Wellness Wednesday

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s Asthma Capitals™ report ranks the largest 100 cities in the contiguous U.S. by how challenging they are to live in when you have asthma. Yes, Detroit is number one (source AAFA Capitals Report)

Why Is Asthma Worse in September?

People with asthma and allergies are exposed to several triggers in September. Weed pollen, especially ragweed, the most common fall pollen allergy, is highest in September in the United States.  Mold counts go up as leaves collect outside. Children return to school and may catch respiratory infections. Extreme weather and wildfires are also a contributing factor. Flu and cold season is starting too.

How Can I Manage Asthma During September (and all year long)?

The best way to deal with asthma attacks is to prevent them before they begin. If your asthma is not under control, talk with your doctor as soon as possible.

• Follow your Asthma Action Plan to keep your asthma under control. If you do not have one, click here to get started: Asthma Action Plan.
• Schedule an appointment with your doctor or asthma specialist. Be ready to talk about current symptoms, medicines, and triggers.
• Take your asthma medicines as prescribed by your doctor.
• Get your vaccines. They take about 2 weeks to take effect in your body, so get them as soon as they are available. Yearly vaccines are usually available in September.
• Take steps to avoid getting sick. Wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your eyes, mouth, and nose, especially during cold and flu season. Stay away from people who are sick as much as possible.
• Wear a mask. When respiratory illnesses are spreading, wear a good-fitting N95 mask in crowded indoor spaces. Also wear N95 masks if wildfire smoke is in your area or if you are cleaning up after a natural disaster or flood. Masks can also help if you have pollen or mold allergy.
• Good ventilation and air filters can improve your indoor air quality (IAQ). HEPA-certified air cleaners, HEPA filters on your HVAC system, exhaust fans, and open doors/windows can improve the air in your indoor spaces.  
• If you are allergic to ragweed or mold, try to limit your exposure to those allergens.
• Take care of your health. Adequate sleep and water, a healthy diet, and exercise are important. Keep your stress levels down.

How can I make my home asthma-friendly?

• Keep windows and doors shut during high-pollen times of the year, including Peak Week.
• Ask everyone to take their shoes off before coming inside.
• Keep your hair covered outside.
• Shower and wash your hair before bed.
• Use a HEPA filter in your HVAC system.
• Pay attention to air quality reports if pollution or smoke triggers your attacks.
• Avoid asthma triggers such

Tobacco: Declare your home smoke- and vape-free. Do your best to ensure no one smokes near you or in any place you spend a lot of time.
Dust mites: Dust mites thrive in humid environments, so keep humidity low. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter regularly on floors, rugs, and carpets, and wash and dry your bedding thoroughly.
Pests: Store food and trash in sealed containers. Clean dishes and food messes right away. Use pesticides as directed, but avoid foggers, as they can trigger attacks.
Mold: Dry wet items promptly and properly and consider using a dehumidifier. Fix water leaks, which can allow mold to grow in hidden places. Avoid harsh cleaners as they can trigger an attack.

Guns are the number one killer of children and teens in the United States. Almost every other day, a child gets their hands on a gun and unintentionally kills or wounds themselves or someone else in the United States. Research shows that the most effective way to prevent children from accessing firearms is by making sure all guns are stored unloaded, locked, and separate from ammunition.

More than half of gun owners don’t lock all of their guns securely, and an estimated 4.6 million children live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded gun in the US. When guns are not securely stored, tragedy can strike ― whether it’s a child finding a firearm and wounding or killing themselves or someone else, or someone accessing it and using it to commit a crime.
 

There are steps we can all take, gun owners and non-gun owners alike, to make sure kids cannot access guns and put themselves and others in danger. State lawmakers passed the Secure Storage Law for Firearms in Michigan. This legislation requires firearm owners to safely store their firearms when someone younger than 18 years old is, or is likely to be, present. That means keeping unattended firearms unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container.

All families need to have a conversation with children about firearm safety. Also, if your child is going to someone else's home, don’t hesitate to ask if firearms are present and how they’re stored.

Be SMART about gun storage and safety:

• S: secure all guns in your home and vehicle
• M: model responsible behavior around guns
• A: ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes
• R: recognize the role of guns in suicide
• T: tell your peers to be SMART

Additional Resources:

Project ChildSafe

Information on how to obtain a FREE gun safety kit and where to obtain a FREE gun trigger lock in 230 cities in Michigan.

Gun Safety and Children - C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital | University of Michigan Health

• Gun Storage
• Guns at homes of others
• Teaching children about what to do in the presence of a gun
• Adolescents, teens, and guns
• Non-powder guns, BB guns, and toy guns

Parents' Guide to Home Firearm Safety (umich.edu)

Information regarding firearms safety among children and teens. Great resource for families.

https://mifrp.org/prevention-tools/firearms/

The Michigan Fatality Review and Prevention, provides information regarding Prevention Resources, and Firearm Storage resources.

Holding onto Life Toolkit (michigan.gov)

The holding onto life toolkit is discusses firearms and focuses on suicide prevention

Michigan - American Firearms Training (concealedcarryonline.com)

This course reviews the fundamentals of safety and gun handling, including transportation, storage, and firing in defensive situations. The course includes easy-to-understand safety instructions and is filmed in a professional production, with a state-certified instructor. The course takes 90 minutes to complete and is free of charge.

Online Learning | Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention (umich.edu)

• The University of Michigan has provided free online courses about the Firearm Safety Among Children and Teens, Injury Prevention for Children and Teens, and Preventing Gun Violence.

From the State of Michigan Proclamation:

Michigan has established the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline coverage statewide to provide an easy-to-remember way for people experiencing behavioral health-related distress to access a strengthened and expanded network of crisis call centers, which has answered 242,486 calls since July of 2022.

• In 2023, the national suicide rate was 14.1 per 100,000 and the Michigan suicide rate was 14.9 per 100,000, with 1,530 Michigan residents dying by suicide
• In 2023, Michigan firearm suicides accounted for 54.8% of suicide deaths
• In 2022, 170 Michigan veterans died by suicide, a rate of 31.9 per 100,000
• Resources are available in Michigan. Please go to the state's Health and Human Services for information: MDHHS Suicide Prevention Resources

The Center for Disease Control has on its website many resources that can be used. Be sure to check it out: CDC Suicide Prevention. It addresses suicide prevention, risk factors, health disparities, and resources.
 

This is a day of remembrance and action to raise awareness, reduce stigma and empower people with the knowledge and tools they need to respond to opioid overdoses effectively. Overdose rates continue to rise throughout the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 100,000 people died from drug overdoses in a recent 12-month period, with opioids involved in nearly 75% of those deaths. (For more information about Fatal Drug Overdose go to CDC SUDORS Data).

Behind each statistic is a person — a loved one, a neighbor, a friend, a student. Overdose can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, income or background.

An overdose happens when the body is overwhelmed by a toxic amount of substance or combination of substances. It’s possible to overdose on many substances if they are abused, including alcohol, illicit drugs, and even prescribed medication. The physical and psychological signs of a drug overdose can vary depending on the type of drug taken and whether the drug was taken in combination with other substances.

Resources: Find Help in Michigan and State of Michigan Proclamation: Overdose Awareness Day in Michigan

You need a day to relax. Let us help you with some ideas and reasons why it's important to take time to  slow down and unwind. It's a day to focus on taking care of ourselves and take a moment to relax. We all need a break from the fast-paced and often hectic lifestyles we live. Taking time to recuperate and rejuvenate our tired minds and bodies may help prevent many health risks, too.  Doctors agree that finding ways to relax and thus reducing stress will improve overall health.

This video offers 8 tips for relaxation.

Other ideas are:

Taking time away from the screens

While social media and the internet have many benefits in this modern age, you can also quickly feel overwhelmed and stressed by constantly being bombarded with news and posts about other people's lives. Put your phone or computer away, and do something that relaxes you, such as reading, painting, or cooking. Make sure to especially avoid any screen time before bed, as it can mess with your sleep patterns.

Treat yourself to a spa day

What better way to relax than by having a massage, or sitting in a nice sauna? You can go one step further and book yourself into some beauty treatments, such as a haircut, a facial, or a manicure.

Green Tea

Green Tea is an excellent remedy to lower your stress. It contains L-Theanine which helps to reduce stress and improve your mood and sleep.

Stare and Do Nothing

Sometimes, you can enjoy and relax by simply sitting near your window and staring outside at the trees, people, parks, and just nature. While staring at your phone screens all day has a negative impact, looking outside at nature helps to make you calmer and more relaxed.

It’s important to pay attention to your sun exposure when you spend any amount of time outdoors. You can minimize your risk of sunburn by taking steps to protect your skin every day.

Sunburn is red, painful, damaged skin from being out in the sun for too long. Sunburn is inflamed, painful skin that feels hot to the touch. It often appears within a few hours of being in the sun too long. When you get a sunburn, ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or a tanning bed burn your skin. You don’t have to spend the day at the beach or pool to get a sunburn. Some people get sunburns doing everyday things without using sunscreen, like taking a lunch break outside, gardening or walking the dog. Preventing sunburn year-round by wearing sunscreen or using other skin-protection habits is important for everyone. It is especially important when you're outdoors, even on cool or cloudy days. Any exposed part of the body — including the earlobes, scalp and lips — can burn. Even covered areas can burn if, for example, clothing has a loose weave that allows ultraviolet (UV) light through. The eyes, which are extremely sensitive to the sun's UV light, also can burn.

You can get sunburn relief with simple self-care measures such as taking pain relievers and cooling the skin. But it may take days for the sunburn to fade.

How to Treat a Sunburn (short video)

See your provider if you have any concerns about your sunburn or how it’s healing. Seek medical treatment immediately if you have:

• Blisters over more than 20% of your body (such as a whole leg, your entire back or both arms) or severe swelling.
• Develop blisters on the face, hands or genitals.
• Show signs of infection, such as blisters with pus or streaks.
• Experience worsening pain, headache, confusion, nausea, fever or chills.
• Get worse despite at-home care.
• Have eye pain or vision changes.
• A fever over 103 F (39.4 C) with vomiting.
• Sunburn in a baby younger than 1 year old.
   

Stop On Red Week in August is to educate the public about the number and severity of intersection crashes. This awareness provides a great opportunity to promote safe driving and remind drivers of the dangers of running stop signs, amber and red lights.

Every day, millions of Americans head out on the road—driving to work, taking children to school and activities, or simply running errands. In the hustle and bustle of daily life, few consider the possibility of being involved in a motor vehicle crash.

Why Stop on Red Week Matters

Red-light running is one of the most dangerous — and preventable — traffic violations. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

• On average, 116 lives are lost and more than 6,500 individuals are injured in traffic accidents every single day in the United States.
• More than 1,000 people are killed every year in crashes involving red-light runners.
• Over 100,000 are injured annually.
• Nearly half of those killed are innocent — pedestrians, cyclists, or other drivers.

These aren’t just numbers — they represent real people, families, and futures. Help stop the heartbreak before it happens by making a commitment to STOP ON RED.

Download the 2025 Automated Enforcement PDF
 

Do not disregard basic safety rules when it comes to firing up the grill. Here are 2 short safety videos from the National Fire Protection Agency when it comes to using the barbecue grill. There are also some safety facts and resources: Grilling Safety Facts & Resources.

Here is a Public Service Announcement created by the Consumer Product Safety Commission which runs for just a minute and is perfect for sharing with family members: Don't Be a Dummy: Firework Safety.

Incidents involving fireworks are not limited to July 4th. Other key findings on injuries in the month surrounding the July 4th holiday in 2022:

• Adults 25 to 44 years of age experienced about 36 percent of the estimated injuries, and children younger than 15 years of age accounted for 28 percent of the estimated injuries.
   
• Where known, the fireworks types with the highest estimated emergency department-treated injuries in 2022 were firecrackers (1,300) followed by sparklers (600).
• Burns were the most frequently estimated type of injury, making up 38% of all emergency department-treated fireworks injuries.

Be aware of your water intake during days of high temperatures: Basics of Staying Hydrated.

It's summer and many of you are posting all the fun things you are doing on social media but you have to stay vigilant. Follow these tips on how to prepare if you plan to leave your house and go on vacation this summer: Tips for Staying Safe While Traveling.