Do not smoke. Smoke is the most significant self induced cause of disease. Smoke generates or contributes to many mortal affections, such as cardiovascular diseases, cerebro-vascular accidents, various cancers. To inhale the smoke exhaled by others is also a risk. On this subject consult: dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Hobbies/Smoking/Secondhand_Smoke /

Maintain a normal weight. Is your weight normal? You can easily determine this on the site: www.FeelYourPower.ch.

Have a balanced diet, varied, low in greases and rich in fruits, vegetables, fibres,vitamins and antioxydants. Lycopen is the most potent of antioxydants, which are an important part of the body's cell protection systems. Antioxydants neutralize free radicals, unstable molecules that cause significant cellular damage, which many scientists believe, along with other factors, may lead to the developement of a number of chronic diseases. Tomato, pink grapefruit and water melon are excellent sources of lycopene. Take a daily vitamins supplement (in particular E, B, D, folic acid, calcium, selenium). We really are what we eat.

It is the combination of antioxydants, phytochemicals and fiber that work together to confer health benefits. The best ten foods in preventive medicine are: tomatoes, spinach, nuts, broccoli, oats, salmon, garlic, green tea, blueberries and... red wine!

Omega-3 fatty acids (in fish oils) are good for the heart and also may be good for the brain by promoting the health of nerve-cell membrane.

Drink a glass or two of wine a day. With such a daily intake : your risk to die from heart disease decreasesfrom 30 to 40 %, your risk to develop a degenerative disease of the retina which provoques partial blindness, your risk of postmenopausic osteoporosis, and your risk to become diabetic and/or to have gallstones etc... A reasonable amounts of alcohol opens up arteries, increases blood flow of the heart vessels in particular and increases the concentration of the good cholesterol HDL. But remember: too much a good thing can be dangerous! Beyond two or three drinks a day, the risks begin outweighting the benefits. Exercise and a better balanced diet are at the top list of preventive medicine measures.

Take time for regular physical exercise, but avoid taking risks in your sporting activities. Walk, not run or jog or sprint. Just walk at a reasonable vigorous clip (5 km/h to 6 km/h) for a half an hour or so, may be five or six times a week. Over the long term, such a regular walking routine do a world of preventive good, lowering your risk of stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and even cancer to treating artritis, high blood pressure, overweight and, even, is a safe and effective treatment for depression.

"Regular physical activity is probably as close to a magic bullet as we will come in modern medicine," says Doctor JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harward's Brigham and women's hospital. "If every one in the US were to walk briskly 30 minutes a day, we could cut the incidence of many chronic diseases 30% to 40%."

Many ills we associate with aging, brittle bones, poor balance, weight gain, turn out to be more closely linked to the loss of muscle mass than to the passage of time. With a modest weight training, we can reverse much of that decline. Strong muscles lead to strong bones, which help prevent the onset of osteoporosis. Even 90-years olds develop greater confidence and are less likely to fall and injure themselves after strengh training. Muscle cells take up less room and use more energy than fat cells. Well-developed muscles burn excess calories, even when we are not exercising, and they make us look slimmer. More, muscles help the body make better use of the blood sugar (glucose), decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. If you already have diabetes, strength training, combined with aerobic exercise, decrease the need for antidiabetic medication.

Do a safety audit of your home. Most accidents happen there. Wear seat belts and child restraint seats in cars. Simple acts may save your life or prevent injury.

Do not misuse alcohol, sugar, drugs, caffeine included, and medicines or drugs. Cutting out "stressors" foods like sugar,caffein,chocolate and alcool while boosting consumption of "supporters" foods like water,vegetables, fruits and oil-rich fish, can boost brain chemical like serotonin that contribute to a feeling of mental well-being (with improved moods, improvement or even disappearance of mood swings and depression, less frequent or severe panic attacks and anxiety).Take, with care and discipline, the drugs prescribed by your doctor. When a doctor prescribes you a drug, ensure yourself that this doctor knows all the other drugs that you are taking. Only thus will you avoid a number of dangerous interactions between those drugs. Read all the packaging instructions. More than 60% of office visits result in a prescription.

For heart-attack survivors, take a children's aspirin daily for clot prevention. Such drugs, as Prozac Paxil, Zoloft and the others SSRIs (selective serotonine reuptake inhibitors), which keep serotonine in circulation, seems to have a similar effect.

Use of proper medication in appropriate dosage and manner can not only save your life, but money as well. Physicians and pharmacists can make mistakes, so don't be afraid to ask questions. Ultimately, it's up to you to take the prescription properly. If you think of questions after leaving your doctor's office, call your doctor. Be sure that you understand the drugs name and its purpose. Is it an antibiotic? An antidepressant? Is written information available? Side effects and interaction with other drugs. Is it okay to drink alcohol? Should it be taken with or without food?

To rest, learn how to relax and laugh. Even people's sleep requirements vary.

Not only is your mind like the rest of your body, but the well-being of one is intimately interwined with that of the other. This makes sense becausen they share the same systems: nervous, circulatory, endocrine and immune. What happens in the pancreas or liver can adirectly affect brain function. Disorders of the brain conversely, can send out biochemical shocks waves that disturb the rest of the body. More and more doctors, scientists and patients recognize that mental states and physical well-being are intimately connected. An unhealthy body can lead to un unhealthy mind, and an illness of the mind, can trigger or worsen diseases in the body. Fixing a problem in one place, moreover can often help the other.

A good way, to manage a stressful situation is to practice deep abdominal breathing; it is simple and cost-effective too! (C. and Mr. Krucoff: Healing moves: how to cure, relieve and prevent common ailments with exercise. Harmony Books. 1999). As practising anaesthesiologist, I have observed it is impossible to be anxious while breathing deeply, slowly, quietly and regurarly.

Adopt a pet. The domestic animals as the dogs are deprived of critical mind and dedicate an unconditional love to their master. It is probably the principal reason for which, the owners of domestic animals have twice less small health problems than their peers of the same age. Their psychological wellbeing is improved, their feeling of loneliness sweetened. Moreover inter alia, the contemplation of an animal to which one is attached causes an arterial pressure decrease and a regularization of heartrate.

Let your doctor vaccinate you, for example against influenza (www.grippe.ch), tetanus, rubella, polio, pneumococcus, meningococcus, hepatitis and have tests recommended for your age, your sex and your risk factors. Check your blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to strokes, heart attacks or kidney disease, and you may not have any symptoms. Women should perform monthly breast self-examinations. Men should check their testicles.

Check your blood pressure. Hypertension can be accompanied by cerebral attacks, heart attacks or renal diseases and it can even appear without any symptom.

Avoid touching your face unless you've washed your hands. Always wash your hands after coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose into a tissue, after caring for a sick person, and before preparing food or eating.

Travel. If you are travelling to the tropics or other regions, plan well in advance, as several vaccines may be needed over a period of time. Malaria prophylaxis and precautions against parasitic diseases are very important. Ask your doctor to prescribe a travel kit of pain medicines, antibiotics, and other medications that you might need, along with directions for using them.

Considering that the frequency of infraclinic deep venous thrombosis is very high during long flights and that pulmonary embolism is regularly described, do during such a flight, the recommended exercises to activate the venous return, hydrate well, put elastic stockings and take aspirin in low doses.

Know the phone number of the Poison Control Center. You'll generally find in your telephone directory. Write it down.

Consult a physician only wisely.

Choose a honest and qualified doctor.

Inform yourself. It is the intention of PatientProtect.com to share information with you, enabling you to be in a position to make more informed choices.

Choosing your health insurance: Health insurers spend millions of dollars on advertising to convince you to buy their plans. But glitzy ads with warm and fuzzy images don't tell the real story of what they will actually cover or cost. And besides, do you want your money spent on your medical care or on ads? It's tough to find out exactly what health insurance or plans cover. But if you do your homework and become an educated consumer, you will not only save money, but protect your family. As with any consumer decision, shop around and compare policies. Price may not be the only factor. A low premium may be attractive, but if you can't get the services you need, it's not a good deal. Get schedules of benefits for several policies and compare. Be sure to find out what's not covered as well. Don't be shy about aggressively insisting on answers to your questions.

Preventive approach, that is reinforcement of measures having for objective to decrease frequent diseases, such as nicotinism, obesity, excessive consumption of alcohol or diabetes, is most intelligent, since these diseases cause nearly 60 % of the health costs. Unfortunately too many people, in particular politicians, legislators and physicians, think that the biomedical model, i.e. therapeutic is more effective than behavioral model, i.e. prevention.

Then, to avoid serious pathologies who are wainting to get you, let you drive out stress, cease to be down in the dumps, " lose " your belly, give up bad habits and stimulate your metabolism by doing physical activity!