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"The Best Health Advice I Ever Got"

by Stacey Colino

It's that time of year again when many of us take stock of our lives and try to make things better. Fresh out of ideas? If anyone knows the best ways to get healthy and stay that way, it's the country's top doctors. To get the 411 on what they do to stay healthy, we asked four leading physicians to share the best health advice they ever received. Here's what they told us:

1. Carry your own pen wherever you go.

Where it came from "I actually got the idea from my father, who was an old-fashioned family doctor in the South Bronx in the 1940s," says Neil Schachter, M.D., professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and author of The Good Doctor's Guide to Colds & Flu (HarperTorch 2006).

Why it works By carrying your own pen, you avoid the germ-laden ones in doctors' offices, shops, restaurants and other places where you use a credit card or sign in for an appointment. "Nearly every time you're given your charge receipt, you're offered a pen. During the flu season, this pen is passed to dozens of people each day -- and it's a superb carrier of cold and flu viruses," says Dr. Schachter. "By simply using your own pen and not lending it out, you can significantly cut down on your exposure to the cold virus." More germ-fighting tips: Avoid public phones, use a paper towel (or your sleeve) to open restroom and other public doors, wash your hands frequently, carry an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (for those times when a sink isn't available) and avoid shaking hands with someone who is obviously sick.

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