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Culturally Speaking: The South Florida Sunday Podcast
Hidden Health Benefits of Spring Cleaning with Dr. Nikolaus Pankow, M.D, family medicine physician with Baptist Health Primary Care
00:07:54
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- [00:00]
A
Okay. It's springtime, where if you manage to make it through without one cold or dealing with seasonal allergies, you are considered to be one of the chosen ones. No, but honestly, there are ways to reduce your risk of catching a cold or dealing with those allergies. And Dr. Nicholas Panko, family medicine physician with Baptist Health Primary Care, knows exactly what to do. Dr. Panko, thank you so much for joining the show today.
- [00:21]
B
Thanks for having me. How are you?
- [00:23]
A
Well, I don't know if you can hear, but I'm actually fighting a cold myself, so I will be listening really intently to this interview. Let's start off with decluttering your home, because not only can clearing our living spaces help prevent those irritants from having a place to hide, but it can also impact your mental health.
- [00:38]
B
That's correct. There's actually a real link between decluttering and mental health. Your brain is always going to, you know, look for clear spaces. And when you are starting to clean it up, your mind can settle down, doesn't get distracted by all the objects that are there. And the actual act of cleaning up gives your brain a little dopamine shot, which is our reward chemical in the brain and makes you feel good.
- [01:03]
A
Right. So when you're looking at, like, a place that has too many books or too many things around, your mind has that, like, sensory overload, and it's kind of bogging down your brain, even though you don't realize that at first.
- [01:14]
B
Yeah, that's correct. It's, in a way, you can think about it when you're browsing with, like, 50 windows open, and then you start closing them down, then, you know, everything gets easier, the energy flows smoother, and you get your stuff done more quickly.
- [01:27]
A
And you know what? Sometimes it happens where you just have so much going on and you're like, oh, it's a little bit of dust. I'll get that later. Oh, oh, that's just a little mold is fine. But are there specific health risks associated with dust and mold or other allergens that tend to build up over time in your home?
- [01:41]
B
That is correct as well. So in several ways, actually. So number one is that people with allergies and asthma, they can get triggered by, you know, the dust mites and things like that that can be accumulating in your bed and upholstery and in dust, generally in the house. But what is also true, which some people don't know, is that, like, a higher concentration of those antigens can sensitize people to them. So if you Have a lot of dust, then even if you don't have an algae yet, you can develop one. The next thing is also maybe, let's say you have a mild allergic rhinitis, runny nose, and sneezing when you're exposed to algae. If you don't control the exposure, then that can actually change the level from your nose to your lungs and then become asthma, which is way more severe.
- [02:30]
A
Right, and you kind of mentioned this earlier, but many people tend to overlook it. Mattresses, carpets, upholsteries, how can these affect our health if they're not cleaned regularly? Whether it is from bacteria or viruses or mold and dust.
- [02:45]
B
Yeah, that is true too. Spring cleaning is like the one act once a year might be a good starting point, but for that goal, it might be more effective if you develop a habit of continuous cleaning. Don't let it get too dirty, because those oftentimes recalibrate relatively quickly because they're everywhere. Carpets, they are full, of course you can. You walk on them. You. You drag everything from the outside into the house and it will go in the carpet. And then when you're with activity, with walking on the carpet and playing on the carpet and things like that, those problems, they resubmerge in the air and expose you again to it. And this is not only allergen like in the dust, those are also like toxic toxins. For example, lead that is everywhere since we had the lead in our gasoline back in the 80s. And then they're also products of fuel combustion that can be cancerogenous. And they also accumulate in the carpet. And every time you walk on it, it can resuspend in the air and expose you again to it. The other, the dust mites, those are oftentimes in upholstery and mostly in the bed. To the extent in the bed that the weight of the mattress over 10 years tends to double because of the added weight of the skin cells and dust mites.
- [04:05]
A
And I think a lot of us, you know, get the whole spring cleaning thing, but it can be physically demanding. And not all of us have the funds to like hire someone to do that. So we need some motivation here. Can it also be counted as a low impact form of physical activities?
- [04:20]
B
Yes, to some extent. So generally we want to distinguish between the physical activity, that would be the right word, and exercise. Exercise is physical activity for the purpose of exercise, but all physical activity is beneficial.
- [04:35]
A
So let's talk about the cleaners then. Many people use bleach and other strong cleaners during deep cleaning. What are the biggest Safety risks that people should be aware of when they're doing that.
- [04:44]
B
Bleach that can cause skin irritations, if it gets into the eyes, can cause irritations there and damage to the eyes. The biggest danger I think lies in the. If some people mix different cleaners, for example, chlorine bleach, with an ammonia cleaner, which is oftentimes in window cleaning, then they can cause really dangerous fumes that can actually get you land you in the emergency room. Chlorine cleaners also tend to leave residue, especially if you don't dilute them accordingly. And that can cause skin irritations. And exposure to those can be a little bit damaging to the skin and also to the lungs. We know that from professional exposures of people who clean for a living. If they don't wear their protective equipment, they can get lung disease. And from the constant exposure to those, maybe you can mitigate that. Especially if you clean large surfaces and things like that. There might be better alternatives like hydrogen peroxide that is gentler to the skin. It also, the residue of hydrogen peroxide is just water and oxygen. It also has a very good effect on killing bacteria and viruses. And also the recontamination after cleaning, the longer time it stays clean than if you clean with chlorine bleach. So that's a good alternative if you're concerned about that.
- [06:09]
A
Yes, definitely. Thank you for that advice. What about vinegar? Because a lot of people like to use vinegar now too.
- [06:15]
B
Vinegar does work for bacteria and some viruses, like the flu virus. It does not work for the COVID that we found out, but it does work for most of the reasons that we use it for as well. And it's a natural substance, so it's not harmful to the environment.
- [06:32]
A
Okay, and what are a few simple spring cleaning habits that people should adopt to maintain a healthier home year round?
- [06:40]
B
You don't need to do, you know, the massive spring cleaning every week, but you could adopt a habit of tidy up five minutes every evening, meaning returning everything back to their place. That will prevent clutter. Another thing could be one in, one out rule. So for every new item that you get into your household, you have to remove one old one over time. That will also reduce the clutter build up in your, in your home. And you could in areas of high traffic, you could keep disinfecting wipes handy quickly, wipe down whatever surfaces are touched often, and doorknobs, keys, something like that.
- [07:18]
A
Dr. Penko, thank you so much for all your time today and what an amazing advice. I learned so much and I know our listeners did, too. You're with Baptist Health Primary Care, practicing family medicine. What is the age range that you care for and how can we make an appointment with your office?
- [07:33]
B
I see adult patients. The office phone number here in Wellington is 561-793-4489. We are on State Road 7, next to the Wellington Mall. You could just call and make an appointment.
- [07:50]
A
Dr. Panko, thank you so much for your time again.
- [07:52]
B
Oh, you're welcome. And thanks for having me.