EdCor wants to remind you all that cold, snowy weather might be fun to play outside in, but it also can cause problems unique to the season.

We’ll discuss these in the next few posts.

First of all, winter is a time for germ-based colds. It’s always important to wash hands regularly, but in the winter, with all the sneezing, coughing, and nose-blowing, keeping our hands clean is even more important. It’s not enough to wash our hands after using the bathroom; hands must be washed after blowing the nose, too, and before cooking, and really, any time we think about it. Diligent hand-washing is one of the best ways to keep the germs away.

Winter snows also means that we have to go outside and do some shoveling. This is strenuous work, and all too often it’s done by someone who isn’t used to “working out.” Older people, in particular, can give their backs and other muscles a bad sprain or strain.

The hazards that winter can bring are good reasons to take a first-aid course, and EdCor is offering one this next January 22!

Believe it or not, poison ivy knows no season – it can affect us 12 months of the year, even with snow on the ground. Most of us associate poison ivy with hot summer weather, but we need to remember to be careful no matter what the season.

“Leaves of three, leave them be” is a good meme to remember. If it looks like it might be poison ivy, it’s always best to leave it alone. However, we don’t even have to touch the leaves to be affected by the urushiol oil. We can get the rash in many other ways, too.

Outdoor pets are often covered with the oil from poison ivy – when we pet them, we get the oil on our hands and transfer it to our faces, etc. When people burn poison ivy, the oil is carried through the air via the smoke, and we can get the rash all over our bodies and even in our lungs. The oil lives on in our clothing, or our tools. The oil lives pretty much forever, so it can affect us even years later.

If you know you’ve been exposed to poison ivy, rinse the area as soon as possible with cold water; hot water will open your pores and let the oil soak into your skin. Whatever you do, don’t take a shower right away.

Once you’ve got the rash, hot showers are often helpful in relieving the “itch.” Creams, lotions, etc. that contain aluminum help many people, too.

If you like to camp, be sure to wash your sleeping bag regularly; many campers’ feet and legs have been “mysteriously” covered with the rash, which can live in the bottom of a sleeping bag for years.

NEVER use a weed-eater to trim poison ivy; it will splash the oil all over you and anyone else nearby!

Calamine lotion, Caladryl lotion, and OTC itch creams can sometimes help, but the only thing that can really rid your skin of the rash is time, and if time is only making it worse, you need to see your doctor as soon as possible.

Don’t worry about spreading the rash to others. Once an hour or so has passed, you’re not usually contagious because the oil has been absorbed into your skin. The blisters associated with the poison ivy rash are not full of oil; they’re mostly water.

By the way, it’s not just the leaves that give you the rash; the entire plant, down to the roots, contain urushiol oil and can give you the rash; never tear the plants up by the roots!

If you live out in the country, your best bet might be to get a goat. Goats love poison ivy and are not affected by it. Of course, you’ll have to make sure they have other foods as well. Just a thought.

Oh, and before I forget? Don’t scratch.

Many parts of the nation are experiencing a severe heat wave – temperatures are soaring way up into the triple digits!  We all need to remember, especially when the weather becomes extreme, to keep our children and ourselves safe from heatstroke.

When the body’s temperature soars to an abnormally elevated degree, a type of hyperthermia called heatstroke can occur.  This is a serious thing – it’s considered a medical emergency – and can be fatal if it’s not treated immediately.  Many people die each year from heat-related conditions.

How can you know if you or someone else is experiencing heatstroke?  Be on the lookout for heavy sweating and then NO sweating, thirst, headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, an increase in heart rate, a general confusion, and possibly even a seizure or loss of consciousness. Heatstroke shorts out the body’s ability to regulate temperature, to the degree that the kidneys and liver can even be affected.  If the victim does not receive immediate treatment, there could even be brain damage.

Be especially watchful of children and the elderly.  There are also medications that can increase the chances of heatstroke.

It is essential to stay hydrated in all conditions, and especially in unseasonably hot weather.  Drink plenty of liquids, even when you don’t feel thirsty – plain water is best.

In this horrifically hot weather, try to stay indoors whenever possible, or at least stay in the shade.  Avoid strenuous exercise unless it’s absolutely necessary, and try to eat lightly.

Your car can turn into a deadly weapon when the temperatures are this high – just the heated metal can cause severe burns.  Most importantly, NEVER LEAVE YOUR CHILDREN ALONE IN A CAR – not under any conditions, and especially not when the hot weather will turn your car into a microwave oven.

Take frequent showers.  Let your children play in the hose.  If you have access to a pool, spend a lot of time there, but don’t let the heat allow you to become sleepy or lethargic – children need alert supervision AT ALL TIMES whenever they’re near the water.

If someone near you exhibits symptoms of heatstroke, call 911 right away.  Move the person out of the sun if possible, and loosen or remove tight or excess clothing.  Apply cool – not icy cold- compresses to the victim’s face.  If the victim is conscious and able, give him/her something to drink while waiting for the EMT’s.

EdCor includes instruction for treatment of heat-related conditions in several of our classes.  This and other basic first aid skills are essential for parents and everyone else.

Do not underestimate the seriousness of heatstroke.  It is a very serious thing and must be dealt with immediately and professionally.

Even when the sun his hiding behind clouds, you still need to use sunscreen whenever you’re outdoors for more than a few minutes.  Most of us have learned – some of us the hard way – to cover every square inch of exposed skin with sunscreen, but many of us need to be reminded that our lips need protection, too!

Regular lipstick will not protect your lips from UV rays; you need a moisturizing sunscreen.  Your lips have almost no melanin (melanin is the skin’s natural protecting substance) and they need extra help, much more help than the rest of your skin, in fact.

There are many over-the-counter products available that are made especially for lips, most of them in tubes for easy application.  When you choose one, be sure to check that it contains not only a good moisturizer but also a sufficiently high UV level.

You must also remember to re-apply it even more frequently than you reapply your regular sunscreen.  It goes without saying, although I’m saying it anyway, that both sunscreens must be reapplied immediately after you’ve been in the water.  In fact, if you’re going to be in the water for a while, it’s prudent to reapply in the middle of your swim.  Remember also that when you’re in the water, the sun’s UV rays are reflected and magnified, and you can be even more severely burned than when you’re OUT of the water.

How strong does the UV level of your sunscreen and lip protection need to be?  As we’ve mentioned here before, anything over a level 30 UV is probably an overpriced non-essential.  30 SPF is the perfect number for most people.  A sunscreen or lip balm that contains UV protection of 30 SPF filters about 97% of dangerous UV rays, and that percentage increases a little less than one point for eachadditional ten SPF levels.

In other words, buy a 30 SPF level sunscreen and lip balm and reapply it continuously.

We are getting ready to do a major reconstruction of our website.
All of your favorite tabs will still be in place with a few improvements. The tabs will be larger and more visible to see. Also we will be adding a new feature to our front page. There will be a tab that will take you to our schedule screen. In that screen you can click on the ACLS, PALS, TNCC, ENPC, EKG, or BLS class that you would like to take.

We are starting to expand out of the Denver Metro area and would love to be able to go to your site to do the certifications you and your staff may need. We are not only ACLS in Denver but now we do ACLS in Colorado. Please call us if you would like a quote. (this also pertains to PALS, BLS, TNCC, and ENPC.)

Summer, winter, spring, fall. . . .  no matter what the season, it’s important to use sunscreen if you are outdoors.

In summer, when we’re more likely to – excuse the expression – “sweat it off,” it’s even more important to apply and constantly re-apply sunscreen.

However, I want to remind you of something that just might save you a considerable amount of money this summer: you really don’t need to buy a big SPF number.

In fact, anything over 30SPF is really a waste of money.  All you really need to protect even a small child’s extra-sensitive skin is an SPF of 30.

And since sunscreen costs more when you buy the bigger numbers, buying no more than SPF 30 will save you a considerable amount of money this summer.

In other words, those “made for toddlers” or “made for fair skin” sunscreens with their SPF’s of 50 or higher are totally not necessary.  Just buy a medium-priced sunscreen of SPF 30 and you’ll be fine.

Rumor has it that this year’s tick season is going to be one of the worst ever!  Even if you don’t have pets, you can still get a tick on your skin; ticks love to such blood and they really aren’t very picky about whose blood they have for dinner.

You’re as good as your dog, as far as a tick is concerned.  In other words, the odds are pretty good that you and your family will all get chosen by at least one tick before school starts up again.

The best way to remove a tick is not the most popular way, but the most popular way is not the best way to remove a tick!

Many people think they need to stick a pin into the tick to stun or kill it before removing it, but this is NOT a good idea at all.  In fact, it’s a good way to squirt poisons into the body.

The best way to remove a tick is to grab the tick by its front – the head or mouth – with pointy-end tweezers, and pull it out.   Pull straight out; don’t bend, fold, or twist the tick.  Wash the skin with soap and water, and apply rubbing alcohol to the site.  Try not to scratch or pick at the spot.

If the tick is swollen with blood, save it.  Call your doctor; he/she might want to see it.  If the doctor says not, flush the tick down the toilet.  Don’t crack it with your fingernail and don’t try to mash it; ticks are so flat, that doesn’t usually work!  They can also run pretty fast, so kill it quickly!

Keep an eye on the bite, and if the skin develops a rash, see your doctor.  Ticks spread Lyme Disease, and that’s no laughing matter.  Oh, and you can get Lyme Disease as many as 30 days after being bitten!

Be sure to check behind your children’s ears every night, under their arms, behind their knees, and all over their heads.  These are all favorite hang-outs and blood pubs for ticks.

EdCor wants you all to have a safe, blood-sucker-free summer!