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Hi? I'm Dr. Altman. Kids of all ages love playing in the water whether it's in a backyard pool, at the beach, or in a lake but as all parents know, water is a big safety hazard. Drowning is the leading cause of death from injury among children ages one to four years. Here's how to keep your kids safe in the water. 

Watch them like a hawk, kids can drown quickly and quietly. When you're watching them stay off your phone, stop multitasking and pay attention. Lock access to the pool, if your pool isn't surrounded on all four sides by a fence get one right away. This alone can cut drowning risk in half, and make sure to drain portable pools and toddler pools when not in use to prevent a young child from accidentally falling in and drowning, learn CPR, it can be a lifesaver literally. 

And make sure other caregivers including grandparents and babysitters also know CPR. Teach even very young kids how to swim. Swimming lessons can reduce children's drowning risk by more than 85% and the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends swimming lessons for children as young as one. 

I'm Dr. Oatman, check out all our smart tips for more ways to keep your family safe. 
  

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While images of tornadoes may be beautiful in photographs, they can be deadly and wreak havoc on residential homes, businesses and natural habitats. Their strong gusts&mdash;which can reach up to 250 miles per hour&mdash;can tear the roofing off of houses, pavement off of the ground and flip cars and trains; they&rsquo;re often accompanied by lightning and hail; and they can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours.

Unfortunately, &ldquo;You can&#39;t outrun a tornado,&rdquo; says Matthew Carrick, MD, a trauma surgeon at <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/medical-city-plano">Medical City Plano</a> in Texas. But there are some ways you can prep and stay safe during these massive wind storms.&nbsp;

How to prepare for a tornado 
It&rsquo;s important to understand the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. &ldquo;A tornado watch just means conditions are right for a tornado, so be careful,&rdquo; says Carrick. They often appear as a warning on your cell-phone or as a brief interruption while you&rsquo;re watching the news. Listen to see if the <a href="http://www.weather.gov/" target="_blank">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</a> (NOAA) has any updates and make sure that you can get to shelter if needed.

A tornado warning, on the other hand, means that a tornado has actually been detected so you should seek shelter as soon as possible.

Here are a few steps to ensure your family is prepared for a tornado:

<ul>
	<li>Plan ahead and create a family plan for emergency situations. Include where you would go, what you would need and a list of emergency phone numbers.</li>
	<li>Pick a safe space in your house that offers the best protection for your family and pets. A basement, cellar or other lower-level room free of windows is your best bet. If your home doesn&rsquo;t have a basement, then a bathroom, closet, laundry room or pantry will work. Visit <a href="https://www.ready.gov/tornadoes" target="_blank">Ready.gov</a> for ways to build a safe room.</li>
	<li>Have an emergency supply kit on hand which includes emergency medications, water, food supplies and batteries for a battery-operated radio or TV. Your supply kit should also include <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/injuries-wound-trauma/slideshow/how-to-treat-common-injuries" target="_self">first-aid items, like Band-Aids</a>, in addition to helmets and hard-soled shoes for every family member.</li>
	<li>Know what a tornado looks and sounds like. &ldquo;The roar is similar to a freight train,&rdquo; says Carrick. Depending on your geographic location, the sky might have a greenish tint and there may be hail.</li>
	<li>If you live in a tornado warning area and you get an alert, make sure to get to your safe space until you&rsquo;re in the clear.</li>
</ul>

Get in, get down and cover up 
The most important tip for staying safe during a tornado is to get in, get down and cover up.

<ul>
	<li>Get in: Get inside and go to the center of your family&rsquo;s safe space. &ldquo;Get away from the windows. Go to the middle of the house, where&rsquo;s there&rsquo;s the most walls,&rdquo; suggests Carrick.</li>
	<li>Get down: Get down to the lowest level of your house. Some homes have built-in storm cellars depending on where you live geographically.</li>
	<li>Cover up: Use a blanket, a pillow or a mattress to cover yourself. If the room has a bathtub, get into it and place the mattress over your head. You can also go underneath a table or something sturdy to take cover. To keep your family safe, wear a helmet and strap your child into a car seat if you happen to have one close by.</li>
</ul>

If you live in a mobile home, there&rsquo;s only one thing you can really do: &ldquo;You need to leave that mobile home and seek shelter in a durable, solid building,&rdquo; says Carrick. Have a designated establishment picked out ahead of time. This is especially important if you live in an area which frequently has tornadoes.

What to do if you&rsquo;re not at home 
Tornadoes can form unexpectedly&mdash;and quickly&mdash;so knowing how to protect yourself and your family when you&rsquo;re outside the home is vital.

<ul>
	<li>In a public space. If you&rsquo;re at a place of worship, get to a center structural area. &ldquo;Try to get under the pews and get away from the windows,&rdquo; says Carrick. If you&rsquo;re out shopping, stay in the mall storage room or mall restroom while you wait. Again, go somewhere far away from where the windows might blow in and crouch down and cover your head.</li>
	<li>On the road. Most tornado related deaths happen from flying debris and falling trees. The safest place to be is in a shelter, so try to get to one if at all possible.</li>
</ul>

If you see a tornado or flying debris, pull over to the side of the road and park. Find a low-lying area away from trees. Contrary to what you might think, you want to be in an open area. &ldquo;Don&#39;t seek shelter under an overpass,&rdquo; says Carrick. Bridges and highway overpasses can be dangerous because they pick up the speed of wind. Keep your seatbelt fastened, duck your head below window level and cover yourself with a cushion or blanket if possible. &nbsp;If you have kids in the car, strap them into their car seat.

What to do post-twister 
&ldquo;If you&#39;re trapped in your house, don&#39;t try to do too much to get out,&rdquo; says Carrick. Instead, he suggests lightly tapping on some of the wood, or whatever is trapping you. That way, first responders will hear the tapping and locate you. Moving around broken pieces of wood or furniture could cause it to collapse on you. As long as you&rsquo;re not stuck, stay put.

&ldquo;If your house has been blown down and you&#39;re safe, you don&#39;t want to start searching through your house until one of the authorities has come and cleared it,&rdquo; says Carrick. Protruding electrical wires could be very dangerous.

Be careful and cognizant of your surroundings. If your home lost power as a result of the tornado, opt to use a flashlight rather than a candle. They&rsquo;re safer, especially if the conditions are still unknown. If you&rsquo;re not at home, only head back when authorities say it&rsquo;s safe to do so.

Tornado Preparedness: Your Guide to Staying Safe During a Tornado

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A &ldquo;heat dome&rdquo; has descended upon Western and Central Europe, fueling record-breaking temperatures as high as 106&deg; Fahrenheit. The extreme weather event, which occurs when the atmosphere traps sweltering air like a lid, has claimed more than 1,000 lives. In the United States, more than 110 million people are also under heat alerts in 28 states. As of July 21, cities across the country&mdash;from California to New England&mdash;are grappling with scorching temperatures well above 90&deg; Fahrenheit.

Though still unusual, heat waves have become increasingly common and extreme in recent decades. In the U.S. alone, there were 3,066 heat-related deaths between 2018 and 2020. The worrisome trend is expected to continue as the global climate shifts.

What is happening 
The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere where it accumulates. Like a blanket, this CO2 traps heat, warming the Earth and its oceans, which is disrupting the delicate balance of connected ecosystems.

As the planet warms, weather patterns are changing. Warmer air and melting Arctic ice weakens the polar jet stream&mdash;the strong band of winds that forms at the point where balmy air from lower latitudes meets the frosty air of the Arctic. Weaker winds cause the jet stream to lose strength and become wobbly, allowing the cold air normally trapped in the Arctic to descend into North America. In recent years, this has resulted in bizarre spring-like weather in the Arctic and freezing temperatures in Europe, adding to mounting concerns about the effects of human-induced climate change.

The temperature of the world&rsquo;s oceans and the Earth&rsquo;s atmosphere affects wind and precipitation as well as the circulation of heat. Global warming is influencing the severity, duration, and frequency of heat waves.

How extreme heat harms 
How does this affect the health of people? Extreme heat events can be dangerous&mdash;even deadly. &nbsp;

Heat waves can <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/first-aid-safety/headache-clammy-skin-signs-overheating" style="color:blue; text-decoration:underline">lead to heat-related illnesses</a>, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion&mdash;and in the most extreme cases, heat stroke. Heat stroke occurs when the body is no longer able to regulate its temperature, causing it to rise quickly. Since the body can&rsquo;t cool down effectively, heat stroke, without immediate medical attention, can cause death.

Extreme heat can also exacerbate existing chronic health issues, such as diabetes. It&rsquo;s also linked to heart or respiratory conditions since high temperatures are often associated with higher levels of dangerous air pollutants.

While people can adapt to gradual changes in their environment, they are much more vulnerable to dramatic and unexpected temperature swings.

Extreme heat can affect people&rsquo;s ability to think and work productively. More than one billion workers around the world are exposed to extreme heat events, according to an August 2021 review published in The Lancet. Of these people, one-third experience negative health effects as a result, the researchers cautioned.

Certain groups are more vulnerable 
People who have more trouble regulating their body temperature are more vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as heat waves. Among those at greater risk: babies and young children, those who are pregnant, and older people.

People who work outdoors and athletes are also more likely to experience the negative health effects of extreme heat waves.

Underserved low-income communities where people lack air conditioning, access to cool public facilities or pools and other resources that could mitigate the health risks of heat waves are also at higher risk for heat-related illnesses. Those living in crowded cities are also more vulnerable to intense heat. Concrete and other human-made surfaces absorb more sunlight during the day and radiate this heat in the evening. The air quality where people live and their mental health also play a role in how susceptible they are to extreme heat events, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Since 1999, people older than 65 and non-Hispanic Blacks have had a higher-than-average risk of death from heat-related heart disease than the general U.S. population, the Environmental Protection Agency reports.

What can be done 
Climate change is coinciding with growth of the aging population. As extreme weather events happen with greater intensity and frequency, this group at high risk for health-related consequences is expanding, The Lancet review points out, noting that without strategies in place to protect against a hotter future, heat-related illness and deaths will increase.

More research is needed to better understand how climate change is affecting human health, the researchers advised. They added that early warning systems, which enable people to anticipate and prepare for extreme weather events can help protect community health.

Investment in green spaces and new technologies, such as cool roofs (which are designed to reflect more sunlight), can help cities withstand extreme heat. &nbsp;Other measures which can help:

<ul>
	<li>Greater access to air conditioning or cooling centers</li>
	<li>Strategic landscape design, such as planting trees or creating urban forests to offer more shade and lower temperatures in public spaces</li>
	<li>Heat alerts that prompt people to hydrate and avoid strenuous outdoor activity during peak sun hours</li>
	<li>Access to public drinking fountains, swimming pools, and spray pads</li>
	<li>Updated building codes to increase energy efficiency</li>
	<li>Investment in green energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels</li>
</ul>

Extreme Heat Wave Blankets U.S. and Europe 

Skip these DIY treatments&mdash;and see a medical professional, for goodness sake.&nbsp;

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