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HealthPartners Urgent Care doctor offers summer safety tips
June 25, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Summertime means warmer weather and a variety of outdoor activities after being stuck inside during the cold Minnesota winter. But some summertime activities can also increase your chances for injury and illness.
"Summer is an excellent time to get outside and be active, but people have to take precautions so that a fun day in the sun does not turn into a nightmare," Rebecca Mitchell, MD., medical director of Urgent Care for HealthPartners said. "Following some simple safety tips can greatly decrease your chances for getting injured or getting sick."
These summer safety tips include wearing sunscreen, drinking water and wearing lightweight clothing on extremely hot days to avoid heat stroke or heat exhaustion, wearing bug spray, and wearing a bike helmet.
"Each of these precautions only takes a few seconds to implement and they can help make your summer activities pleasant and enjoyable," said Dr. Mitchell.
Wear Sunscreen
People often wear sunscreen when they are at the beach or pool because they know they will be outside for a long period of time, but they do not put it on for other outdoor activities. Your skin can be damaged by the sun's UV rays in as little as 15 minutes. Sunscreen should be applied to all exposed areas whenever you are engaging in any outdoor activity such as hiking, gardening, biking, or other outdoor sports.
Sunscreen is an important tool in preventing skin cancer, the most common form of cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, more than one million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. Early detection and treatment of skin cancer results in high survival rates, but preventative methods such as wearing sunscreen are the best way to improve your chances of not getting skin cancer.
Stay Hydrated to Avoid Heat Stroke and Exhaustion
Heat stroke and heat exhaustion can occur during extremely hot summer days. Heat stroke occurs when your body is unable to cool itself down. A person experiencing heat stroke may feel dizzy or nauseous, appear confused, have red or hot skin, and they will stop sweating. If someone is experiencing these symptoms, take them to a shady area and cool them down with cold water. Seek medical attention immediately.
Heat Exhaustion occurs when someone has been exposed to high temperatures for a longer period of time and has not been able to adequately replace fluids in their body. A person experiencing heat exhaustion may feel tired, dizzy, experience headaches or muscle cramps, and sweat heavily. If someone is suffering from heat exhaustion they should rest in a cool area and drink plenty of water. Seek medical attention if symptoms are severe or do not improve.
To prevent heat stroke or heat exhaustion drink plenty of water. Do not drink alcoholic or sugary drinks. Avoid doing strenuous physical activity outside; stay indoors as much as possible. If you do have to be outside, wear lightweight clothing and use the buddy system so that you can monitor each others behavior.
Wear Bug Spray
Wearing bug spray is an important safety tip in Minnesota because of the abundance of mosquitoes and ticks. These insects can carry diseases such as West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease. Bug spray will help prevent mosquitoes and ticks from biting, the method by which they transmit disease.
The majority of people with West Nile Virus will not show any symptoms. Those who do show symptoms may experience fever, nausea, vomiting, and body aches. Very few people with West Nile Virus experience severe symptoms, but those that do can experience high fever, stupor, neck stiffness, tremors, disorientation, vision loss, and more. Seek medical attention immediately if someone is experiencing these severe symptoms.
The primary symptom of Lyme Disease is a red rash where the person was bit. If the infection spreads, rashes can appear on other parts of the body. If left untreated, Lyme Disease can cause pain and swelling in the joints and affect the nervous system.
Wear a Bike Helmet
Bike riding is a favorite summer activity of kids and adults alike. Regardless of age, everyone should wear a bike helmet whenever they ride. Helmets are vital in reducing the risk of head injury from a bike accident.
Note to community paper editors:
HealthPartners has Urgent Care clinics in the following communities: Apple Valley, Arden Hills, Brooklyn Center, Minneapolis (Riverside Ave.), St. Paul (Wabasha St.), Woodbury.
About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007" and is ranked "Highest in Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Region" by J.D. Power and Associates.
Contact: 952-883-5252
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