All information below is informational and educational only. Please contact your healthcare provider if you suspect you have medical condition or serious health problem.

Are you effectively washing your hands?

Click here for instructions to be sure. Wash your hands often to prevent sickness!


FLU

Here are some gentle reminders to prevent illness:

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Be sure to immediately throw away the tissue.

If a tissue is not available, sneeze or cough into the side or elbow of your arm, not your hand.

Wash your hands with warm soppy water. If washing your hands is not an option, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers. We recommend carrying your own personal size.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

If you do begin feeling ill, be sure to call your physician.

Phillips Medical Group closely follows all CDC guidelines and protocols. Here is a link to the CDC's site for the flu virus: CDC Seasonal Flu Update

WATER SAFETY


Never leave a child unsupervised near a pool, lake, pond, or at the beach.

If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability. Go to the edge of the water and scan the entire area, bottom and surface.

Do not allow a young child in the water without an adult or appropriate floatation devices. Do not consider young children to be drownproof because they have had swimming lessons. Children must be watched closely while swimming. Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.

Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). It is an invaluable skill for everyone to have. Make it a priority for babysitters and other caretakers, such as grandparents and older siblings, to know CPR.

Keep rescue equipment close by. Be sure a telephone is also near with emergency numbers posted nearby.

Remove toys from in and around the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children to the pool.
Never prop open the gate to a pool barrier.

WEAR SUNSCREEN


Protect your skin from the sun with a sunblock that screens both UVB and UVA light rays. Look for sunscreen that contains both titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Wearing any lotion with a SPF of 15 to 30 is still effective. SPF 30 or higher is preferred.


HUMAN TOUCH


Human touch is an important component of physical health. Holding a baby offers proven physiological and emotional benefits. A welcome hug, pat on the shoulder, or holding a hand can bring great solace. Virginia Satir, a leading family therapist, suggests that we need to get 4 hugs a day for survival, 8 hugs a day for maintenance, and 12 hugs a day for growth. A hug may provide the encouragement needed to complete a difficult task or just get through a gloomy hour!



TAKE CARE OF YOUR TOOTHBRUSH


Toothbrushes can be breeding grounds for germs, fungus, and bacteria, so change your toothbrush regularly. Most dentists agree you should change your toothbrush every three months and more often if you have gum disease. To prevent cold and flu viruses from being passed between brushes, try to keep your toothbrush from touching others when it is stored. It is important to change toothbrushes after you've had a cold, the flu, a mouth infection or a sore throat. That's because germs can hide in toothbrush bristles and lead to reinfection. Our doctors at Phillips Medical Group encourage regular visits to your family dentist.





Check out the links to other sites on this page for more tips and tricks to staying healthy! Of course, if you can't seem to shrug your symptoms, make an appointment to see your healthcare provider. Sometimes it takes more than just living healthy to get better...


 


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