Why Do Babies Hate Getting Their Nose and Face Wiped???

I have often been asked this question by parents... and even more so by my wife as we try to clean the snot off our little kids' noses as they shriek as if we're torturing them.

Given it seems ALL young kids have this nose-wiping aversion across cultures and racial ethnicities, it would seem that this reflex reaction is hard-wired into human babies. But why would evolution favor this reaction?

I tried to find an answer to this question to see if any bright researchers actually studied this topic, but was unable to find any. So... here are my thoughts on this topic.

To warn other healthy humans

Evolutionarily, it may have been helpful for the human population as a whole if it was obvious to others when an individual was sick. To see a toddler with snot running out the nose, that would have been a pretty clear sign for other children and their parents to stay away lest they also get sick. This isolation of a sick child would have been nature's way of quarantining to prevent spread of illness to the rest of the human group.

To get eaten by predators

Not to be morbid, but predators tend to feed on the sick. It is nature's cruel way of removing the weakest in an animal population which over time will only strengthen the prey animal population as a whole (Darwin's theory of only the fittest survive). Back in the REALLY old days (caveman era), sick humans would have been just such a prey that would have been targeted by wild predator animals. To be not just a young human, but one that also shows signs of illness would be indicators to a predator of who to go after.

Protect the airway

This is my wife's favorite theory who feels the last idea to be horrible and inhuman (never mind that just because evolution is horrible and inhuman does not make it false). This airway idea is based on the fact that breathing is essential to life. Anything that covers the nose or mouth, even briefly, is a potential hazard that may lead to death. Evolutionarily, this reflex would be favored and strengthened over time... even if avoidance involves just a quick wipe. Who knows? Perhaps SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) would be much more prevalent if the nose/face wipe aversion was not present.

Any other ideas? Even better, does anybody know of any studies that actually looked into this topic?

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Just How Contagious is the Flu (and Other Viral Infections)?

Everybody knows the flu and other viral infections are contagious, but did you wonder just how contagious???

Well, here are some facts gleaned from a few studies:

• In just 4 hours, one sick worker can contaminate 50% of surfaces in a typical office
• After 8 hours, one sick worker can contaminate 70%+ of surfaces
• Non-sick workers have a 40-90% chance of getting infected after spending one day with a sick worker
• A sneeze or cough can hurl virus 6 feet away from the mouth
• A sick person literally "emanates" virus up to 6 feet away... even if they are NOT sneezing or coughing.
• Some sick individuals are super-carriers spreading the virus around them 32 times more than others

The good news is that viruses can not survive on surfaces for long... They usually die off within a day (type of surface, temperature, and humidity affecting duration).

Source:
Flu Virus Can Travel Up to 6 Feet, Infect Up to 90 Percent of People Just from Contaminated Surfaces. Medical Daily News 2/1/13

References:
Exposure to Influenza Virus Aerosols During Routine Patient Care. J Infect Dis. 2013 Jan 30. [Epub ahead of print]

InfluenzaVirus: Here, There, Especially Air? J Infect Dis. (2013) doi: 10.1093/infdis/jis774

Germs Spread Fast at Work, Study Finds. AHSC 1/30/13

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Celine Dion Cancels Shows Due to Laryngitis

In late Feb 2012, Celine Dion who was to have performed in Las Vegas Feb 22, 2012, cancelled her show at the last minute at the Caesar's Palace due to laryngitis on the advice of her doctors. According to media reports, her doctors instructed her to rest for 7 days to ensure full recovery due to vocal cord inflammation caused by a virus.

What does that mean exactly?

When a virus infects the mucosa of the upper airway, it causes inflammation of the mucosa lining including the vocal cords. With inflammation, the vocal cords swell.

That's why with laryngitis, the pitch of the voice decreases and it becomes more effortful to talk. To use an analogy, think of a violin string where the thicker string has a deeper pitch than a thin string. It also takes more power to play the thicker string. Watch the video below of normal vocal cord functioning:


In order for voice production to occur, the lining of the vocal cords vibrates very quickly when they come together. If the vocal cords are swollen, they don't vibrate as easily.

Here's what inflamed vocal cords might have looked like for Celine Dion. Note the slight bend to the vocal cords and overall dull appearance.

Below is what her vocal cords might look like when they are at peak health!

Voice rest is absolutely important for vocal recovery as quickly as possible. With talking/singing during active laryngitis, further trauma may occur to the vocal cord lining promoting even more inflammation and swelling. It may also lead to another vocal disorder known as muscle tension dysphonia.


Source:
Celine Dion cancels act: laryngitis. UPI 2/26/12

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Natural Remedies for a Sore Throat, Cough, and Viral Infections

Homeopathy and alternative medicine often get a bum rap, but they have come up with some treatments for sore throats and upper respiratory viral illnesses that actually have been proven to work.

Here's a few...

1) Honey

Sore throats (and coughing) can be soothed by swallowing honey straight-up or slightly diluted with warm water with honey to make it easier to swallow. The best time to do this is at bedtime given it will stick around for awhile (eating/drinking will wash away the coating). The purpose of honey is to create a throat barrier to ease the discomfort.

Think of it like chapstick to coat irritated lips, but meant for the throat.

Use of honey is also recommended by the World Health Organization which has also published a monogram on viral colds and the various treatments explained. Pay particular close attention to Annex 3 (Page 11) which gives various recipes to treat pediatric cough including the use of honey.

Reference:
Effect of Honey, Dextromethorphan, and No Treatment on Nocturnal Cough and Sleep Quality for Coughing Children and Their Parents. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(12):1140-1146.

2) Humidification

Dry cool air increases risk of viral infections as well as giving it to others. As such, add room humidification to a bedroom and keep the door closed (small room humidifiers can't humidify an entire house... so keep door closed!).

Why does this help? Increased humidification inactivates viruses!

Humidification also helps minimize a persistent dry cough worse at night often due to reactive airway disease triggered by breathing in dry air.

However, keep in mind that if you actively have a viral illness, it is too late for humidity to help. It is best used as a preventative measure.

Reference:
Dynamics of airborne influenza A viruses indoors and dependence on humidity. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e21481. Epub 2011 Jun 24. Influenza virus transmission is dependent on relative humidity and temperature. PLoS Pathog. 2007;3:e151.

Heated, humidified air for the common cold. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011 May 11;(5):CD001728.

3) Gargling and Saline Flushes

Gargle with saline water... or even just tap-water on a daily basis. Why does this help prevent viral infections? It washes away the viral particles before it gets a chance to cause problems.

It's also probably why drinking lots of fluids also helps since the viruses get deactivated in the stomach from the acidic digestion.

Unfortunately, gargling only helps with the throat... saline flushes are required to help with sino-nasal problems.

Reference:
Can we prevent influenza-like illnesses by gargling? Intern Med. 2007;46(18):1623-4. Epub 2007 Sep 14.

4) Xylitol

This naturally-occurring sugar substitute apparently has all sorts of anti-bacterial as well as anti-fungal properties and has been known to doctors and scientists but hardly marketed or promoted in any fashion.

However, the importance of this compound is that it DOES appear to significantly decrease the incidence of ear infections and sinus infections when used regularly. It comes in nasal spray form as well as gum.

Reference:

Xylitol as a prophylaxis for acute otitis media: systematic review. Int J Audiol. 2010 Oct;49(10):754-61.

A novel use of xylitol sugar in preventing acute otitis media. Pediatrics. 1998 Oct;102(4 Pt 1):879-84.

Xylitol chewing gum in prevention of acute otitis media: double blind randomised trial. BMJ. 1996 Nov 9;313(7066):1180-4.

Failure of xylitol given three times a day for preventing acute otitis media. Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2007 May;26(5):423-7.

Xylitol administered only during respiratory infections failed to prevent acute otitis media. Pediatrics. 2002 Feb;109(2):E19.

Conclusion

Sometimes the BEST medicine are things you can do at home without need for a physician visit... and is based on fact rather than anecdotal evidence.

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