The IAA One Minute Blog

The holidays are here, which means it is time for fun, family and food! It can also mean an unplanned trip to the emergency room, which no one wants to take.

Food for Thought

One of the best parts of the holidays is eating your favorite holiday meal. But meals can turn disastrous when food poisoning and cooking injuries happen. Before cooking, make sure you know your food safety:

• Wash thoroughly: The risk of bacterial contamination can be high with any raw meat (like a Thanksgiving turkey). Wash your hands thoroughly when handling uncooked meat and keep it separate from other foods.
• Knives: One of the more common injuries that emergency physicians treat involves knives. Be careful when carving.
• Eat safely: The holidays may seem like the best time to enjoy every delicious delicacy possible, but it is important not to overdo it. For some, it can be too much consumed too fast. Eating quickly can cause heartburn, indigestion and may create chest pain, which generally requires assessment.

Food is a great part of the holidays, but don’t let it send you to the ER!

Decorating Disasters

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates that there were 15,000 injuries involving holiday decorating seen in ERs nationwide in November and December 2012. While decorating for the holidays can be a fun family event, it can quickly turn into a disaster if not done carefully. Here are some tips to prevent accidents:

• Check each set of lights: Examine new and old lights for broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires or loose connections.
• Circuits: Circuits that are overloaded with lights, decorations and accessories can start a fire.
• Decorating a Christmas tree with small children in the home? Avoid trimmings that resemble candies and food that may tempt a child to eat them.
• Plants: Mistletoe, holly, poinsettias, Jerusalem cherry plants, and others are commonly used as decorations during the holidays. Like many plants, they are considered potentially poisonous and should be kept out of the reach of children.    
• Setting up a Christmas tree at home? Make sure to place it away from heat sources such as fireplaces, vents or radiators.

In 2012 the most frequently reported holiday decorating incidents seen in emergency departments involved falls, lacerations and back strains.   

Avoid a Health Crisis

It is not just accidents that can land you in the ER over the holidays; there can be other factors as well:

• Outsmart germs: Infections spread easily where people congregate—shopping malls, holiday parties, theatres, and family dinners, to name a few. So practice good hygiene throughout the holiday season. Your best defense is to wash your hands throughout the day.
• Pack your medication: In the hustle and bustle of packing gifts and food for holiday travels, it’s easy to leave your prescription medications behind. So double check that your medications are packed and that you have enough to make it through your travels.
• Stressing out: Are you are super stressed before taking a holiday vacation? The increased cortisol levels induce a likelihood of infection during the holidays. Cortisol is a natural hormone that responds to stress, lowering immunity and making you more susceptible to infections.
• Take symptoms seriously: Fatal heart attacks spike during the holidays, in part because people on vacation often delay getting care. If you think you’re having a heart attack, stroke or any other serious health problem go to the ER immediately.

It is also important to remember to always check your insurance coverage before you head out of town. Emergencies such as broken bones or heart attacks are usually covered outside of your network area, but doctor’s visits may not be. Make sure to bring your health insurance card with you too!

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you to avoid the ER this holiday season. IAA knows that no one wants to spend the holidays in a hospital bed. Remember, with IAA one call does it all.

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