When my mother was a child Polio race through the earth killing and maiming all that it touched until a vaccine was found. It reeked havoc in the lives of the mighty and ordinary; Franklin Roosevelt who later became President of the United States lost the use of his legs because of the disease and my mother's cousin leg was maimed by it and left him with a permanent limp.

Yet my mother's immediate family remained untouched by Polio, it was as if an angel slept on their doorstep to keep them out of harm's way, even though they had their share of tragedy. Is it a quirk of fate when one person succumbs to a disease and another does not? Perhaps but there a precautions which we can take to prevent contagion of any communicable disease.

At this time there is great concern if not hysterics about the new Influenza on the block called H1 N1 and/or Swine Flu. The public has been bombarded for the last couple of weeks about this humdinger of a Flu which as yet does not have a vaccine to combat it. It is said to have originated in Mexico-but who really knows?

As humans we are afraid of contagion and death, and if someone told us if we stood on our heads it would prevent both we would do it overtime. Yet for this current malady simple and cheap measures will go a long way to keep you healthy via boosting your body's natural defense against nasy invaders like the flu-your Immune System by doing the following:

1. Know your health status by finding out if you have any chronic conditions like Heart Disease, Diabetes etc and get treatment
2. Take all prescribed and over the counter medications according to instructions
3. Get adequate rest and sleep
4. Exercise Regularly
5. Don't Smoke
6. If you drink Alcohol do so moderately
7. Reduce stress in your life
8. Take Vitamins like Multiples, Vitamin D, Vitamin C and Selenium-see your physician about this
9. Eat fresh Garlic Cloves daily
10. Eat lean meats
11. Drink Green and Black Tea daily in quantity.
12. Get Vaccinated for all communicable diseases although there is none for the swine

These measures have proven to be immune boosters with or without the Swine Flu consideration. It's basically about taking care of your body-or maintaining your temple. Your body is you and while there are trillions of dollars floating in the universe-there is only one irreplaceable you.

In the area of hygiene you can never wash your hands too much to get a jump on the beast, for the hands are a good vehicle for transmitting germs. Thus you can beat the demon by doing the following:

1. Wash hands long enough to complete a stanza or two of the songs Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or Happy Birthday. If you can't stand your singing try washing for 30 seconds or more.
2. Keep your hands out of your face especially eyes, nose or mouth unless you wash your hands first and then wash your face.
3. If you sneeze do it in your elbow-Don't spread your killjoy around the world
4. Stop casual kissing only smooching with your main squeeze.
5. Wipe Down all gym equipment before and after use.
6. Stay home if you are sick.

We've been whipped into a frenzy over this new virus and only time will tell if it casts a large shadow and a knockout punch as a strain did in 1918. So far it's affects have been" Slim Pickins in most of the world to say the least, but we should know by the next Flu season if this thing rears its ugly head again, by then there should be a Vaccine on the market as the powers that be are working on it.

To monitor the course of the disease visit the Center For Disease Control's Website