Courtesy of the Coastal Carolina Medical Center
llnesses like the flu (influenza) and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat and lungs. Everyone knows that flu vaccine may not be as widely available this year as needed, so good prevention practices are more important than ever. The flu and colds usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Drs. Heather and Jonathan Hutchings of Coastal Carolina Family Medicine suggest practicing the following healthy habits to protect everyone from getting germs and help prevent the spread of flu:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze – and dispose of the tissue.
Wash your hands after you cough or sneeze – with soap and warm water, or an alcohol-based hand cleaner – for 15 to 20 seconds (that’s the same time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice!).
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to help stop the spread of germs.
If you are in one of the high risk categories, or live with someone in a high risk category, check with your doctor to see if you are a candidate to take a two-week course of chemoprofilaxis.
If you get the flu, stay home. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
Check with your doctor to see if you are a candidate for the pneumococcal vaccine, as pneumonia is often a secondary result of the flu.
“As the peak of flu season is February, individuals should continue these healthy habits throughout the season,” notes Dr. Heather Hutchings. Drs. Heather and Jonathan Hutchings are Family Medicine Physicians who recently opened a practice within the Medical Plaza located on the campus of Coastal Carolina Medical Center.
Coastal Carolina Family Medicine, located at 1010 Medical Center Drive, can be reached at (843) 784-8300.
By Don Foxe, M.Ed.
f you are like most of us, following through on a New Year’s resolution has been so filled with failure, that you are now resolved to not making them at all.
Be that as it may, many people choose the New Year as the time to embark on a healthier lifestyle. We resolve to stop smoking, exercise more, lose weight, lower our cholesterol. What we do not do is take the simple steps necessary to better enable us to be successful. S.M.A.R.T.
S = Sincere.
There is no point in making a resolution
you have no real desire to accomplish. If you intend to exercise more, but you
are saying it to mollify your spouse and not because you realize the benefits
will help improve your entire life, then why bother? Your first step is to look
at all goals you plan to make for the New Year, and decide, honestly, how
important they are to you. Set goals only for those you are sincere about
achieving.
M = Measured.
A goal has to have a measure of success
in order to create a positive return. If you intend to lose weight, then write
down the EXACT amount of weight you will be resolved to lose. If you are going
to lose weight and not watch the scales, then what new dress size or waist size
will you attain?
Where are you beginning, and what measure will indicate (a) you are on the right track and (b) you have achieved success?
A = Attainable.
To add exercise to your daily
lifestyle is an admirable resolution, and there are people who do exercise
every day, so we know it is attainable. To lose 100 pounds or more is possible,
it has been done. To learn French, how to play the piano, how to line dance,
and to become a happier person are all attainable goals. To become an astronaut
at the age of 57 is not. It is admirable, but unless your name is John Glenn,
forget it.
R = Realistic.
This is where you modify attainable
with who you are. If you have never been a regular exerciser, it may be more
realistic to add three days a week of exercise before reaching for a daily
routine. If you have had weight problems for many years, a resolution to lose
10 pounds is probably more realistic than to lose 100. If you have no intention
of ever using French, perhaps you should resolve to learn something more
applicable to your life.
T = Timely.
The final, and most important, point in
setting a resolution that can be achieved is by setting a start date, benchmark
dates, and a final date on which you intend to have achieved your goal.
For example: I will begin adding exercise to my life at least three times a week. Since I cannot seem to make myself work out at home, I will join a health club and I will stop by after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and one morning on the weekend. I will mark my calendar after each visit and make sure that every Sunday I review the number of days I exercised the week before. If, after three months, I have been consistent, then I will add one more day a week to my schedule.
The simple resolution to become healthier, more fit, and happier just became a goal with a plan.
