Family Time

Summer is in full swing now. I love this time of the year there is so much to do and its a great time for family bonding. While the family time is great its easy for aches and pains to creep in and spoil the fun. Here are a few ideas of easy things to you can do to make sure you get the most out of your family time this summer.

As soon as the weather warms up lots of people go out to jog and walk around their neighborhood. Most importantly as you are out stay well hydrated. Making sure you drink enough water will help reduce muscle cramps and injuries. Also remember kids dehydrate in the hot weather faster than kids so even if you are not thirsty they may be.

Secondly I see lot of people out jogging or walking with their children in a stroller. Before you start make sure to check the height of the stroller handles to make sure they are not too low. it you are leaning to far forward while you are pushing the stroller this could set you up for some unwanted back pain. Also for your child's safety make sure the stroller has a good harness system and adequate shade from the sun.

Swimming is a great summer activity that allows families to bond. When planning an outing to the pool remember to pack the sunscreen and bring plenty of water. Here are some good tips for pool safety taken from a publication by the CPSC.

Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool.

Instruct babysitters about potential hazards to young children in and around swimming pools and the need for constant supervision.

Completely fence the pool. Install self-closing and self-latching gates. Position latches out of reach of young children. Keep all doors and windows leading to the pool area secure to prevent small children from getting to the pool. Effective barriers and locks are necessary preventive measures, but there is no substitute for supervision.

Do not consider young children "drown proof" because they have had swimming lessons; young children should always be watched carefully while swimming.

Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.

Also taking a CPR class is a good way to make sure you are prepared for an emergency

Hiking is another great family summer activity. Lots of parks have great places to hike and explore your local outdoors. When hiking its important to make sure everyone has the proper footwear to avoid blisters and sprained ankles. Also make sure you don't get so distracted by all the wonders of nature that you don't watch where your going. Bring along fruit or trail mix for a healthy snack to keep you energized along they way.

ACA - Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

I could talk for hours about the effects of the TMJ on your health but I like this article and I will let it talk for me. I will add that I had a patient that was suffering from headaches and working with her TMJ is one of the things that really helped change her life.

ACA - Temporomandibular Joint Disorder

Vacation time

Now is the time of the year when people are starting to think about where they will go on vacation for the summer. Something that is just as important as making sure all the bags are packed and the gas tank is filled are things you can do to make sure that your body stays healthy and pain free while you are driving, riding or flying to you vacation spot this year.

If you are driving, make sure that you have your seat and mirrors adjusted to keep you in a posture that is comfortable for such a long trip as well as one that will help support the natural curves of your spine. Also don’t forget to get out and stretch every couple of hours if you are going to be in the car for several hours. Also slightly changing your seat position every 30 minutes or so can help with decreasing the aches of a long car ride.

If you are flying, try getting up and walking around the cabin for a moment on longer flights or even just moving your legs around to get the blood moving in them. And most important no matter what why you are traveling stay well hydrated. Lots of times on long tips we forget to drink enough water. This will help keep your muscles from cramping up as you are traveling this summer. Another challenge of vacation trips is trying to remember to eat healthy as you travel. Packing healthy snacks will help keep you from munching on the "junk de jour" at the gas station or airport. And no matter what you do remember to, BE SAFE and HAVE FUN!!!!

Local Honey

This year I have noticed that my daughter and I have had really bad allergies. I believe it is related to the tree pollen in the area around our house. Here are a couple of things that I have done to help us to overcome the itchy eyes and sniffles this year.

1. I got saline drops to put in our eyes 2-3 times a day. This helped alleviate the itchy eyes

2. At night we used breath-right strips to help open our nose and allow us to get a good nights sleep.

3. We bought some honey from a local bee keeper. Local honey is great for helping build up an immunity to pollen and allergens in the area. Another thing we are going to do is go back to the bee keeper and getting some honeycomb to chew on. Even with local/natural honey if heated during the bottling process it may kill of some of the pollen but the honeycomb is not heated or processed and there for the pollen/allergens in the honeycomb are preserved.

One thing that we didn't do and should of done that would have helped is that shortly after the trees in the area started to bloom pollen was all over the cars. We took our time in washing our car to get the pollen off. in doing so some of the pollen got into the ventilation system in the car. Every time my daughter or I would be in the car for a long period of time our symptoms would come back. If we would have took the time to wash our car promptly we could have avoided some of the suffering.

Drink Water

As you are outside more now that its starting to warm up. Don't forget to remember to take water with you wherever you go.

Staying well hydrated is an important part of having a healthy summer. As we become dehydrated our bodies don't function at efficiently and become more susceptible to things like heat stroke and muscle cramps. Also if you have children they are likely to become dehydrated much faster than do, so remember to check often to make sure they have enough water.

Again just another simple thing you can do to help you and your families have a safe and healthy summer.

Yard Work

This time of the year as the flowers are starting to bloom and the grass is getting greener, is also a time when people start doing yard and garden work.

Lots of injuries to the middle and low back are caused by excessive bending and twisting. Getting down on your knees when possible helps to limit the amount of bending over you do while working the yard. If necessary you can use a padded surface on the ground for comfort. Also not reaching out too far and working in an area close to your body helps to limit excessive twisting.

These are two simple tips to help you stay healthy and enjoy the outdoors this summer.  Hope everyone has a safe and fun filled summer.

A great salad

A good salad needs to have lost of fresh vegetables and herbs, as well as different types of leafy greens (not just iceberg lettuces) and even some beans for protein. Below is the recipe for a great salad that is quick and easy to make. (this recipe is taken from the book Superfoods Rx by Steven Pratt, M.D. and Kathy Matthews)

(makes on serving)

1 cup spinach torn into bite-size pieces

1 cup chopped romaine

1/4 cup shredded red cabbage

1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper

1/2 tomato chopped

1/4 cup chickpeas; if canned, rinse well

1/2 cup grated carrot

1/4 avocado, cubed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix the olive oil and vinegar and whisk together. toss the salad and dressing just before serving.

Spring is a great time to experiment and find health good foods and snacks. Take advantage of fruits and vegetables that are in season to find great healthy snacks for you and your family.