Your Health

A round-up of suggested items to have on hand to keep you and your children healthy

• Digital thermometer - Especially important if you have a baby; for infants, a rectal reading is the most accurate.
• Petroleum jelly
• Antibiotic ointment for cuts and scrapes - Toss the tube and buy a new one if it touches an infected cut.
• Scissors - One sharp pair plus a pair of safety manicure scissors.
• Tweezers for removing ticks and splinters.

If you’re motivated to stop your cigarette habit, here’s how to start

It’s never too late to quit smoking. No matter how long you’ve smoked, or your age when you decide to quit, you will be doing yourself—and those around you—an enormous favor when you do. 

Nearly every study on the connection between laughter and health has shown at least some positive results, according to an exhaustive study of the medical literature published in Canadian Family Physician. Laughter is a documented remedy for stress relief, but researchers are also exploring some other unexpected effects. For example, laughter may:
    •    Boost immunity. Some studies have shown that using humor may boost the body’s levels of infection-fighting antibodies and immune cells.

Legend has it that stress caused Marie Antoinette’s hair to turn white the night before she took that fateful march to the guillotine in Paris in 1793.