AP - Nearly half of nonsmoking Americans are still breathing in cigarette fumes, but the percentage has declined dramatically since the early 1990s, according to a government study released Thursday.

There are a number of different things singers can do to assist in preventing cold and flu stopping them from singing, and one of them is to take nutrition supplements. Colds and flu cannot be cured once you have one, so the best thing to do, is prevent it from occurring in the first place.

I love singing and cannot think of anything I would rather do. From the age of sixteen until this day, I have been singing in bands from garage bands to supporting acts like Chuck Berry, The Hollies and Black Sabbath. I got over the nervous thing after a few shows, singing is too much fun to be nervous. The most common reason for any of my bands having to cancel a gig was because of me having a bad cold or the flu.

One time the band was booked to do an important show and on the actual day of the show, I had such a bad cold I could hardly talk let alone sing. In desperation I went to the doctor to see if there was anything I could do, because it was too late to cancel the job. The Doc suggested acupuncture, so at 2 pm there I was having needles stuck into my lip, eyebrow, ears, neck and a few in my backside for good measure. I thought go ahead Doc, bring it on, I can take pain, but honestly, I didn't feel a thing.

He told me that in an hour my voice would be fine, my cold would have disappeared, and I would be able to sing tonight.

I said 'fair enough doc, whatever you say'. (Yeah, right, who was he kidding?)

There was one catch. At 2 in the morning, I would turn back into a pumpkin and lose my slipper (just kidding:-). The doc said my cold would come back worse than before but that was ok, I would be finished the gig by then.

The doctor was right, my band had a really good night and my cold did start coming back on the way home. I even drove straight past Hungry Jacks, I felt so bad on the way home.

So, I lied a little about the cure - acupuncture cured my cold for a very short time. The bad part about the acupuncture was that it just covered up what I had. Why get those colds in the first place, surely, there was another way?

There are other ways - you could take a flu shot, although there is some controversy around doing that. Personally, I don't like having flu shots. You could also keep away from people who already have a cold, drink plenty of fresh water, keep your hands away from your face if you've been in contact with someone who has a cold, cut down on alcohol consumption and don't smoke. Heavy alcohol consumption can destroy your liver, and therefore stop germs from leaving your body as quickly as they should. Heavy smoke can zap the immune system, so it's no wonder so many people in bands get a lot of colds.

Therefore, a good prevention method for a musician, especially a singer, is to take nutrition supplements, because a lot of musicians like to drink alcohol, are around people a lot and are often in a smoky environment.

John Van Zyl doesn't worry about getting colds and flu all the time now, so he can always perform at his best. If you know of a musician who'd like some assistance in preventing colds and flu, please direct him or her to the following web page Nutrition Supplements