Back to School Safety Tips

With kids going back to school, I thought I’d share a few safety tips to keep your child safe on their way to school. Many children walk to school and there are plenty of hazards between home and school.

Here are some safety tips:

- If walking to school for the first time, walk the route with your child to check for any dangers/hazards along the way. Check to see if there are crossing guards at the intersections and check out the traffic patterns.

- Instruct your child to stay on the sidewalk and not take shortcuts, such as alleys, wooded areas or other out-of-the-way locations.

- If your child rides a bike to school, make sure they have a helmet and other protective gear. Instruct them on proper safety rules of the road.

- If your child carries a backpack, make sure it is not too heavy. Overloaded backpacks can cause back pain in your child. Make sure your child uses both straps to help distribute the weight of the backpack. Use the waist strap if there is one.

If your child rides the bus, make sure they know how to behave properly.

- Tell them to stay seated during the ride and to not horse around.

- Remind them to talk in a normal tone and not yell since it can distract the bus driver.

- Obviously, they should get along with the other kids on the bus and not cause trouble. Encourage your child to tell you if they are having trouble with anyone on the bus.

- If you take your child to school in a car or if they are riding with anyone else, make sure they (and you) are buckled up properly in a seat belt.

For other back to school issues, check out these links:

Backpacks (Nemours Foundation)

Preparing for a New School Year (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Back to School Tips (American Academy of Pediatrics)

Hurricane Safety

With the approach of Hurricane Irene and the possibility it could affect up to 65 million people, I thought I’d share some information on hurricane preparedness. If you live anywhere along the east coast (or any area that could be impacted by other storms), it is vital that you be properly prepared well before a storm hits.

If the authorities order an evacuation, even if it’s voluntary, heed the warnings to leave the area. It is best to find safety elsewhere than to be stuck in the path of a storm. When the winds pick up, stay inside since flying debris is very dangerous. Even small objects being blown with hurricane force winds, can be extremely dangerous.

For Irene and any other hurricane, it is best to be prepared so you have adequate supplies. For some great checklists, check out this site: Hurricane Safety Checklists from the National Hurricane Survival Initiative.

Another reason to evacuate if you live near the coast is storm surge. There are many factors that influence the severity of a storm surge, but some of the more devastating surges are over 20 feet higher than normal ocean levels. A storm surge of even a few feet can cause a lot of damage. For a great web site that explains the storm that also has animations, check out Storm Surge from the National Weather Service.

Here are some other useful sites:

Hurricane Preparedness from Ready.gov

During a hurricane (National Weather Service)

Creating a Disaster Supply Kit (National Weather Service

National Safe at Home Week

August 22-26 is National Safe at Home Week. More accidents happen in the home than at work. There are things you can do to make your home a safer place. Take some time to walk through your home to look for potential hazards.

If you have a child, it is important to make your home safer for them. The number one cause of accidental death among children is poisoning, so make sure you lock up any medicines you have, as well as cleaners and anything else that contain poisonous chemicals.

Other things to do to protect children:

- Install outlet covers on unused outlets

- install some kind of locking system on cabinets that contain dangerous items

- keep all breakable objects out of reach

- block off stairways to protect from accidental falls down stairs

For adults, the number one cause of fatalities is slips and falls. Here are some things to do to reduce the risk of falls:

- Install lights, as well as switches, at the top and bottom of stairs

- place night lights in dark areas of the house

- keep halls and stairways free of clutter

- clean up any spills right away

- make sure all stairs have handrails—inside and outside

- during winter, clear out all snow and ice from walking surfaces as soon as possible

Other things to do to protect your home:

- Install outside lighting to prevent anyone from hiding in the dark outside your home

- check the batteries in your smoke detectors regularly

- Have a fire safety plan that includes escape routes in case of a fire and a place to meet outside the house

- do not overload extension cords. If you use an extension cord, make sure it is rated to handle the voltage/amps of the item you are plugging in.

- keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and on each floor of your house

Links to other resources:

Household Safety Checklists (Nemours Foundation)

Gardening Health and Safety Tips(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Protecting Your Family from Fire (FEMA)

Laughter's Effects on the Body

There has been some research done in the last few decades on the health effects of laughter on the body. The research has turned up some interesting information:

Blood Flow: A study was done at the University of Maryland where researchers showed either a comedy or drama to people in the study. Those who watched a comedy had blood vessels that behaved normally, that is they expanded and contracted easily. Those who watched the drama were tense and their blood flow was restricted.

Blood Sugar: A study was done with people who had diabetes to see how laughter may affect blood sugar levels. On one occasion, the people had a meal and then attended a lecture. On another occasion they watched a comedy after eating. When the results were examined, it was found that the people had lower blood sugar levels after watching the comedy than they did after attending the lecture.

Immune Response: When stress increases, the response of the immune system decreases. Some studies show that laughter can raise the level of antibodies that fight infection.

Relaxation and sleep: Laughter can stimulate your circulation and help relieve muscle tension. It can also help you to cope with difficult situations.

Here are some links to some great information on the effects of laughter on health:

The Connection between Laughter, Humor, and Good Health (University of Kentucky)

The Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter (Assemblies of God General Council web site)

Asthma

Asthma is a disease that affects many people, with some suffering severe issues. Asthma is a disease that affects the airways in your lungs. The airways become sensitive and may react to allergies or something that irritates them. In an asthma attack, the airways constrict (become narrower) and it becomes hard to breathe. Some people have attacks that are so severe that they die from not getting enough oxygen.

Some common signs and symptoms:

- Coughing (coughing may be worse in the morning or at night, making it hard to sleep)

- Wheezing (wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe)

- Chest tightness (this may feel like something is pressing down or squeezing your chest)

- Shortness of breath (you may feel like you can’t catch your breath and can’t get air out your lungs)

Since these symptoms are similar to other issues, your doctor may use a lung function test, medical history, and physical examination to determine if you have asthma.

Some things may make your symptoms worse. These include:

- Allergens (things like pollen, dust, or mold that you’re allergic to)

- Irritants such as cigarette smoke or air pollution

- Sulfites in foods and drinks

- Upper respiratory infections

- Physical exertion

Treatment

Treatment involves many aspects, including avoiding things that may trigger an asthma attack. Your doctor will help you tailor a plan that will be the most beneficial.

There are two types of asthma medication: long-term medications that you take regularly to help reduce asthma attacks and quick relief or rescue medications that will quickly help relieve an acute asthma attack.

For more detailed information on the treatment of asthma, visit How Is Asthma Treated and Controlled? (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute).

For more information on asthma, visit these sites:

Asthma (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Asthma (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Metered-Dose Inhaler: How to Use It Correctly (American Academy of Family Physicians)

Dealing with Economic Stress

With the condition of the economy, many people are feeling extreme stress. There are a lot of things to worry about, including unemployment, foreclosures, and loss of investments. There are many health risks involved with extreme stress:

- Anxiety

- Depression

- Compulsive behaviors, such as over-eating

- Substance abuse

It is important to realize that economic stress may be adversely affecting you or someone you know.

Warning signs of stress:

According to the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, these are some of the warning signs of economic stress:

- Persistent Sadness/Crying

- Excessive Anxiety

- Lack of Sleep/Constant Fatigue

- Excessive Irritability/Anger

- Increased drinking

- Illicit drug use, including misuse of medications

- Difficulty paying attention or staying focused

- Apathy - not caring about things that are usually important to you

- Not being able to function as well at work, school or home

If you are feeling overwhelmed to the point you think you can’t function, you may need to seek the help of someone else to help you through the rough times. Here are some people to consider:

- Healthcare provider

- Spiritual leader

- School counselor

- Community health clinic

For more information on dealing with economic stress, check out these links:

Getting Through Tough Economic Times (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

Get Help if Unemployed (if you’re facing home foreclosure) (Making Home Affordable.gov)

Making Home Affordable home page

Smoking and Youth

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly a quarter of all high school students smoke cigarettes, with another 8 percent using smokeless tobacco. Smoking causes all kinds of health problems for everyone, but if you start smoking at a young age, you may face more kinds of health problems. If you start smoking before the age of 21, it is harder to quit. About 30 percent of those who start smoking at a young age continue smoking and will die at a younger age. Also, younger smokers have a higher incidence of alcohol and drug abuse.

Here are some great reasons not to start smoking:

- It makes your breath and your clothes stink

- It affects your ability to breathe well and will make it harder for you to be athletic

- It can damage your heart

- Short-term use of smokeless tobacco can cause cracked lips, white spots, sores, and bleeding in the mouth

- Cigarettes cost a fortune and by quitting you can save hundreds and thousands of dollars.

The Financial cost of smoking

The number one reason to quit smoking is to improve your health, but another aspect to consider is the cost of smoking. With all the taxes imposed on cigarettes, many brands are well over $5.00 a pack.

The National Cancer Institute has a web site with a calculator so you can see how much money you will save by quitting smoking. As an example, here’s how much you will save if you pay $5.00 for a pack of cigarettes and smoke one pack a day:

After .... You'll save

1 day $5.00

1 week $35.00

1 month $150.00

1 year $1,825.00

10 years* $24,054.95

20 years* $67,133.70

* Based on price of cigarettes increasing 6% annually.

To see how much you will save based on the amount you smoke and how much you pay per pack, you can check out the calculator at: How Much Will You Save? (National Cancer Institute, Tobacco Control Research Branch). They also have other resources to help you quit smoking.

More links:

Clearing the Air (Guide for Quitting Smoking) (National Cancer Institute)

Smoking (National Cancer Institute)