The Department of Public Health expects there will be more reported cases of influenza this year with the severe shortage of the influenza vaccine. What can we, the public, do? The single most important one step for your and your family is to practice good hand washing, especially before eating. (See handwashing review at the end of this item.) However, a strengthened immune system will assist you in contracting fewer illnesses--including life-threatening ones.

Your body is under constant assault form invading bacteria and viruses. A healthy immune system will keep those illnesses/infections at bay by destroying and inactivating them. According to the Consumer Reports on Health, a number of forces can undermine those defenses, increasing your risk of infection and slowing your recovery from illnesses. A weakened immune system can also give viruses that have been silent in your system, sometimes for decades, and opportunity to pounce. For example, the virus that causes chicken pox in children can become active and cause shingles, a painful nerve disease later in life.

You can help your immune system during the upcoming very busy season by practicing the following:

*** Eat wisely. In well-nourished individuals, studies suggest that immune function will be improved. A shortage of zinc, selenium, iron, and vitamins B, C and D can have fewer and less active white blood cells which are the body's first line of defense. A diet rich in produce, whole grains, legumes and low-fat dairy product provides a good supply of most nutrients linked to a health immunity. Individuals who don't consume a nutritious diet should consider taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement.

*** Exercise. Work out, but don't overwork. During very intense exercise, the body handles the physical stress in part by pumping out by emergency hormones cortisol and adrenaline. The hormones temporarily impair immune function, which may allow viruses and bacteria to gain a foothold during those periods. Workouts that are not exhausting, however, have the opposite effect: They temporarily strengthen the immune system, by boosting the aggressiveness of white cells and macrophages (bacterial gobbling cells). Researchers at the University of Southern California and the University of Massachusetts studied 550 adults. Those who exercised at least moderately, for example walking briskly most days for 3 months, developed colds only about half as often as those who didn't exercise. In short, the more exercise you do, the more immune benefits you'll reap, provided you stop short of exhaustion. Avoid workouts that cause uncomfortable shortness of breath, profuse sweating in cold weather, feelings of unsteadiness, or substantial fatigue or muscle pain.

*** Minimizing stress. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University actually sprayed a cold virus into the nostrils of 400 volunteers. The chance of coming down with a cold was directly proportional to the volunteers' stress levels. Those who reported the most tension were almost twice as likely to catch a cold as those with the least. So relax and participate in activities that help to improve your mood.     Sounds like dinner reservations to me!!!

Health Tip: HANDWASHING, HANDWASHING, HANDWASHING!!!