`Happiness lies, first of all, in health'

As George William Curtis said, and as I’m sure most of you can attest to, “Happiness lies, first of all, in health.” So let’s follow these easy recommendations to at least try and prevent the spread of illness as we head into the cold or flu season.

Give up the nicotine, stop smoking, no fumar. Smokers tend to be at increased risk of getting colds, often with increased severity. This is also true for children of parents who expose them to passive smoke.

If this does not convince you to quit, on a positive note, consider that quitting decreases your risk of having a cardiovascular event by 50 percent in the first year. Additionally, your skin will look better and your breath, hair and clothes will smell better. Oh, and by the way, you can decrease your risk of cancer or lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. So set yourself up for success with a plan and quit date, and call a free resource such as 1-800-QUIT NOW or 1-800-ACS-2345 (American Cancer Society); this can double your chance of success.

Wash hands regularly; as you touch surfaces or people, you accumulate germs. This habit, especially if done after touching a sick person, or before preparing or eating a meal, can decrease the risk of transferring or obtaining a bacteria or virus.
Keep hands away from your face — again, this can decrease your risk of transferring those microbes to an area they can enter the body.
Sneeze or cough away from people, or preferably into a disposable tissue. Sneezing or coughing can dramatically release thousands of viral particles that can live on saliva droplets for hours until they finds a new host. So if you are sick and sneeze into your hands, wash them.
Eat healthy nutritious meals (including dark green, yellow, red vegetables and fruits), exercise regularly, and ensure adequate sleep (six to eight hours). This can help boost your immune system, which, if the above fails or is not done, will help prevent you from getting ill.
Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. This can help your immune system and keep adequate moisture in your lungs to help prevent andclear infections.
Get some fresh air — especially during winter months, when we spend too much time in the dry, stuffy indoors. Monitor your indoor humidity, optimally keeping it between 35 and 50 percent. However, if you or your children are sick, please limit your or their contact with others, especially early in an illness or while febrile.
Take time to relax and distress. Again, this can have a positive effect on your immune system.
Get immunized when appropriate. Please visit the Center for Disease Control (cdc.com) for additional information on whether you are at increased risk for illness, and if you should strongly consider getting immunized (pneumonia, pertussis, flu etc.).
Consider starting vitamin C, zinc, elderberry juice or echinacea at the first sign of symptoms — studies vary on their efficacy, but overall should not cause harm and may help.

It would be great if we all take that extra step to be a little bit more mindful and attentive to the above. And then, who knows? This could be a flu season that just flew by without incident.