One of the best ways to avoid using antibiotics is by staying healthy!
Here are some tips to stay healthy and prevent the spread of germs:
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Wash hands : This simple tip is the most important thing you can do to prevent getting sick. Children and adults should wash hands at key moments -- after nose-wiping, after diapering or toileting, before eating, and before food preparation.
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Cover when you cough or sneeze: prevent the spread of germs. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.
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Immunize your children: Getting you and your family immunized is a very easy way to prevent getting some very serious diseases. First, you protect yourselves, but also you protect others, because if you don't have a disease you can't spread it to someone else.
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Switch day care: Using a day care of 6 or fewer children dramatically reduces germ contact. *
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Disinfect: Clean commonly touched surfaces (sink handles, sleeping mats, office phones) with an EPA-approved disinfectant. *
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Use paper towels... instead of shared cloth towels.*
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Breastfeed: Breast milk is known to protect against respiratory tract infections, even years after breastfeeding is done. Kids who don't breastfeed average 5 times more ear infections.*
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Avoid second-hand smoke: Keep as far away from it as possible! It is responsible for many health problems, including millions of colds.*
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Get enough sleep: Late bedtimes and poor sleep leave people vulnerable.*
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Drink water: Your body needs fluids for the immune system to function properly.*
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Eat yogurt: The beneficial bacteria in some active yogurt cultures help prevent colds.*
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Take zinc: Children and adults who are zinc-deficient get more infections and stay sick longer.*
*Tips from the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - U.S. National Library of Medicine and NIH
