Dr. Deb

When the Cincinnati Bengals do well, there is cause for celebration. Perhaps since that does not happen as frequently as we would like, the Bengals know how to put on a show in the end zone.

Well before Ocho Cinco Shenanigans there was the Icky Wood’s shuffle. We love our hometown heroes, so when Icky Wood’s son, 16 year old Elbert Jovante Woods, died from a severe asthma attack earlier this week, it hit us all with great sadness.  Joe was a promising football player himself and more importantly, a great student and all around nice guy according to his fellow teammates.

We are sad for not just the Woods family but also a little scared because we all know a child that has asthma and wonder if this could happen to us.

7 million or 1-2 out of 10 children have some asthma. Asthma causes 4,000 deaths per year in the US and over 250,000 deaths worldwide.  It is the 3^rd cause of hospital admissions in children and African Americans are three times more likely to die from asthma.

Should I let my child with asthma play sports? Absolutely! According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology one in every 6 Olympic athletes have asthma. There are many faces of asthma including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, David Beckham and Jerome Bettis.

What is asthma? (more…)

We just returned from a weekend trip at The Wilds in the middle of nowhere Ohio. (It’s actually not far from Columbus) It is an outdoor safari-conservation center and it was awesome! We all loved seeing the animals up close in our open-air vehicle and it certainly rivaled the African safari that my husband and I went on years ago (except this time the animals were actually closer!) The 100 plus heat was not so awesome and we soon realized that not having access to water in high heat came with it’s own price. We were weak and dehydrated very quickly. This vacation hazard was easily remedied but many are not.

Vacations are riddled with hazards, many of them hidden so here are

Dr Deb’s Vacation Hazard Helper

Keep Cool & Wet (more…)

Once a year my husband takes an annual “male bonding trip” with our twins and their octogenarian grandfather to a small cottage by the lake. Grilling out over hot coals is part of this summer tradition as it is for many families, especially this holiday weekend.  Unfortunately, accidental fires are also too common as they discovered the next day. My son went to play ball outside and noticed some smoke beside the cottage. Suddenly, the coals from the cookout the night before burst into flames. Luckily Louie’s sports obsession put him in the exact location so that he could alert grandpa and put out the fire. Many are not so lucky when it comes to accidental fires, especially around a holiday.

More fires are reported on 4^th of July than any other single day with half of these caused from fireworks. In fact 7,000 people each year get treated for 4th of July related accidents.

Dr. Deb 4^th of July Safety Tips

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My first and only car accident as a teen happened within weeks of getting my license. I was seriously backing out of a church parking lot going so slowly for fear of a passing car that I drove right into the car next to me (now they were over the line..but still)  While I doubt many teens hit a car at 1 mph, most teen accidents will happen within 6 months of receiving their license. Many teen accidents are very serious, even deadly.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20 year olds with over 2 million accidents-both fatal and non-fatal-a year.

Teens are involved in 3-4 times the number of accidents ,with more teens dying during summer months than any other time of year.

Here is Dr. Deb’s  5 step Safe Teen Driving Plan

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Summer Safety

Today is the last day of school for my 4 children. Summer brings such great joy and freedom yet more children are sent to the emergency room from injury in the summer than any other time of year. Here are my summer safety tips to help keep you and yours safe!

Dr. Deb’s Summer Safety Tips (more…)