hands 95% aren't washing their hands
• 02:00 - 02:30 properly that simple pass of the hands under the faucet or a quick rub with an alcohol gel won't do it you might as well not bother washing your hands in the first place take a look at this I want to show you something really interesting I have on my hands germ glow it's a fluorescent microscopic particle
• 02:30 - 03:00 that's 5 microns it simulates germs and we use it in health care to teach germs bread and hand washing so you can see my hands are lighting up like Times Square at night right germs so let's take a look at what how useful that quick rub under the faucet really is that most of us are doing I know I see this all the
• 03:00 - 03:30 time right the quick one - all right let's take a look see that my hands are still fluorescing pretty substantially I'm still full of germs those are not clean hands you're risking your health maybe even your life not to mention getting sick a lot spreading germs to
• 03:30 - 04:00 others and contributing to antibiotic resistance by not washing your hands properly and you know washing your hands properly doesn't make you a germaphobe it's about leveraging a hundred and seventy-five years of science to your advantage to improve your health and well-being and it's a total misconception to somehow believe that washing your hands properly
• 04:00 - 04:30 somehow weaken your immune system or make you more prone to allergies science says differently washing your hands correctly can save your life so how do you do it by singing happy birthday twice alright or rather soaping up with soap or alcohol rub for the time it takes you to
• 04:30 - 05:00 sing happy birthday twice that's twenty to thirty seconds the time needed to fully immobilize the germ from your hand and to kill it by disrupting its cellular membrane let me show you how you do it get some soap and get a good lather going now everybody does really good on the palms but they forget to get
• 05:00 - 05:30 the back of their hands between their fingers their cuticles and their fingernails those are places that germs tend to congregate and hide so that's the first 15 seconds can everybody help me with the last 15 by helping me sing happy birthday everyone happy birthday to you happy birthday to you happy
• 05:30 - 06:00 birthday to happy birthday to you shake alright let's take a look at this clean hands no germs all right I know what you're thinking thirty
• 06:00 - 06:30 Seconds is he crazy well I'll tell you what it sure beats waiting two hours in the emergency department waiting to see me when you're sick how you wash your hands matters I wash my hands like this and I can't remember the last time I was sick even though I work in a very germ intense environment you do the same soap happy birthday healthy and stop touching your face
• 06:30 - 07:00 until you've done so and here's to another year of health and well-being to everyone thank you you