Winter Health Tips
APP Winter Holiday Safety Tips (Acrobat Reader needed)
Welcome to the cough-cold season in New England. No other time of year boosts the sale of cold remedies and humidifiers more than this one. Most of the expenditures are not worth it in the final analysis. Coughs are most commonly due to the dry air in our homes. Simply leaving a window open in the sleeping area will humidify a room more cheaply and effectively than any humidifier. Most cough remedies have drying agents in them and actually make cold symptoms worse. A plain expectorant such as Robitussin Expectorant or quaifenisin syrup has no drying agents and can help with nighttime coughs.
Get outdoors and enjoy the winter. Cold weather increases the time that we expose each other to various viruses and flu like illnesses. Studies show that outdoor workers have fewer of these illnesses than those of us who remain in indoors and in close quarters.
Cough & Cold
Over 200 viruses cause "colds" in humans. Symptoms include runny stuffy nose, sore throat, cough with phlegm and/or low-grade fever. Colds make children feel miserable but are not dangerous. Over-the-counter cough and cold preparations are generally not effective, especially for the 6 month to 5-year-old age groups, but many parents like to try them. Extra fluids, elevated head of the bed, salt-water nose drops, and humidified air can sometimes help alleviate symptoms. Nasal mucus normally changes from clear to cloudy to green or yellow by day 3 or 4 of a cold.
Call the office if:
Flu Vaccine
If your child has a history of asthma, respiratory disease, chronic heart disease or other chronic illness, he/she may benefit from the flu vaccine which is a preventive measure to consider. We run a flu vaccine clinic at Centre Pediatric Associates.
Winter Safety Tips
Burns are more common in winter. Heaters, radiators and wood stoves now become a hazard and we serve more hot soups and drinks in the winter. If a child should get burned by a hot liquid remove the clothing immediately as it will hold the heat against the skin. Put cold water or ice on the burned area as soon as possible. The sooner you cool off the burn area the less deep the burn will become. Call us after instituting these emergency measures for further advice.
Encourage your children to use helmets for skiing, snowboarding and sledding. The ski schools don't seem to push the use of helmets, but we have seen enough severe head injuries due to winter sports to urge you to use helmets.
