CalCPA ProtectPlus

With springtime officially here, we may find ourselves spending more time enjoying the outdoors with our family. Our children play very hard outside – running through long grass and shrubs - where ticks could be dwelling – which makes our children very vunerable.  Being bit by a particular tick can be a very serious issue because some ticks may carry Lyme disease which can be transmitted if it bites someone. The animals that most often carry these ticks are white-footed field mice, deer, raccoons, opossums, skunks, weasels, foxes, shrews, moles, chipmunks, squirrels, and horses. We need to make sure our children are not bit by one of these ticks and if they have been bitten by one, we should know what to do in order to prevent possible serious health complications.

A few simple things you can do to help protect your kids from ticks while they are outside are:

• to have them wear long pants tucked into their socks
• to wear long sleeved shirts
• to wear Light colored clothing so you are more apt to see the sesame seed sized tick
• apply insect spray
• check your child for the tick when they come in from the outdoors

In the early stages of Lyme disease, you may experience flue-like symptoms such as a stiff neck, chills, fever, headaches, and muscle aches just to name a few. You also may see a large expanding skin rash – the bullseye rash - around the area of the tick bite. Watch the video below from ABCNEWS.com –  GMA Health for more details about Lyme Disease and how to detect whether your child has been bit by one of these ticks and what treatment is necessary for your child.

The ever growing number of prescription drugs on the market, combined with a greater popularity of herbal remedies and an increased use of over-the-counter medications, has produced, in addition to better health, a rising danger of harmful interactions. While warnings abound— “Avoid alcohol while taking this medicine” or “Stop taking this medication if …”—the prevalence and complexity of the problem demands that consumers take extra precautions when beginning a new prescription or trying a new supplement.

In some instances, drugs prescribed for unrelated medical conditions may be incompatible, either canceling the beneficial effects of one or both, or creating potentially dangerous side effects. Researchers recently found that Tamiflu, an anti-viral drug considered to be a major tool in fighting a flu epidemic, is rendered ineffective by the anti-clotting drug Plavix. (continue reading…)