So you want to to be healthier, with a healthy diet, exercise, a good night's sleep and the physical and mental ability to live life to the full.  

So how far have you thought about the air you breathe?  Wildfires have been ferocious this year - Chile, Portugal, Spain, the US for starters - and they affect not only those living in the area but also further away.  In the US west, Alaska and Canada, more than 9.8 MILLION acres burnt last year, according to the National Interagency Fire Center

The American Lung Association has information on how wildfires affect people's health thousands of miles away.   It says in the US that climate change has caused higher spring and summer temperatures.  The snow has melted erlier, causing soils to be drier for longer and lengthening the wildfire season and increasing drought.  These hot, dry conditions can make fire more intense and also make it burn for longer. 

Wildfires spread air pollution locally, but thousands of miles away.   For people, they can cause breathing difficulties in even healthy individuals, but particularly in hildren, older adults, and people with lung diseases such as asthma and COPD, and heart problems.  Although those in the immediate vicinity are of course affected first, fire and smoke spreads downwind.  Click here for more info

The impact of wildfires on the animal kingdom and its habitat is horrific.   Domestic pets, working animals and wildlife die in large numbers as they have no fast way out.  Wildfires can spread at considerable speed.  

Vigilence is essential to take care when it is particularly dry and hot.