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Opining of a Cranky Old Man
Maybe Howie Mandel Has the Right Idea, At Least When
It Comes to Avoiding H1N1 Flu
First concern for me is the customary shaking of
hands us Catholics engage in at Mass
By Bill Kalmar, Retiree
 Sept.
3, 2009 - Newspapers and airwaves have been inundated with news of the
impending swine flu, or H1N1 influenza, which gives it a more ominous
sounding! And, speaking of ominous, the World Health Organization
predicts that within two years, nearly one-third of the world’s
population will have caught it! “What we know is, it’s brand new and no
one really has an immunity to this disease,” Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebilius says.
Editor’s Note: There does seem to be evidence that
older people carry some immunity.
So there you have it. It is almost a foregone
conclusion that many of us will contract the swine flu this winter and
predictably, thousands will die.
I can’t help but hearken back to last year’s
predictions though about the swine flu when it first appeared in Mexico.
Schools closed and everyday we were subjected to on-air bulletins about
the number of cases being detected in our communities. When all was said
and done it was another Y2K fiasco – much ado about nothing!
Now hopefully I’m not close-minded and bull headed
enough to ignore the exhortations and will no doubt get my annual flu
shot as I have done for the last ten years but subjecting myself to a
relatively untested swine flu shot is another concern.
Certainly I want to avoid the swine flu but I
really want some assurance that the testing, which is currently
underway, has proven the vaccine to be safe. Frankly we won’t know the
side effects for quite some time so maybe this will be the year that I
will just “gut it out” which I guess is an inappropriate comment because
I will be doing just that if I contract the flu!
In any event there are some things that I will be
doing to avoid the flu:
● Drinking loads of water as suggested by the
medical community
● Exercising regularly – supposedly exercise
moves the lymphatic system, thereby helping to detoxify the poisons in
our bodies.
● Washing hands often
● And, as Howie Mandel, the comedian suggests -
not shaking hands with strangers or even friends.
Mandel may be a bit extreme because he actually
built himself a second home on his property - a sterile home, where he
goes if he fears a family member is ill with a cold or the flu. He has
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and mysophobia (fear of germs) to
the point that he does not shake hands with anyone.
Now that may sound a bit extreme (although the
second home sounds kind of intriguing) but short of everyone donning
medical masks and surgical gloves it resonates with me and perhaps with
many of you.
The first item of concern for me though is the
customary shaking of hands or in some cases the embrace that us
Catholics engage in at Mass. And, I suspect that other religions too
participate in some type of friendship recognition at their services.
This is not an innocuous practice because after each “kiss of peace” as
it is called, the aroma of Purell permeates the church – many of the
parishioners are cleansing their hands for fear of contracting some type
of infection!
So with flu season approaching here is my proposal:
let’s disband this practice of handshakes in churches, synagogues, and
places of worship for the entire winter.
How about a simple clanking of knuckles as Howie
Mandel does, or maybe just a pleasant smile.
Candidly we need more smiling in this world. So if
you approach me in church or on the street or at the Cracker Barrel
Restaurant (one of my favorite haunts) don’t look for a handshake but a
broad, toothy smile – and yes, even as a senior citizen, I still have
all my teeth.
 L Bill Kalmar is retired in Lake Orion, Michigan,
and is the former Director of the Michigan Quality Council. He is a
frequent contributor to SeniorJournal.com. His opinions are his own.
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