Tips for Winter Health

By Dr. Katherine Lynch, Emerson Primary Care Associates of Bedford

With the cold weather here and likely sticking around for many months, Dr. Katherine Lynch, an internal medicine physician with Emerson Primary Care Associates of Bedford, offers some important tips for keeping you and your loved ones healthy this season.

• As it becomes colder and more people develop colds or the flu, it is important to decrease your risk of illness. The best way to decrease your risk of cold and flu is to wash your hands frequently, especially before eating. Carrying hand sanitizer can be helpful.
• Flu vaccination is also important in preventing the flu, although it may not completely protect you from the illness.
• If you become sick, stay home to prevent infecting others and cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
• Protect yourself from frostbite by limiting the time you spend outside in cold, wet weather. If you have to be outside, wear many loose layers, a hat, and waterproof gloves or mittens.
• Go indoors immediately if you experience early signs of frostbite, which can include numbness, burning, or changes in your skin, such as it becoming pale or red.
• Be aware of carbon monoxide poisoning, which can occur when an odorless, tasteless gas is released from certain appliances and there is improper ventilation. For example, kerosene space heaters, propane heaters and stoves, other nonelectric heaters and engine fumes should always have outdoor ventilation. You can purchase a carbon monoxide detector for your home as a safeguard. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and confusion.

For more ways to stay healthy this season, or to make an appointment with Dr. Lynch, please contact Emerson Primary Care Associates of Bedford at 339-215-5100.