Are you worried about germs in your office?  After reading this article, you probably will be.  

http://www.viking-direct.co.uk/specialLinks.do?&ID=blog_uk_article_office-bacteria-project-whats-lurking-on-your-desk

I learned this trick a number of years ago from a customer of mine.  On the years when I remember to do it, I’m fine through the spring allergy season.  On the years I forget to do it, I suffer.

Here’s the trick… start eating bee pollen before the season starts. Buy fresh local pollen, if  possible. If not local, at least refrigerated and if you can’t find that, buy the canned pollen. Start off with one or two pieces a day and work your way up to a teaspoon or more a day.

How it works.

When you start eating it, your body will recognize pollen as a food.  When the season starts and you breath it in, your body won’t reject it as a foreign substance anymore (because it knows that the pollen is a food)  and you won’t have the allergic reaction that make you miserable for so long.

It’s simple, effective and inexpensive.

If you’re already suffering this year, it’s too late for this trick to work for you, but try it next year.

Don’t try this without your doctor’s approval. We are not doctors and are not giving advice. We are just telling you what works for us.

Yuch!
An average adult can touch as many as 30 objects within a minute, including germ-harboring, high-traffic surfaces such as light switches, doorknobs, phone receivers, and remote controls. At home, you do all that you can to keep the germs at bay. But what happens when you step out the door to go to dinner, do some grocery shopping, or visit the doctor’s office? Know where germs are most likely to lurk, as you’ll find out here.

Restaurant menus
Have you ever seen anyone wash off a menu? Probably not. A recent study in the Journal of Medical Virology reported that cold and flu viruses can survive for 18 hours on hard surfaces. If it’s a popular restaurant, hundreds of people could be handling the menus–and passing their germs on to you. Never let a menu touch your plate or silverware, and wash your hands after you place your order.

Lemon wedges
According to a 2007 study in the Journal of Environmental Health, nearly 70% of the lemon wedges perched on the rims of restaurant glasses contain disease-causing microbes. When the researchers ordered drinks at 21 different restaurants, they found 25 different microorganisms lingering on the 76 lemons that they secured, including E. coli and other fecal bacteria. Tell your server that you’d prefer your beverage sans fruit. Why risk it?

Condiment dispensers
It’s the rare eatery that regularly bleaches its condiment containers. And the reality is that many people don’t wash their hands before eating, says Kelly Reynolds, PhD. So while you may be diligent, the guy who poured the ketchup before you may not have been, which means his germs are now on your fries. Squirt hand sanitizer on the outside of the condiment bottle or use a disinfectant wipe before you grab it. Holding the bottle with a napkin won’t help; napkins are porous, so microorganisms can pass right through, Reynolds says.

from ABC News….