| Baby, It's Cold Outside: Preventative Health as Temperatures Fall By: M.S. Gearheart The winter months make it difficult to stay healthy. Flu.gov, a new website launched by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, explains that as cold weather drives the population indoors, exposure to human contact increases. Highly contagious viruses circulate easily in crowds and linger for hours on skin, furniture, doorknobs, and other common surfaces. To avoid getting sick this season, there are a few simple steps you can take. Janice Brennan, a nurse practitioner from Lebanon, New Hampshire, prescribes clean hands as her number one preventative measure against colds and illness. "Many surfaces carry germs such as doorknobs, telephones, ATM buttons, and computer keyboards. Using hand sanitizer or washing your hands frequently prevents those germs from getting on your food or being transferred to others." She also suggests purchasing a small vial of hand sanitizer to take along during the day. Treating patients in New Hampshire during the brutal winters, Brennan knows well the damage cold weather can inflict on the skin. "It's important to remember to bundle up when the temperature drops. The cold can be brutal on exposed skin by making it chapped, red, and raw. If temperatures are very cold, skin can even develop frostbite if not properly covered." If a case of frostbite is suspected, the Centers for Disease Control instructs getting into a warm area as soon as possible and immersing the affected area in warm--not hot--water. Do not rub or massage the frostbitten area and get to an emergency room as soon as possible. Registered nurse, Mary Spring of Concord, Massachusetts, recommends plenty of rest in the fight against winter illness. "The number one thing I tell my patients’ is that they should get more rest. So many of us don’t sleep enough and it really takes a toll on your body." Spring considers the immune system to be like a solider. A tired soldier cannot be as effective, alert, nor as powerful as a soldier who is well rested. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers eleven to seventeen years of age need approximately 8.5-9.25 hours of sleep per night. Adults over the age of eighteen need approximately 7-9 hours. When planning activities for the season be sure to incorporate time to get enough sleep each night. Through sleep and keeping conscious of germs, staying healthy during the winter season can be easier. Should illness occur though, remember to stay hydrated, get plenty of rest, and consult a doctor. |
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