HEALTH HABITS 



By Dr. George M. Mackenzie 



The following suggestions are offered in response to a re- 

 quest for practical advice in regard to the prevention of disease 

 and the maintenance of an efficient healthy body. 



Preventive medicine, public health, personal hygiene, are 

 phases of medical science claiming a constantly increasing atten- 

 tion because of the growing recognition of the efficacy of pre- 

 ventive measures, not only for the community as a whole, but 

 also for the individual. 



I. Tuberculosis. It is now known that almost all, and 

 probably all, individuals in civilized communities at some time 

 during early life become infected with tuberculosis. A great 

 majority, of course, never manifest any symptoms at the time 

 of first infection. When consumption develops in adult life it 

 is in a majority of cases due to the fact that the health of the 

 individual has become impaired by unhygienic conditions of 

 living, or harmful habits, and the germs which have been present 

 harmlessly in the body since childhood, take root, grow and mul- 

 tiply and infect the lungs or other organs. The individual then 

 has consumption and may or may not recover. Impairment of 

 health, lowering of resistance to tuberculosis, a "run down con- 

 dition," are so largely dependent upon health habits that with a 

 very small amount of effort in habit formation, the individual, 

 barring dire poverty, can almost certainly insure himself against 

 consumption. 



The following are the most important preventive habits as 

 far as tuberculosis is concerned: 



(1) The daily fresh air and sunlight habit. 



(2) Eight or nine hours sleep with open windows. 



(3) Proper ventilation of work rooms. 



(4) Sufficient nourishing food at regular times. If you are 

 uncertain which foods to eat, which to avoid and how much you 

 should eat, ask your doctor for instructions. 



(5) Avoidance of overwork. 



(6) Regularity in sleeping, eating, exercising in the open 

 air and work. 



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