Make This Your Your Safest and Healthiest July Fourth Holiday!
July Fourth is the time the time for enjoying picnics, community festivities, and dazzling fireworks displays. The Center for Natural and Integrative Medicine is always concerned about the health and safety of their friends, patients and readers.
We are confident you can balance health and safety, and still have fabulous fun this coming Fourth of July Holiday.
Did you know that the Fourth of July is the deadliest driving holiday of the year? According to the Florida State Police, there are a couple of statistics every driver should know:
1. Number of Floridians who died in Florida Car crashes over the 2012 holiday: 29
2. Number of DUI cases arrested: 90
The Natural and Integrated Medicine A, B, C Primer of Healthy July 4th Tips
A. “A” is for At the Limit: The doctors and staff advise you to drive the speed limit. Don’t be tempted to rush. Plan to leave early and give yourself time for the trip to your event.
B. “B” is for Safety Belt, and it is part of your essential driving wardrobe. Be sure you buckle up. If you have a slight crash, your car is your best protector.
C. “C” is for control of your alcohol. 59% of the Fourth of July Holiday traffic deaths last year were due to mixing driving with drinking. Alcohol and Gasoline do not mix.
W
e want you to avoid a DUI with a few simple rules:
Stop drinking an hour or two before leaving a party!
Avoid drinking on an empty stomach and alternate cocktails with water, juice or soda.
The Center for Natural and Integrative Medicine hopes you and your friends will designate a non-drinking friend to drive you home.
As a last resort, if you are driving your own car and realize you are too “buzzed” to be behind the wheel, pull over to a safe place, and call a friend or a taxi!
D. “D” is for dehydration! If you do not drink enough water to counteract the summer heat, you can get very sick. No one wants to spend a holiday in the Emergency Room!
E. “E” is for eating! Naturally, this is a fabulous time for sharing fun foods with the family. It is also a great time to remember restraint. It is tempting to use this great American outdoor holiday
as an excuse for eating too much of the wrong kind of food. Try to “bribe” yourself with healthy alternatives!
F. “F” is for Fireworks! If firecrackers are legal in your area, use them with great caution. There are over eighteen Fourth of July Fireworks Displays in the Central Florida! It is much safer to attend such a show as well as much more satisfying .
Don’t worry; we won’t go include the entire alphabet, but we have a special to summarize the rest of our advice: Use twice as much sunscreen as you would like and half as much alcohol !
With these few healthy suggestions, you will feel better on Monday when you return to your normal schedule,
re-invigorated from your Independence Day Celebration.
The Doctors and all staff of The Center for Natural and Integrative Medicine wish you a Happy Fourth of July Celebration.
This is a special time for us all to feel grateful and blessed to live in the Land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave!
Our final thought for this week comes from a quote by Moshe Dayan:
