New Year's Eve Bash - Explore Big Sky

heaLth & WeLLneSS
Holiday-related injuries
By erin BiLLS, mPh
big sky weekly Contributor
Not only does December bring Santa
and his eight reindeer, it also brings the
potential for holiday-related injuries.
Whether you’re stringing lights in the
tradition of Clark W. Griswold, rolling
the dice at buffet tables, or baking
Christmas cookies, you may be popping
the cork on a bottle of holiday health
hazards.
Every year, the Center for Disease Control
and Prevention reports more than
17,000 emergency visits for holidayrelated
injuries.
A significant
percentage of
these result
from decorating.
At your next
holiday gathering,
consider
these simple
tips to keep from fa-la-la-ing apart. It’s
all fun and reindeer games until someone
gets hurt.
If you’re not santa claus, leave the
rooftop work to the elves or professional
home decorators in your area.
Christmas lights are to blame for many
slips, sprains, strains and shocks. Teetering
on a ladder haphazardly perched
atop a snowy, slippery surface has the
obvious risk of falling.
opt for leD lights and appropriately
utilize electrical outlets by
using a power strip and limiting the
number of strings used per outlet.
If overstuffing electrical outlets with
old strings of lights is more your style,
you may find yourself in a hair raising
situation. The risk of electrical shock
and fires caused by holiday lights
drastically increases during the holiday
season.
Trees, real or artificial, should be
placed away from heat sources, watered
daily (if real), and kept away
from small children and pets. O
Tannenbaum, that seasonal symbol of
joy and happiness, comes with its own
unique health risk factors. If ingested,
artificial tree parts may present a choking
hazard, while real pine needles may
trigger allergic reactions.
Poinsettias and mistletoe: traditional
and toxic. These holiday plants
are naturally poisonous if ingested.
Another bonus? Mistletoe, that opportunistic
plant, gives many the courage
to pucker up and spread communicable
diseases this time of year. Spare your
Christmas crush the seasonal sniffles
and offer a cookie from the holiday buffet
table instead.
holiday baking, cooking, and feasting
might be one of the biggest
holiday health risks of all. Not so
fast! Food borne illness is not the way
to spread holiday cheer. Ensure that
food is cooked thoroughly and kept
at the proper temperature to decrease
the risk of making others sick. Cuts
and burns during the food preparation
process could place you on a fast track
in the front wheel drive sleigh to the
emergency department.
You may be starting to think ‘oh, what
fun the holidays are not.’ Or perhaps
this holiday health Grinch is a fun
hater. Maybe it’s time we take a look at
some reindeer games.
When taking the family out for
some holiday
every year, the Center for
disease Control and Prevention
reports more than 17,000
emergency visits for holidayrelated
injuries.
sledding its
important to
remember
that sledding
hills are
named just
like ski runs.
Remember
your favorite childhood sledding hill?
Was it Devil's Drop, Suicide Slide, Back
Breaker, or something similar? Unless
you’re an experienced sledder on familiar
terrain, think before you drop in to
an appropriately named black diamond
sledding run. Remember, adults don't
bounce up off of the ground as well as
10-year-olds. Your tailbone and shoulders
may thank you.
Football and skiing are responsible
for many sports-related injuries
during the holiday season. There is
high risk for football injury when not
playing with appropriate equipment,
such as when tackling your friend in
the living room to celebrate your college
team’s bowl win, or when "touch"
football degenerates into "tackle"
football.
If you’re on vacation or on the ski
hill for the first time this year,
start slow. Make a few runs on some
easier runs before riding the tram
and dropping in to the Big Couloir in
early season conditions. Take a lesson
if you need one, and make sure your
equipment is in reasonable condition.
Depending on your ability, it might be
better to start out on Southern Comfort
before skiing the Dictators with your
mom who is on vacation.
After reading this, you might think the
holiday season is the riskiest time of
year. One reason is the fact that people
are getting out and doing things with
their friends and families. After all, it
wouldn’t be the holidays if someone
didn’t say, “hold my beer and watch
this.”
Erin A. Bills, MPH lives in Big Sky and
is dedicated to improving the health of
Montana’s rural populations. Follow her
blog at projectbagbalm.wordpress.
com.
Sometimes life doesn’t go as
planned—even on vacation.
That’s why Bozeman Deaconess
Pharmacy at Big Sky is here for
you.
We offer a full range of pharmaceutical
items including
bandages and OTC
medicines and
creams for
aches and
pains. And,
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Big Sky Weekly
When the ride down isn’t as smooth as the ride up
WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED
should you have
forgotten your
medications, we’re
happy to assist you in getting
what you need to fully enjoy life
under the Big Sky.
Whether you’re here for
the week or a lifetime, we
want to help you enjoy a
smooth ride—
on and off the
mountain.
• Pediatrics • Chronic C onditions
• Women’s Health • Prenatal Care
• Osteopathic Manipulation
Maren Dunn D.O.
Board Certified in Family Medicine
18 Meadow Village Drive, Big Sky, MT
(across from the post offi ce) Phone: 406-995-3111
explorebigsky.com december 16, 2011 19