With the Christmas and New Years season here, celebrations with loved ones are something many look forward to, and a local doctor is offering tips on how to keep the holidays full of fun and safe.
Among some of the common issues seen during the holidays include burns, cuts and alcohol-related injuries, Dr. Harlan Goode, an emergency room physician at St. Davidβs Georgetown Hospital, told Hello Georgetown.
βWith the amount of cooking people are doing, we see a lot of burns, and more so, lots of cuts,β Dr. Harlan Goode, an emergency room physician at St. Davidβs Georgetown Hospital, said. βPeople getting distracted while cooking and externally cutting their finger with a knife while theyβre chopping up stuff for dinner.β
Dr. Goode reminded people to be aware of potential distractions while they are cooking, and focus on the task at hand to avoid injury.
βTake your time and be careful while cooking and cutting up stuff, and avoiding hot stoves and other things that could lead to burns,β Dr. Goode said.
As the holidays come to a close, itβs also important to keep safety in mind when taking decorations down.
βIf youβre going to be up on a ladder, make sure that itβs on level ground, preferably have somebody there to help you out,β Dr. Goode said. βUse extreme caution if youβre up on a ladder, up on your roof or getting up in the attic. This applies to everybody, but I feel especially anyone thatβs on any kind of blood thinner, Aspirin, Plavix, Eliquis, any of those medications, those people are at higher risk for bad head injuries due to the blood thinners.β
Another potential opportunity for burns and injuries, Dr. Goode added, involve fireworks.
βAlcohol and fireworks do not mix,β Dr. Goode said. βSo, if youβre going to set off fireworks, be sure that you have not had too much to drink. Donβt go buy a bunch of fireworks that youβve not had any experience using, and obviously just read the safety levels, then make sure youβre being safe while setting off any fireworks.β
The holidays also usually result in increased alcohol consumption, and according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Texas had one of the highest rates for alcohol-related fatal holiday car crashes between 2015 and 2019.
βWith Christmas and New Yearβs, the level of alcohol consumption goes up and we would urge everyone to drink responsibly, and most importantly, do not drive after consuming alcohol, even if itβs just one to two drinks,β Dr. Goode said. βCall a cab, call an Uber, find a safe ride.β
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