(PCM) According to several doctors the latest way to combat illness, especially those that are spread via hand contact, is to fist bump rather than handshake as a greeting. While the handshake is one of the oldest and most cherished greetings invented by mankind, it is also a way to spread sickness from person to person when their palms are touching.
Majority of the time a handshake is looked at as a common courtesy when meeting new people and some even say you can take the measure of a person’s personality based on the strength of their handshake. However, more and more studies in the medical field are showing that by healthcare workers shaking hands with patients they are transmitting both organisms and disease when can then spread from patient to patient.
The newly proposed idea is to do away with the handshake all together, especially in the medical field, and instead make use of the fist bump. Studies show that far less bacterial cross contamination can occur during a fist bump than that of a handshake.
While the handshake does still hold an important meaning throughout our culture, in terms of medical safety and health a fist bump is definitely a safer and healthier option.