Cough and cold season is upon us, and flu season is just around the corner. Here are ten easy tips to have a happier and healthier season.

1) Cover your mouth and nose
If you’ve got it, keep it to yourself. Thousands of hungry viruses come flying out of your nose and mouth every time you cough or sneeze. If you cover your mouth and nose, you can prevent the spread of illness to your family and friends.

2) Wash your hands
After you cover your mouth with your hands, don’t forget to wash them. Many viruses can be spread by touching contaminated doorknobs or by shaking hands.

3) Rest, exercise and eat well
If you take good care of your body, your body will take good care of you.

4) Reduce stress
When we are stressed, we are more susceptible to disease and illness. By reducing stress we can live longer, healthier lives. If you or a loved one suffers from stress, I highly recommend reading "Stress Management Made Simple," by local physician Jay Winner, M.D.

5) Don’t share food and drinks
Forget about the backwash. Every time you put your lips on your friend’s can of soda or take a bite using their fork, you have invited thousands of germs into your body. Many people are contagious even before they show signs of illness. The next time someone asks you for a sip, tell him to get his own can.

6) Grandma’s chicken soup
Researchers have taken grandma’s chicken soup, liquefied it, given it to sick people and have studied its effectiveness compared to placebo. In the end, sick people who ate grandma’s soup had a shorter duration of illness. This naturally leads to the question: whose grandma has the best recipe? Mine, of course.

7) Update your vaccines
There may not be enough flu vaccine to go around this year, but it is a good time to make sure that you, your kids and elderly friends and relatives are all up to date on their vaccines. Pneumonia vaccines available for the young, the elderly and other high-risk individuals can prevent serious complications of the flu.

8) Breastfeed your baby
Nature’s best medicine comes from mom. Every time mom and baby are exposed to germs, mom’s body begins to make specific antibodies to fight off these germs. These protective antibodies are passed from mom to baby through breast milk. Many breastfed babies will either escape infection or have a much milder infection. On the whole, the breastfed babies in my practice come to see me a lot less than my other patients.

9) Be cool, stay home from school...
... when you are sick. This section was originally called "Don’t be a jerk, stay home from work," but my wife thought it might offend some readers. In any case, when we go to school or work with an illness, we are likely to infect our friends and co-workers. This leads to more absences from school and sick days from work. If we could all agree to stay home until we are well, that would be swell.

10) Hug your mom
Hugging your mom or dad may not prevent you from getting a cold, but it would certainly make them feel happy and it is a nice thing to do.