Stay Healthy:
Antibiotics can certainly get you healthy if you become sick – but if you take care of your body, then you won’t need to worry about taking medicine to help you recover from illness.  True, sometimes it’s impossible to be totally germ-free, but making sure that you keep yourself clean and healthy is a great way to stop sickness before it starts.  Here are some tips for keeping your body happy and infection-free:

• WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WATER.  Think about everything that you touch with your hands in a day.  Things like money and door handles are covered with germs that can make you sick.  But don’t freak out and start carrying a face mask and rubber gloves whenever you go out in public.  Washing your hands with soap and water gets rid of most of the bacteria that can cause illness.  So remember to suds up before and after eating, using the bathroom, and any other time that your hands are exposed to dirt and grime.  You don’t have to wash your hands every five minutes to get rid of germs, but washing them often enough is a great way to stop infections before they make you sick.
• EAT A HEALTHY DIET AND GET PLENTY OF EXERCISE.  Remember, your body has its own built-in defense, called your immune system.  Keeping yourself healthy by eating a balanced diet and getting exercise will help to keep your immune system strong. 
• KEEP YOUR MIND HAPPY AND YOUR BODY WILL BE TOO.  A person who is feeling depressed and sad all of the time may actually develop a weaker immune system.  Additionally, getting exercise releases certain chemicals into your brain that make you happy.  So have a healthy mind and keep your body happy, and have a healthy body and keep your mind happy. 

Be smart about antibiotics:
Antibiotics can be super helpful in making a speedy recovery, but only if they are used properly.   If you think that you should be on antibiotics, tell a parent and ask to see the doctor.  Here are some ways to be smart about using antibiotic medications:

• DO NOT USE PRESCRIBED ANTIBIOTICS UNLESS ADVISED TO DO SO BY A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. Unless a medical professional directs you to, stay away from prescription medicine.  A doctor knows how the human body works, and knows what sort of stuff we should put into it to keep it working properly.  If you need to use antibiotics, trust your doctor or nurse to tell you so.  Remember, some infections that may seem bacterial may actually be viral, so using antibiotics will do nothing good and potentially lead to problems. 
• BE SURE TO TAKE PRESCRIBED ANTIBIOTICS PROPERLY.  Use the correct dosage.  Sometimes, pharmacies will give you more of a medication then you might need.  NEVER use the extra as a “self-prescribed” remedy at a later date.  The medication may have expired, or it just might be plain wrong for your body’s needs. 
• DON’T OVERUSE ANTIBACTERIAL PRODUCTS.  Bacteria can also develop resistance to these sorts of products – things like instant hand-sanitizer – so totally relying on them to keep you bacteria-free isn’t a great idea.  Additionally, antibacterial products do not always kill the germs that can make you sick.  While antibacterial products certainly can be helpful, it is important that they are properly used.