The American Academy of Family Physicians offers the following tips to avoid potentially harmful food and drug interactions: read medication labels before using and ask the pharmacist or your healthcare provider about anything you do not understand; read interaction precautions, instructions, and warnings on medication labels; unless instructed otherwise, drink a full glass of water…

The American Academy of Dermatology offers the following tips for healthy skin: apply sunscreen before heading outdoors; don’t smoke; find ways to manage stress; perform regular self-exams for cancer; wash your face when you wake, before you go to bed, and whenever you sweat; and avoid scrubbing your skin. American Academy of Dermatology, January 2023

As temperatures drop, the more obvious signs of dehydration may be less apparent. The Baylor College of Medicine notes the following are signs of dehydration in cold weather: headache; cracked lips; dry skin and mouth; fatigue; dizziness and/or light headedness; difficulty concentrating; and less frequent urination and darker urine color. Baylor College of Medicine, December…

To improve road safety, Safe Kids Worldwide recommends that teen drivers avoid the following dangerous driving habits: not wearing seat belts, texting while driving, riding with two or more teenage passengers, drinking and driving, driving at night, and speeding. Safe Kids Worldwide, November 2022

Due to the adverse effects on health— especially those related to sleep disruption—caused by time changes, the American Medical Association recommends eliminating daylight savings time and making standard time permanent in the United States. American Medical Association, November 2022

To reduce the risk of infection when using contact lenses, the American Optometric Association recommends the following: don’t wash your hands with a creamy soap that can leave a film on lenses; never make your own saline solution, which can damage lenses; don’t put lenses in your mouth to moisten them; don’t store or wash…

To help ensure siblings who share a room get a restful night’s sleep, the National Sleep Foundation recommends the following: structure each child’s bedtime routine so that it does not disrupt the other; if an older child will share a room with a baby, wait until the infant is a few months old to bring…

The American Red Cross offers the following tips to stay safe on the road: be particularly cautious in construction zones; take frequent breaks and/or switch drivers on longer drives; wear your seat belt; drive at a reasonable speed; don’t use a cell phone while driving; be respectful of other drivers; never follow another vehicle too…

The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these tips for treating minor burns at home: hold the burned area under cold running water for five minutes to reduce pain and swelling; never ice or rub a burn, and do not pop a blister that forms as a result of a burn; cover the area with a…

Following an analysis of the sleep routines of nearly 8,000 middle-aged and older adults, researchers found that compared with sleeping seven hours a night, averaging five hours or less each night increases the risk for multiple illnesses by up to 40% and can raise the risk for early death by 25%. PLOS Medicine, October 2022