As a parent, your child’s health is of the utmost importance. This week, we held a very important and informative teleclass on caring for your child’s health, generously sponsored by Pager and expertly presented by Kim Henderson, MD, JD, experienced emergency medicine physician and loving mom.
Dr. Henderson offered guidance to help you keep your child healthy, teach you about what conditions to keep an eye on, and answered your questions about your child’s wellness.
In case you missed it, you will find a link to the recorded class HERE.
Download the Pager app now to request a doctor with just the tap of the button next time your little one is under the weather.
As fall is the season that many families go hiking, apple picking, etc., Pager would like to share this important blog.
The 7 Best Practices to Avoid Lyme Disease
Each year when we spend more time in the great outdoors, we are reminded to be mindful of ticks. Although ticks are only about the size of a poppy seed, a certain type called deer ticks can lead to Lyme disease — a bacterial infection that affects the skin, joints, and nervous system.
The most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States, there are 20,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year. Out of these confirmed cases, 95% of them are reported within 14 states — three of them being the tri-state area.
People contract Lyme disease after being bitten by an infected deer tick. Ticks can attach to any part of the human body but are most often found in hidden areas such as the groin, armpits, and scalp. The risk for contracting the disease increases the longer the tick is attached to the body.
The best way to avoid developing Lyme disease is to avoid contact with ticks. Here are 7 best practices for protecting you and your family.
Avoid areas with ticks. Ticks tend to dwell in wooded and brushy areas with high grass. If you plan to hike or camp, be sure to walk in the center of the trails and avoid brushing against low-lying vegetation.
Dress wisely. Wear long pants, long sleeves, and a hat if you know you are going to be in a potentially tick-infested area. Ticks are often located close to the ground so wear closed-toe shoes and tuck your pants into socks or the top of boots. It is also helpful to wear white or light colors so that it is easier to spot ticks.
Apply insect repellent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends using repellents with DEET or permethrin in order to repel ticks. For those who are hesitant to use chemicals, apple cider vinegar and essential oil sprays may do the trick as well. Find a recipe here!
Tick checks. Check your body for ticks as soon as you leave potentially infected areas. Because ticks are so miniscule, many cases of Lyme disease go undiagnosed without a thorough check.
Don’t forget about your pets. Even if you don’t have a tick yourself, there is a chance that your pet might. Make it a habit to check your pets after they play in tick hot-spots.
Rinse off. Bathe within two hours of coming indoors in order to wash off any ticks that may be on you.
Remove immediately. If you do find a tick it is important to remain calm. Use tweezers to grab the tick by its head or mouth and pull away from skin in a steady motion. Try to avoid squeezing or twisting the tick as that could trigger the release of Lyme-containing bacteria.
Generously sponsored by
Next time you or your child is sick, skip the long waits and germ exposure of urgent care and use Pager to request a doctor to see you at home, right away. Pager is a mobile app in New York that offers on-demand doctor visits to your home or office. Pager’s board-certified and experienced doctors can treat children, infants and older, as well as adults and the elderly. Pager treats many urgent care issues, including cold and flu symptoms, stomach problems, cuts and sprains, and much more, all in less than 2 hours. Download the Pager app now and request a doctor with just the tap of the button next time your little one is under the weather. For more information, visit our website, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
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The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog contributor’s. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Writers may have conflicts of interest, and their opinions are their own.