Dr. Josyann Abisaab

Autumn Season Safety Tips: Josyann Abisaab MD

The season of “falling leaves” has given Autumn its popular moniker as the Fall season. But for doctors, like Josyann Abisaab MD, who staff the emergency rooms around the country, “fall” has taken on a whole new meaning. Forty-two million Americans seek emergency room treatment each year. Many of those injuries actually occur in the performance of ordinary household tasks – such as the outdoor yard maintenance so many of us set out to achieve each autumn. Leaf raking, lawn mowing, and roof inspections all have their potential dangers, including major falls, painful cuts and back injuries. Lawn mowers, in particular, must be viewed as the large, potentially harm-causing machines that they really are.  The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that more than 225,000 people were injured by power, manual and riding lawn mowers in 2007.

The good news, however, is that these dangers can be easily avoided by adhering to these few simple tips:

-- Turn your engine off before you begin any maintenance work on your lawnmower.

-- Don’t use your hands or feet to clear debris from under a lawnmower. Use a stick or broom handle instead.

-- Don’t remove safety devices, shields or guards on switches.

-- Never leave a lawnmower running unattended.

-- Wear protective gear like goggles and gloves, boots and long pants when mowing.

Dealing with Nighttime Croup: Tips from the E.R.

Any parent who has heard a child with croup knows how terrible the sound is.  Croup is almost always worse at night because blood flow to the respiratory tract changes when a child lies down.  Dry air can also aggravate the cough.  Many parents end up in the E.R., being seen by doctors like Dr. Josyann Abisaab, for croup.  Here are some suggestions for ways to avoid that E.R. visit.

Dr. Andrea Leeds, a pediatrician in Bellmore, New York explains that you should first give the child a dose of children’s ibuprofen (if they are over 1) to reduce the swelling in the airways.  Then, turn on the shower full blast and sit in the steamy bathroom for fifteen minutes with your child.  Finally, dress him warmly and go out into the cold night air (or stand in front of the freezer if it’s the heat of summer).  The steam will relax the airways and the vocal cords and the cold air will reduce the swelling.

This combination of activities will usually help to control symptoms enough until the next day, when you can get to the doctor.