Commonsense health tips in the news, with more coming soon

Though today’s New York weather may not look it, spring is in the air and summer is fast approaching. For many, this means that it’s time for spring cleaning. However, as is pointed out in a USA Today article, this season is also a time when many people sustain preventable injuries during their cleaning. For instance, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission states that in 2010 more than 35,500 people injured themselves on a stepladder, and more than 127,000 were hurt while using a lawnmower. In time for this year’s seasonal cleaning frenzy, The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons has offered up a good list of safety tips, which can be found here.

Meanwhile, we have entered the tick season, which means that hikers in the northeast and north-central states need to take precautions against Lyme disease, which is transmitted by the bite of a deer tick infected with the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Campers and hikers should be careful to use insect repellant and keep themselves covered up when in tall grass especially.

Stay tuned for ACSH’s annual in-depth analysis and advisory about taking care of yourself and your family during the warm weather we are eagerly awaiting. Summer Health Tips will appear on our website in time for Memorial Day weekend.