Summer Hazards: 6 Health Hazards to Watch Out for This Summer
Well, it’s the 229th day-of-the year with only 36 days till Fall. So let’s get-out-there-and-enjoy-it. I’ve told you that Summer is my favorite season-of-the-year but this week I’ve found Six Summer hazards that need to top your list of what-to-watch-out for…while enjoying your Summer.¹
Did you know…although the sun is out…Emergency Room visits are up?!?
The sun’s out – and that means the doctor’s in. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, emergency department visits jump by about 14 percent between spring and summer months; other organizations have reported a rise as high as 27 percent. And while skin cancer risk rightfully dominates summertime health concerns, you should protect yourself against these seasonal health problems as well.²
1. Dehydration
Yeah, yeah, yeah – we know you should drink more water year-round, and especially during the summer when you’re sweating much of it out. But preventing dehydration – which can cause fatigue, nausea, muscle cramps, disorientation, fainting and shock – is more nuanced than that – according to Dr. Ernest Brown, a family physician in the District of Columbia. Drink fluids with electrolytes, Water is not enough. Rotate-in sports drinks – and rotate-out alcohol and caffeine.²
2. Heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion, a condition often tied to dehydration that can manifest as nausea, dizziness, heavy sweating, weakness and headache, explains Dr. Jennifer Caudle, Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine. To prevent it, “avoid the hottest times of day; drink plenty of water; take breaks if outside doing strenuous work or exercise; avoid alcoholic, sugary or caffeinated drinks; and wear lightweight and light-colored clothing,” she suggests.²
3. Heat stroke
What’s the worst that could happen if you don’t prevent dehydration and heat exhaustion? Heat stroke – a medical emergency that affects about 20 in every 100,000 people in U.S. cities during hot weather months and is responsible for at least 240 deaths country-wide each year, according to an article in American Family Physician. Be on the lookout for confusion or loss of consciousness, high body temperature, hot and dry skin and/or profuse sweating.²
4. Drowning
Splashing, diving, pool partying – it’s all fun and games until someone drowns. Sure enough, drowning is responsible for 380,000 deaths per year worldwide, reports a 2016 paper in the journal Resuscitation. Perhaps more startling is that drowning causes more deaths in 1- to 4-year-old kids than anything except birth defects, and it’s the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for 1- to 14-year-olds, the CDC reports. Prevent a summer tragedy by learning or teaching others to swim, ensuring proper supervision and poolside barriers like fences and avoiding alcohol around water.²
5. Bug bites
Compared to unconsciousness or death by heat stroke or drowning, a measly mosquito bite seems like a small price to pay for summer adventures like camping, picnicking or traveling. And while it usually is, some can spread diseases such as Zika, Dengue, West Nile Virus and Chikungunya, Caudle says. Protect yourself by putting screens on windows and doors, wearing Environmental Protection Agency-approved bug repellent and wearing long-sleeved clothing and checking the CDC website before planning travel to potentially Zika-infected areas. Fend off ticks – which can carry Lyme disease and other illnesses – by avoiding tall grass, wearing appropriate clothing and repellent, treating pets for ticks and following other advice from the CDC.²
6. Ankle, knee and back pain
Whether you’re called to a summer softball league, pickup beach volleyball game or neighborhood tennis match, resist the temptation to overcommit if you’ve been slacking in the off season. As the weather improves … we tend to treat people for acute ankle, knee and back pain,” he says. The good news? Such injuries – are almost entirely avoidable – simply by working with a professional to adopt an exercise routine year-round.²
Well, even in-the-best-of-seasons there are things to consider in being safe, healthy & well. You might say – living each Season-to-it’s fullest! Remember, at Conizo, we want you to live-well through every season of life, and that’s why we continue to provide the best in information, experiences & resources, all designed to help you simply, live well!
Stop by the intersection of wisdom & hope, our www.Conizo.com page and see happening this Summer.
Thanks for stopping by…live well
Notes
Conizo Living & Wellness, www.Conizo.com
US News & World Report, Health, 6 Health Hazards to Watch Out for This Summer Other Than Skin Cancer, https://health.usnews.com/wellness/slideshows/6-health-hazards-to-watch-out-for-this-summer-other-than-skin-cancer?slide=2