Hand soap giving me a false blood glucose reading

(Marie Dantoni) #21

Amen.

(Louise ) #22

Have also found natural body oils can affect the reading as well. My observation (N=1) was patting my cat before testing which had a higher reading than after washing my hands. I tend not to use soap, only water and towel dry before testing. As another poster suggested, keep consistent with your routine makes sense. As an experiment, why not test separate hands, one with soap and one without. Same with the santiser or alcohol swab?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #23

If you want the maximum germ-fighting benefit, you need to use soap (regular, not antibacterial) and rub your hands under running water for at least 20 seconds—the time it takes to sing the song “Happy Birthday to You” twice.

The British equivalent of the U.S. Surgeon General makes this point in a rather scary TED talk about the global problem of antibiotic resistance. Her talk makes a great deal of sense and is well worth watching.