Healthy Living

School is done, chilly days are behind us and summer is here. With longer and warmer days all of us are eager to get out and enjoy the outdoors. But our enthusiasm must be balanced with a certain amount of caution and awareness.

Fun in the sun

Sun burn is probably one of the common problems. These guidelines will help prevent some of the nasty sun burns I have seen in my office:
 Avoid exposure to sun and dress infants younger than six months with long pants and long sleeve cotton shirts and using hats.
 Keep infants in shade at all times and avoid using sun screen.
 For infants older than six months and young children, use of sunscreen with a minimum Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 15 is recommended. Apply sun screen 30 minutes before going out, for example before you start your trip to the beach rather than just before getting in the water.
 Remember to apply sunscreen every two hours while you are outdoors, especially after swimming. Be sure to apply enough sunscreen –about one ounce per sitting for a young adult.
 Stay in the shade whenever possible, and limit sun exposure during the peak intensity hours -- between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
 Don’t forget sun glasses, which can prevent eye damage.

Keep the bugs out

Another common summertime problem is insect bites, including ticks:
 Avoid areas where insects nest or congregate, such as stagnant pools of water, uncovered foods and gardens where flowers are in full bloom.
 Don’t use scented soaps, perfumes or hair sprays on your child or yourself.
 Avoid wearing bright colors.
 Do not use combination sunscreen/insect repellent products because sun screen needs to be reapplied every two hours, and bug spray should not be reapplied.
 Choose sprays containing DEET, as it is one of the most effective insect repellents against mosquitoes and ticks. Please note DEET should not be used on children younger than two months of age.
 In the event of being bit by a tick or bee, gently scrape the tick or the stinger with a credit card or similar. Start from where the tick has buried its head towards the body and not the other way, if you want remove the tick in its entirety. Deer ticks are small and only one in three tick bites are at risk of developing Lyme disease. Always check your children for ticks after you have visited parks or wooded areas.

Keep cool in hot sun

Managing problems of heat are next on my list:
 Avoid prolonged strenuous activity on hot days.
 Make sure children are well-hydrated before start of any physical activity and enforce frequent breaks, for example every 20 minutes. Avoid games or practice on really hot days.
 Drink cold tap water rather than a sports drink.
 Wear light-colored and light-weight clothing and change sweat drenched clothes with dry ones.
 Use shaded areas for your breaks and dry your sweat as often as possible.

For those of us in the northeast, we like to pack as much fun as possible into our sometimes too short summers. Let’s make it a memorable one. Have a happy and safe summer.

Ravi Prakash, MD, is a pediatrician on the Backus Hospital Medical Staff with a private practice in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Dr. Prakash and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org, or comment on their blog at healthydocs.blogspot.com.

As I lounge around my house, sweating profusely, it’s a bit hard for me to think of reasons to love summer.

Yes, I’m one of those people who relish cold weather. I have always preferred cool weather; even as a child I remember sitting by the hassock fan in our tiny living room in Brooklyn, New York, trying to find ways to keep cool.

My sister, an old-fashioned sun worshipper, would tan to a deep brown while constantly playing outside. Refusing to join her until the afternoons cooled down, I would become a slightly darker shade of winter.

Summer can be very long for someone like me, so I make sure to clear my head from the heat and focus on finding ways to enjoy the season.

The heat of summer is a reminder for me to take the time to slow down and center on myself and my wellbeing. I stow away anything extra in the house that needs to be cleaned or dusted. I get dirty in the garden only after the sun has sunk below the trees. I grab a cool drink, a good book and relax in the shade. To escape the stuffy house I pack up some light snacks, go to the beach and enjoy dinner on the breezy seaside.

As you find your own ways to stay cool this summer, practice some easy meditation techniques to focus on your mental health as well. Before you open your book, close your eyes, breath deeply and fully, and bring yourself to a time when you felt a great peace. It can be a time when you were a child, on a great vacation, or even a place in your imagination.

Russian scientist Ian Pavlov, most famous for his research on salivating dogs, was once very ill with a fever at a time prior to the availability of antibiotics. To have some relief from the fever, he made a strange request: a bucket of mud.

He placed his hands deep in the bucket, and recalled in detail his favorite childhood memory. Pavlov imagined himself playing in the mud by the river, listening to his mother tell him stories as she washed the clothes.

This meditation brought him a feeling of deep peace and his fever broke soon after. Deep relaxation tumbles into peace, which can then boost the immune system.

This summer, as the mercury climbs, I will take time to put my hands in the mud. If you can remember to find something that brings you joy and peace, you can create a happy and healthy lifestyle in any circumstance. Forget about the endless “to do” list this summer. Take time for relaxation and rejuvenation. Remember this as a prescription for wellness.

Paula Novak, a registered nurse and certified Healing Touch practitioner, is the Clinical Coordinator for Healing Touch and Integrative Care at William. W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Ms. Novak and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org, or comment on their blog at www.healthydocs.blogspot.com.

The scorching heat we experienced over the past few days is predicted to subside by tomorrow. Unfortunately, while this was the first heat wave we’ve seen this season, it won’t be the last – so it’s important to keep safety in mind for children.

At Backus Hospital’s Mary Allen Ross Child Care Center, that’s precisely what they did yesterday.

With temperatures predicted to peak in the mid- to upper-90s and high humidity, child care Director Shirley Sholes decided to shift outside time to 8:30 a.m., instead of the usual 9:45 a.m. Afternoon play outdoors was canceled.

Although this meant coming up with some creative things for the children indoors, it was well worth the sacrifice. Overexposure to heat can be very dangerous to children.

Ms. Sholes said that in addition to the usual hot weather precautions, some parents overlook the importance sending their children to school with a hat or sunglasses. Both can protect children from the summer sun’s potent rays.

Here are some other heat-related tips that are important for adults and children:

 Pay attention to the humidity. It isn’t just the temperature that makes us hot; it’s the level of moisture as well. Meteorologists take this into account when they compute the daily heat index. For example, Monday’s predicted high of 97 degrees felt like 102 degrees if you take into account the humidity.

 As mentioned above, stay indoors in air conditioning as much as possible. Strenuous activity outdoors should be limited to the early morning and late evening hours.

 Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.

 Stay hydrated, drinking plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty.

 Eat smaller meals, more often.

 Wear sunscreen -- put it on about a half hour before going out and reapply every couple hours. I cannot stress enough the importance of this.

 Never leave a child inside a car unattended, or with the windows rolled up. Children die each year because of this inexplicable mishap.

With temperatures expected to fall back to near normal later this week, hot weather precautions will not be necessary. But as we New Englanders know, the next summer weather extreme is only a matter of time. Whether it’s a severe thunderstorm, drought or heat wave, it’s always important to be prepared.

Have a fun – and safe – summer.

Ravi Prakash, MD, is a pediatrician on the Backus Hospital Medical Staff with a private practice in Norwich. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Dr. Prakash and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.

Labels: children, heat, safety

With summer approaching, most people look forward to some of the typical juicy summer fruits and vegetables such as peaches, plums, melons, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

However, there’s good reason to consider taking a brief time-out from the traditional healthy garden items for one seasonal tasty food that’s unconventional and often forgotten: Dates.

Dates, for a quarter of a cup (considered one serving of fruit), have 125 calories, less than 1 gram of fat, and about 4 grams of fiber. They also have more potassium than an orange (more than 250 percent ounce per ounce) or a banana (more than 60 percent of the potassium ounce per ounce).

This fruit (which grows on palm trees), is still eaten regularly today by many Arabic tribes in those areas where they are usually grown.

It is not unusual for them to be made into pastes with the consistency of peanut butter, eaten candied, or consumed with the pit removed with butter replaced inside.

They are an excellent source of carbohydrate (can contain as much as 70% natural sugar for energy) without the cholesterol and sodium, yet they contain the added dietary fiber that most Americans do not get enough of in their diets -- women and men require 25 and 30 grams or more per day, respectively.

How does one incorporate dates into their everyday diet? Try sprinkling them on your cereal in the morning, adding a handful or two to baked goods, or even eating them alone as a snack.

With all the fiber and potassium in this healthy fruit option, say “yes” to a sweet date this summer.

Whitney Bundy is a registered dietitian and Director of the Food & Nutrition Department at The William W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Bundy and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org or comment on their blog at backushospital.org.

Spring is a wonderful time of year. The earth shows us that some things in life are constant: flowers bloom, trees sprout shady leaves, and animals awaken. The short cold days of winter will blossom to the longer, warmer days of spring.

Springtime is a necessary transition according to the Law of Nature. Every year we are witness to the incredible cycle of life, which also reminds us that we must accept change in our own lives.

As the days grow warmer I start to clean out the winter debris from my garden. I habitually look for the beautiful crocuses that are always first to announce the spring, as they are a reminder of my mother.

When I was young, every year she cleared out our small garden to be able to see the very first signs of the green stems. When they finally bloomed, we stood in awe of their beauty and encouraging symbolism of new growth, new beginnings and new hope.

I planted the crocuses because my mother loved them, but she has been gone many years. When I found myself looking at those lovely flowers with sadness and nostalgia, I realized how hard change can be.

To find joy again in springtime, I started a new ritual with my own young daughter. She and I would go on “bud patrol,” examining every shrub and tree in our yard for signs of buds.

I still remember vividly our excitement when the first signs of spring were found! We looked forward to spending our days outside, taking walks, riding bikes and just enjoying the sunshine.

Now my daughter is grown and lives too far away for us to get together more than a few times a year. I miss sharing the spring with her, but she still goes on bud patrol, searching with her husband for new growth in her own garden.

Like the transition of the seasons, we will continually experience changes in our lives. Sometimes it’s easy to think that our greatest joys are in the past. To move forward amid the turmoil we must take responsibility to find happiness with each new turn.

James Bicford once said, "No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities - always see them first, for they're always there."

When each challenge is seen as an opportunity to learn and grow, it becomes easier to remember that you can always find love and healing in your life. Change is hard, but with it you can make fresh memories and rituals. There is always a new adventure waiting for you; what better time to embrace change than in the inspiring springtime.

Paula Novak, a registered nurse and certified Healing Touch practitioner, is the Clinical Coordinator for Healing Touch and Integrative Care at The William W. Backus Hospital. This column should not replace advice or instruction from your personal physician. E-mail Ms. Novak and all of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.