Self-Care

1. Women should know how to detect breast cancer early. Have an annual breast exam at your doctor’s office, plus an annual mammogram starting at age 50 (women in their 40s should discuss their risk factors with their doctors). Aging is the single most important risk for breast cancer. All women also need a regular schedule for Pap smears. You should have your first screening at age 18 or when you become sexually active, whichever occurs first. If your Pap smears are negative for three consecutive years, screening every three years is adequate.

2. Get your annual flu shot. In particular, if you are over 50, have asthma, lung or heart disease, an impaired immune system or are otherwise at high risk for serious complications from the flu, don’t put off getting the shot. In fact, recent research suggests that even healthy adults under 50 (including children) can benefit dramatically and should consider getting an annual flu shot.

3. Though nothing cures a cold, some home remedies can help. Hot drinks, especially chicken soup, can increase the flow of nasal secretions. Tea with honey temporarily relieves a sore throat. Saltwater gargles (a quarter teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of water) are also helpful, as are homemade saline nasal drops (same formula as the gargle).

4. Get vaccinated against pneumonia. The shot protects against strains of pneumococcal bacteria, which are responsible for up to half of all cases of pneumonia seen commonly. The vaccine has few side effects, usually nothing more than a sore arm. Those over 65 should get the pneumonia shot, as well as anyone at high risk for serious or life-threatening complications from pneumonia (such as people with kidney disease, diabetes, lung or heart disease, and HIV disease).

5. Ward off insects by using a repellant containing DEET or picaridin. DEET has an excellent safety record when used as directed. For ordinary purposes, concentrations of 10 to 30 percent are adequate for adults. Use lower levels for children. Apply only on exposed skin, not under clothing; you can also apply higher concentrations directly to clothing made of cotton, wool, or nylon. A newer option is a spray containing picaridin, which is effective in repelling a wide range of insects and is long-lasting, according to the CDC and World Health Organization. Picaridin is less irritating to the skin than DEET and is odorless, which many consumers find appealing.

6. Don’t take antibiotics for a cold or flu. These drugs, including penicillin, are effective only against bacterial infections, such as strep throat. They can do nothing for colds or flu, which are viral infections.

7. Improve your chances of getting a good night’s sleep. Relax for an hour or so before getting into bed. Read, listen to music, take a warm bath. Don’t take work to bed with you. Avoid strenuous exercise within a couple of hours of bedtime. Keep your bedroom quiet, dark, and cool. Don’t drink caffeinated beverages after dinner. Try to establish a regular sleep schedule.

8. To keep your teeth and gums clean and healthy, spend five minutes a day brushing and flossing. Use fluoride toothpaste. Use a brush with soft bristles (hard bristles can damage the gums), and hold it in an angle pointed towards the junction of the teeth and gums. Waxed and unwaxed floss are equally effective.

9. To reduce jet lag, use the sun to reset your body’s internal clock. When flying west across several time zones, stay outdoors in direct sunlight at the end of the first day in order to push back your bedtime and wake-up time. When flying east, go out in the sun early the next day to help you adjust to an earlier bedtime. Walk, sit, or exercise outside: Wearing sunscreen won’t cancel out the beneficial effect of the light.

10. To keep a cold from spreading, wash your hands frequently. If you’re around someone with a cold, avoid touching your nose and eyes. Don’t share drinking and eating utensils and other objects with family members who have colds. Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing, or sneeze into your sleeve. Dispose of used tissues promptly in a plastic-lined wastebasket or paper bag, or in any manner that makes handling them unnecessary.

11. If you’re considering taking a low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks, talk to your doctor first. Like any medicine, aspirin is not risk-free: It can cause stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, and intestinal bleeding. Anyone taking a daily dose of aspirin needs a doctor’s supervision.

12. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide for cleaning wounds. It is no more effective than soap and water (still the preferred method), and may actually damage the surrounding healthy skin.

13. For the greatest protection from the sun, get a sunscreen with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide. Or use a product — this is now widely available — with avobenzone (also called Parsol 1789). This protects against the widest spectrum of UVA rays. Other sunscreen ingredients absorb mostly UVB rays, which are mainly responsible for sunburn and the less deadly skin cancers. UVA rays may be more important in the development of melanoma, the most deadly skin cancer, as well as wrinkling and leathering. Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before you go out into the sun. This allows the active ingredients to penetrate the topmost layer of the skin and makes them more effective. Use a generous amount, not a little dab, and reapply frequently.

14. Don’t store medications in the bathroom. The high heat and dampness from the bath can speed the deterioration of drugs. Choose a cool, dry place — such as a closet shelf (a high shelf if you have kids).

15. Small children should ride in car safety seats, of course, but never in the front seat. This is especially true if the car has a passenger-side air bag. All kids under 12 should ride in the rear and always be buckled in.

16. Don’t use hanging pest strips, since these constantly release pesticide into the air you breathe. In addition, many of them contain a known carcinogen.

17. To avoid traveler’s diarrhea in developing countries, take these precautions: Drink only bottled or canned beverages, and be sure you’re the one who breaks the seal. Or stick to hot drinks made with boiling water. Never use tap water even for brushing your teeth. Pass up ice cubes. Don’t eat anything raw. Raw fruit is okay if you peel it — and don’t wash it in tap water.

18. Never shake an infant or young child. Since a young child’s neck muscles are weak, this can cause brain or spinal cord damage.

19. With herbal “remedies,” it’s buyers beware. There is no testing for safety or effectiveness. In addition, there’s no guarantee that they are what the labels say they are, that the dosage is accurate, or that the next bottle will have the same ingredients.

20. In case you start choking on food when no one is around to help, you should know how to do the self-administered Heimlich maneuver. Make a fist and place the thumb up against your abdomen, slightly above the navel. With the other hand, grasp the fist and press it in and upward with quick, sharp thrusts. Repeat until the food is expelled.

21. Place healthy infants less than six months old on their backs or sides at bedtime (not on their stomachs, which is what most parents believe they should do). This may reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) — also known as crib death — by as much as 50 percent. Never put an infant on top of fluffy bedding, pillows or comforters.

22. Don’t skip your seat belt just because you have an air bag. Safety belts reduce driver fatalities by 42 percent; add an air bag and you gain another six percent. But the air bag alone reduces fatalities by only 18 percent. Moreover, the impact of an air bag can be dangerous if you aren’t belted.

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