Speaking of Women's Health
It's Hot Out There! Tips for Staying Safe in the Summer
Battling the summer heat can be a challenge. Join Dr. Holly Thacker as she shares crucial tips on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from heat-related illnesses, and ensure water safety for children and pets.
Learn the best ways to fend off ticks and mosquitoes and prevent diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Whether you're planning a beach day or a backyard BBQ, this episode has everything you need to enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. Listen in and empower yourself with practical tips to make this summer your healthiest yet!
An optimistic podcast about home care. Growing options for managing conditions in...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Battling the summer heat can be a challenge. Join Dr. Holly Thacker as she shares crucial tips on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from heat-related illnesses, and ensure water safety for children and pets.
Learn the best ways to fend off ticks and mosquitoes and prevent diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Whether you're planning a beach day or a backyard BBQ, this episode has everything you need to enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. Listen in and empower yourself with practical tips to make this summer your healthiest yet!
An optimistic podcast about home care. Growing options for managing conditions in...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Welcome to the Speaking of Women's Health podcast. I'm your host, dr Holly Thacker, and I'm back in the sunflower house this hot sunflower house for another edition of Speaking of Women's Health. Another edition of Speaking of Women's Health, and actually this is a dual session, in that we're going to talk about important issues for hot summertime and we're going to replay some of our highlights from our first season last spring on summer health tips. So why do I think this is important? It's because we have had several days of 90 plus degree weather on the North coast in very nice summer Northeast Ohio and we rarely have heat over 90. And it just is a reminder that, particularly for youth babies, pets and our senior citizens, that the heat can really affect them and it can lead to heat exhaustion and even heat stroke, which can be deadly. So do not exercise in intense heat unless you've been physically cleared to do so and always hydrate. Be alert for cramped, tight, hot environments. Particularly, do not leave children or pets in a hot locked car. Every year we always hear these tragic stories and since it is nice that it's summer and it's a great time that we all want to get out and have fun, I wanted to talk about some of the risk in summer besides just the heat and the sun, and later on in the podcast that we ran in season one, it will go over all things sunscreen and sun protection and we'll talk about other health tips for the summer to be strong, be healthy and be in charge.
Speaker 1:But I want to touch on drowning. This is the number one leading cause of death for children ages one to four. So that really strikes home with me, because I have a one-year-old, a one and a half and a three and a half grandchildren, and I was very impressed with my 18-month-old grandson. My daughter-in-law, becca, started him in swim lessons very early on and he can be thrown into water and he has learned to already flip on his back and float with his face up so he can breathe. And even at 18 months old, this life-saving skill can be taught. Now, of course, you still always want someone to always be in the water with a child.
Speaker 1:No person, even an adult, should swim alone, and children need to be checked for their ability to swim before they are allowed to swim in depths that are above their head. My daughter-in-law, laura, who's the mother of Beatrice and Artemis, was told by her pediatrician pretty sternly in the spring of this year to get her children into swim lessons because their practice had just lost two children due to drowning, and there are a variety of swim classes for children. You might want to check at your local Y or community center and there's also some swim and water shorter survival classes that can really focus on water safety. That can really focus on water safety. And since we're right here on the beautiful shores of Lake Erie, which is really gorgeous, it's not one of the deeper Great Lakes, but we still have an undercurrent and usually, sadly, every year there's usually at least one person or more who dies in the lake. So please learn how to swim, please teach your young ones about water safety. Please observe all the safety precautions related to having or owning or operating a pool or a body of water, and swimming can be not just an important life-saving skill but also a wonderful form of exercise. But be careful with these young ones, please.
Speaker 1:The other thing that you have to be careful with at all ages, but especially children, are ticks. This has been a season full of mosquitoes and ticks, so I wanted to talk a little bit more in depth about some tick disease and mosquito disease, kind of building upon some of the other health tips that we've previously gone over. So ticks can carry bacteria, parasites as well as viruses, and they can lead to some serious tick-borne diseases, from Rocky Mountain spotted fever to the dreaded Lyme disease carried by the deer tick, which needs to be on your skin for at least 24 hours. And the deer tick is so small that it's just the size of the head of a ballpoint pen marker very tiny. And I think it's important to examine children who've been outside playing, particularly in woods or outside, to look at their scalp and their whole body. And I'm a big proponent of bathing, even without soap, just water, necessarily, if the child's not dirty, but just simply to rinse them off and take a good look and make sure that there's no ticks that need to be extracted, which we describe how to do.
Speaker 1:Other tick-borne diseases include ehrlichiosis, tularemia and alpha-gal syndrome anemia and alpha-gal syndrome. In fact, I first heard about this a few years ago on my golf league. One of the women asked me about tick disease making you allergic to eating meat, and I thought it just sounded so bizarre and didn't make sense. Well, I looked it up and it's true, it's called alpha-gal syndrome and it makes the person allergic to a substance that's in meat and it can be very serious. Some people, if they stop having that tick exposure, can sometimes get out of that allergy. But that can be pretty devastating to not be able to eat meat unless you're a strict vegetarian and meat is so rich in so many different nutrients protein, iron and many nutrients.
Speaker 1:So, mosquitoes I think this has to be the worst season that I've ever experienced for mosquitoes. I don't know if it's been particularly warm. I was out with my husband and granddaughter Artemis. We were fishing and as soon as it's dusk or dawn it's just almost intolerable to be around mosquitoes. And we've talked about what you can do protective clothing, spraying your clothes with permethrin, there are some bug repellents that are okay for young children, and then there's DEET, which will give protection to people that are adults. Okay, um, but I thought I would look into trying to figure out why some people are just so much more likely to get bit by mosquitoes than others, and it's interesting, um, there's a few factors that contribute to this and, interestingly, type O blood people are twice as frequently as those with type A blood. People are twice as frequently as those with type A blood, but anyone, regardless of blood type, can be bit by a mosquito.
Speaker 1:Some of the cues that attract them are carbon dioxide and the amount of carbon dioxide you produce, particularly if you have a high metabolic rate, like you've been exercising and sweating, or you're a big person, or you're a young child that has a very fast metabolic rate, or you're pregnant, the more carbon dioxide you might give off, attracting these nuisance arthropods. So also lactic acid that you produce when you are exercising is another form of attraction. Certainly it's worse at dusk and dawn. Body heat is also a cue for the mosquito. Heat is also a cue for the mosquito. And, interestingly, drinking a beer people who consumed one can of beer were a lot more likely to attract mosquitoes. And we know, with a lot of backyard barbecues and picnics or people doing yard work and then wanting to enjoy their backyard, sometimes will crack open a beer. But that is increasing your risk of mosquito bites.
Speaker 1:Certainly, trying to avoid the peak activities I think are good to do, but for instance, I like to be up at sunrise to exercise outside and also at sunset I like to water my lawn. So if you're going to use DEET, about a 5% spray will roughly give you about 90 minutes of coverage, certainly covering your skin, and you would not want to generally use DEET in young children and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Certainly there can be some candles that will be natural repellents. Being in a breezy area helps as well, and if you are bit, you can put an ice cube on it and sometimes even drinking something cold might relieve the itching. If you're really having a lot of itching, considering an antihistamine Now. Benadryl is drowsy and certainly we don't give this to young children, and if you've got other health conditions or you're dealing with a child or an elderly person, certainly consult your physician, because this is just information to help empower you to be strong and be healthy and enjoy your summer.
Speaker 1:And we thank you for listening and we're going to do a reprisal of last year's summer tips. We've got some upcoming podcasts that go into more depth about melasma, which is a skin pigmentation problem that can be very vexing to women who've been pregnant or been out in the sun or been on hormonal contraceptives, and we're also going to have an upcoming podcast about cataracts, which can be hastened from ultraviolet light exposure, and we have a lot of other fun things packed in for this season. So if you don't already subscribe to our podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe anywhere you listen to podcasts on Apple Podcasts, spotify TuneIn, amazon Music Podbean. We just don't want you to miss any future episodes, and if you have any questions or things or topics you'd like us to cover, you can go on wwwspeakingofwomenshealthcom and, under the contact us email, email us your question or the topic that you would like us to see. So thanks for joining us in this very hot sunflower house and we'll see you next time.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Speaking of Women's Health podcast. I'm your host, dr Holly Thacker, the Executive Director of National Speaking of Women's Health podcast. I'm your host, Dr Holly Thacker, the Executive Director of National Speaking of Women's Health, and I am back in the sunflower house as the sun is shining brightly this late spring 2023. So, as we're approaching summer, we decided to talk today about summer skincare and everything about sunscreen.
Speaker 1:With summer officially almost around the corner, it's definitely time to think about protecting your largest asset and your largest body organ your skin, because your eyes, skin and even hair can be damaged by harmful UV rays. Besides protecting your skin daily, don't forget to wear your polarized lenses in whatever style eyeglass or sunglasses you like, and it's a great idea to consider wearing a big hat or at least a cap when outside, and there's lots of over-the-counter spray products that can help protect your hair. Some ultraviolet light on exposed arms and legs for 15 minutes during the summer helps to convert active vitamin D in the skin, particularly in people under age 40. As the skin gets older, we're not as good as able to do this, and certainly bright light and sunlight can help elevate your mood, and so can raising your vitamin D levels, which, of course, you can do with a vitamin D supplement, and everything you want to know about vitamin D was in our second podcast. Everything you Want to Know About Vitamin D was in our second podcast.
Speaker 1:But, as with most things, too much of any one thing can be detrimental, and, especially with sun exposure over prolonged periods of time, it can lead to a lot of harmful effects on the skin, including accelerated aging, those wrinkles and sunspots and so-called age spots, or some people dub them liver spots, but they're really age spots and the medical term is senile antigeny Burns. You can get burns from the sun, particularly in fair-skinned individuals, but I even know a certain person who's dark-skinned and loves the sun and follows all my medical instructions person who's dark skinned and loves the sun and follows all my medical instructions except for sunscreen, and she actually was burned and got too much sun. So even if you're not someone who's prone to burning your skin, you still can, and everyone is at increased risk for skin cancer, basal cell cancers, squamous cell cancers and the dreaded melanoma. Furthermore, in women you can get melasma, which is the so-called mask of pregnancy, and it's from a combination of high hormone levels, like in pregnancy or birth control pills, and ultraviolet light exposure, or birth control pills and ultraviolet light exposure, and once you get this, you're always prone to it. I experienced this with my son when I was pregnant with him in the summer. I was helping my sister move all her furniture and we were inside and outside. I was tired and I was sitting there and one of my friends, a physician, said hey, wipe that dirt off your forehead. It was not dirt, it wasn't Ash Wednesday, it was melasma.
Speaker 1:So it's interesting that Americans who we of course drive on the left side of the road we actually have more skin cancer on the left side of the face and neck, while our British friends who drive on the right side of the road they have more cancers of the skin on the right side of the road. They have more cancers of the skin on the right side of the face, and you can get UV light exposure and sun damage 365 days a year, even in the winter, on a cloudy day, inside your car with the windows up, because these rays penetrate. So it's important to understand that UV light includes both UVA and UVB, and so the very best sunscreens block both UVA and B, because both rays can damage your skin, but in somewhat different ways. So the UVA rays are the longest rays and they comprise 95% of the sun's radiation and these rays penetrate through glass windows during all seasons and they play a big role in skin cancers and they also can cause skin aging. And they also can cause skin aging, wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots, and these UVA long rays penetrate the skin much more deeply. The UVB rays they've got a much shorter wavelength and they constitute approximately 5% of the sun's radiation and they don't come through the windows and traditional sunscreens are a lot more helpful at blocking UVB than A. Uvb damages the outermost layer of the skin, which can cause sunburns, and these rays also cause many skin cancers. So the importance of sunscreen Most of us are aware that it's important to protect against the development of skin cancer.
Speaker 1:But what exactly is sunscreen? What qualifies as a broad spectrum, and are they all really water resistant if they're labeled as such? And how do you properly apply sunscreen? Well, sunscreens are topically applied as sprays, creams, gels or sticks, and they can either block or absorb the sun's radiation. Sunscreens contain either organic or inorganic filters. Many of the commercially available sunscreens are actually organic filters. For example, one of the best, meroxyl XS, is a combination of multiple different organic filters that work together to absorb both UVA and UVB wavelengths.
Speaker 1:Now people with sensitive skin may react to the organic sunscreens and thus elect to use less irritating inorganic sunscreens, to use less irritating inorganic sunscreens. So those inorganic sunscreens that we tend to also use on children are that they use minerals like zinc oxide. You know how you see the lifeguard in the summer, with the white stuff on the nose and cheeks. That's zinc oxide and that does block UV radiation, and it's somewhat better tolerated than the organic sunscreens. For the same reason, these inorganic sunscreens may be much more appropriate for your young children and toddlers and any infant greater than six months, but we don't use this on the skin of infants under six months, and certainly any infant under six months should not be exposed to prolonged sunlight. You should use physical blocking maneuvers and certainly talk to your pediatrician about your baby's needs for vitamin D, because babies generally need to be supplemented, including breastfed babies.
Speaker 1:Now, spf, or the sun protection factor, is a measure of the sunscreen's ability to protect against UVB rays only. So whenever I ask my patients what sunscreen they use, they respond with the SPF. But that only indicates UVB and you want protection as an adult against UVA and B. So when you are purchasing a product, look for something that covers both UVA and B. Opt for a so-called broad spectrum sunscreen. The American Academy of Dermatology recommends using an SPF factor of 30 or greater. I tend to look for a sunscreen with Meroxil because it's anti-aging and I think the best way to generally get your vitamin D is with a supplement and potentially having your levels checked by a physician and at least to use sunscreen year-round on your face and neck and décollet area and hands and ears. Now, certainly in the summer, particularly in younger people who aren't necessarily taking vitamin supplements then certainly exposing maybe the arms and the legs for 15 minutes, not right at the peak of the sun, but a little before not right at the peak of the sun, but a little before. And Meroxyl is the active ingredient in many of the broad spectrum over-the-counter products, and that includes Anthelios, which the Europeans had before we did, as well as Neutrogena products, thank you. Recently, johnson Johnson recalled a specific Neutrogena aerosol sunscreen due to the presence of benzene. So please be sure to check your sunscreens to make sure they're not recalled.
Speaker 1:There are two types of Meroxyl SX is the water-soluble, and Meroxyl SX is a synthetic UVA filter developed by L'Oreal and was available in Europe, as I mentioned, long before the United States. We're talking 1982 versus. We didn't get it here in the US until 2006. Some of my dermatology friends used to, when they were in Europe, buy the Meroxyl because they knew how good it was. Now XL means lipid soluble and you can find Meroxyl under different names, such as Encamposol or. This is a bit more aesthetically pleasing than wearing dense white zinc oxide.
Speaker 1:And the nice thing is, meroxyl can be blocked with the standard UVB blocker. So you may ask is SPF more important than UVA and UVB rays? And, as I mentioned, many of my patients focus on the SPF, the sun protection factor, but you really want to block both A and B to protect your skin, and there's not very many products that have both. So you really have to look out also for ingredients like alcohol, which can be irritating or drying to the skin. And many sunscreens contain avobenzone, also trademarked as Parsol 1789. And that blocks the full spectrum of UVA, absorbing the rays and converting them to heat. But beware, because avobenzone can irritate the skin. Now, helioplex is a brand name made by Neutrogena and it's a formulation to block UVA and B, and it contains avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocryllin, homosalate and octosalate.
Speaker 1:So how should you protect your skin when you're pregnant or breastfeeding? I have some breastfeeding daughter-in-laws. Well, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, it may be best just to stick with the physical measures to protect your skin, like an umbrella and big hat and shades, and only use the mineral-based sunblockers like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, just like you would for your young children, as opposed to sunscreens. Children, sensitive folks and pregnant and breastfeeding moms who want to avoid any absorption of any sunscreen chemicals should focus on the sunblocks, which includes avoiding the use of avobenzone, oxybenzone, octocrylate and ecamsult, which are the most effective sunscreens. So opt for the mineral-based sunblocks that include zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. And don't forget everyone needs to wear their hats and sunglasses and you can get uv blocked sun clothes, clothing and, generally speaking, the peak, most damaging uv rays are between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm, and certainly read labels, just like you do with food. Read labels, pay attention to the list of ingredients in your sunscreen, particularly if you have skin sensitivities, and it may be best for sensitive people to avoid both added fragrances and preservatives.
Speaker 1:In terms of applying your sunscreen properly, you need to guard against pigmentation, aging and skin cancer. Research suggests that, despite widespread use of sunscreen, most people are not applying it properly. And most people are not applying it more frequently. Every few hours you must reapply.
Speaker 1:So, now that you know everything you need to know about sunscreen, and probably more than you wanted to know about sunscreen for the summer, I want to talk about summer health tips, besides just the sun, for you and your family, because school's going to be out soon, the days are getting longer and everyone is anxious to pack in so much fun, recreation and relaxation. Summer fun may involve many activities and components Sunshine, heat, water, long days, picnics, family get-togethers we're planning one for our whole family that I'm really looking forward to travel, gardening and new experiences in carefree recreation. So as you begin to plan your summer, be sure to be healthy, be strong and be in charge. So some tips that I think are very helpful for you and your family this summer.
Speaker 1:Number one stay hydrated, because heat can be deadly and it's much more lethal in the very young and the very old. Staying well hydrated helps to reduce heat illness and it's very important to acclimate to hot environments. So, as an adult, drink between four to six cups of water each day to keep you adequately hydrated, and water helps you prevent overheating. And you can add a little bit of dilute fruit juice to your water to give it a little flavor and the toddlers may ingest more fluid this way, and it doesn't have to be raining to wear, to use your stylish umbrella, make a fashion statement and keep it cool. Number two eye protection. Uv rays, especially over time, damage the eyes cataracts, macular degeneration, even retinal damage. So wear your sunglasses with UV protection daily and wear a hat on sunny days protection daily and wear a hat on sunny days and consider wearing protective eye gear when you play sports to reduce the risk of a serious eye injury.
Speaker 1:Number three lather on that broad spectrum sunscreen daily liberally and reapply. My favorite personal is the Anthelios 60 Melt-In Sunscreen, because it not only acts as a broad-spectrum sunscreen but as an illuminizer. And many women apply sunscreen just to their face but they totally forget their neck and décollet areas, and these areas are simply an extension of your face and by not protecting your skin, you're going to age yourself before your time Because you want to keep your skin looking radiant and healthy and glowing. One of our earlier podcasts we talked about skin care peels and how to keep your skin glowing year-round. Now, speaking of glowing women, pregnant women are most at risk for developing blotchy pigment on their face. Women are most at risk for developing blotchy pigment on their face and melasma certainly can be treated, but it will come back with any ultraviolet light exposure. Don't skip your exercise routine just because it's sultry outside. You may need to change where you exercise and you might need to avoid the peak heat and humidity, but don't get lazy just because it's warm outside.
Speaker 1:Number five watch for mosquitoes, especially at dusk and dawn. There are many mosquito vector-borne illnesses encephalitis, zika, malaria in certain parts of the world, malaria in certain parts of the world. The best way to prevent many of these infections is to simply avoid mosquito bites, and mosquitoes are the most active from dusk to dawn. So clear out any standing water. Use an insect repellent. As an adult, a deep-based or picoridin-based repellent are safe on your skin. Fix broken screens. My husband just got this little handy product online that sealed a couple of our screens that had tiny little holes where bugs and mosquitoes can get in. Use an EPA-register registered insect repellent. And it's best to spray your clothes, not your skin, with permethrin. Permethrin is a plant-based chemical that should be applied just to clothing, not to your skin, because permethrin can be irritating. So be very careful when applying Number six enjoy hiking and gardening and the great outdoors, but know how to identify both poison ivy and poison sumac and know when to see your physician if you notice a rash that comes on suddenly.
Speaker 1:And please see your physician if the rash is extensive or involves the face. And do not apply Benadryl or Caladryl to the skin. You can apply plain Calamine lotion or cool compresses. You may be able to take oral Benadryl if you're not going to be driving and you might become sleepy, but topical Benadryl to the skin, which is in some over-the-counter products, is actually a skin sensitizer and cool. Domboro compresses, which you can get over the counter, reduce weepiness of the skin and if you require prednisone therapy from your physician to treat an itchy dermatitis like poison ivy, you likely will need it for three weeks, not just a seven-day course which a lot of urgent care centers may prescribe. And again, this is not medical advice. This is just a Speaking of Women's Health podcast to keep you empowered with information.
Speaker 1:Number seven always observe water safety rules. Do not swim alone, even if you are an expert swimmer, bring and wear life jackets when swimming, boating or jet skiing, and remember that water and alcohol do not mix in terms of ingesting alcohol. In fact, ingesting alcohol doesn't mix with a lot of activities driving, operating machinery, so it's always important to be responsible. Number eight watch out for ticks and inspect the skin for any ticks, and that includes your children skin for any ticks, and that includes your children. When going out in tick infested areas, it's best, even in warm weather, to wear long sleeves and longer pants and wear light colors, because ticks are dark and small and are a little bit easier spotted against lighter colors. Inspect the body for any ticks after being outside or being in a wooded area.
Speaker 1:It typically takes more than 24 hours for a tick to infect a person, including the deer tick and Lyme disease. So the sooner that you find and remove the tick, the better. And it's also important to remember that your beloved pet can bring ticks home, so be sure to inspect them on a regular basis as well. If you find a tick attached to you, here's how you remove it safely Use clean tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible. Pull upward without squeezing too hard. After you remove the tick, be sure to clean the area and put the tick in a sealed bag or container. Even if you find a tick and remove it within a day, you might want to follow up with your health care clinician to rule out the possibility of infection.
Speaker 1:And some of the more serious tick-borne infections include Lyme disease, which can lead to a lot of chronic problems it can appear with a bullseye rash, but doesn't necessarily have to and Rocky Mounted Spotted Fever. My brother and his son, my nephew, developed this when they were doing a lot of outdoor construction activity in Alabama, and luckily there's treatment, and early treatment, just like with any condition, is generally better. So thank you so much for joining us in the Sunflower House. You've been listening to your host, dr Holly Thacker, in the Sunflower House on the Speaking of Women's Health podcast. I really hope that you enjoy your summer and that you pack a lot of fun, active activities, active activities and be mindful of taking some of these extra precautions so that you could be healthy, be strong and be in charge. I hope that you'll subscribe, if you don't already, to our podcast. Anywhere you listen to podcasts, please be sure to give us a five-star rating, because that helps us move up in the ratings. See you next time.