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

(more…)

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…)

One year ago this month I returned from a trip welcomed by hurricane winds followed by a week without electrical power. I live in Ohio. We don’t get hurricane winds so it was not exactly the homecoming I was hoping for.

I am sure the good people of Atlanta did not expect Noah’s Ark to come through their city without notice this week either. No one expected the levy to break during Katrina and we have still not recovered. The point is emergencies happen everyday, most with little warning. It is important to be ready and an emergency kit is a great way to help prepare for the unexpected.

I always keep extra food and water in the house but I realized in preparing for this talk that I really don’t have everything handy. With a little time and a quick trip to the store I was able to get my kit together pretty easily.

Have a plan.

Talk with your family and develop a plan. Know where you would meet and what person will pick up the kids at school.

Talk to you neighbors and find out who will check on whom.

An out of town contact number is important as local service could be overloaded during an emergency. Have all of your family members use the same one to keep informed.

An emergency contact should be kept in your cell phone under the name ICE (in case of emergency) so people know where to look if you are unable to talk.

Know where to turn off utilities and have a tool handy so that you may do that.

Prepare a Kit

Have a kit in your basement, under the steps or even under your bed in a cool dry place. It helps to have an evacuation bag within the kit or in your car in case you have to leave suddenly. The kit should include:

1) Water, 1 gallon per person per day for 3 days for evacuation, 2 weeks for home

2) Food for 3 days for evacuation and 2 weeks for home (canned food, protein bars and rotate out on a regular basis))

3) Flashlight

4) Bleach (16 drops can disinfect a gallon of water)

5) Hand sanitizer

6) Disinfecting wipes

7) Battery powered radio (preferable hand cranked and NOAA weather too)

First aid kit

9) Copies of documents emergency contacts (Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)

10) 7 days supply of medicine, Cold medicine, Tylenol, Ibuprofen

11) Hygiene products including garbage bags and towelettes

12) Batteries

13) Cash

14) Maps

15) Blankets

16) Photos of family including pets

17) Cell phone with charger

Extras to think about

USB flash drive with important backup including documents and photos

Medical supplies

Pets’ supplies

Two way radio

Manual can opener

Mask

Whistle (especially good for kids to wear in case they get separated or lost)

Entertainment items

Paper cups, plates and utensils

Books-games

Let them know you are safe

If your community has experienced a disaster, register on the American Red Cross Safe and Well Web site available through RedCross.org to let your family and friends know about your welfare. If you don’t have Internet access, call 1-866-GET- INFO to register yourself and your family.

I was able to buy some prepackage kits at a reasonable price for both home and my car at my local Target. You can also find kits and more information at the Red Cross and Ready America.

Last week my son came down with the flu. Thought I had plenty of meds but sure enough was racing out to the store to restock my Tylenol supplies. With the current pandemic, now is the time to plan and stock up so if you become infected, you won’t spread it to others with unnecessary trips to the store. I guess it really is better to be safe than sorry and not that hard to do.

Be healthy and well!

Dr. Deb