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Pediatric emergency room doctor reveals the 5 'weird' things she tells her patients to avoid every summer
Summer is officially here. Temperatures are rising, school is out and people are ready to kick back and relax.
But before heading to a barbecue or a trip to the beach, Dr Meghan Martin, a pediatric emergency room doctor at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in Florida, shared the five 'weird' things she tells her patients to steer clear of over the summer.
From backyard potlucks to cleaning your grill a certain way, the doctor warned in a TikTok of broken bones, 'violent GI illnesses' and deadly bacteria lurking in waters.
'Admittedly, these are fairly strange things to be worried about, but almost all of these injuries and illnesses are fairly preventable,' Dr Martin told her 1.5million followers.
Below, DailyMail.com reveals Dr Martin's summer 'no's.
Dr Meghan Martin, a pediatric emergency doctor at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in Florida, shared in a TikTok video the five activities she tells patients to avoid
Dr Martin's don'ts include getting together for a potluck, cleaning your grill with metal brushes, and jumping on a trampoline
Steer clear of potlucks
Neighborhood barbecues are a summertime staple, but Dr Martin suggests heeding caution.
'This is when everybody brings a side dish and it sits out for hours, but people are still picking at it,' she said.
'Maybe the burgers are a little bit undercooked, and the next day everyone has violent GI illnesses.'
According to the USDA, it's essential to keep hot foods above 140 degrees Fahrenheit and cold foods below 40 degrees as harmful bacteria can grow quickly between these temperatures.
This is known as the 'danger zone.'
The agency recommends ditching foods that have been sitting out for at least two hours, or one hour in temperatures over 90 degrees.
Eating food that has been sitting out this long could lead to illnesses like E Coli and Salmonella, which both cause diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and a fever.
These infections affect 1.3million Americans every year.
Hop off the trampoline
A childhood favorite, jumping into the air as if you're weightless. But no matter how fun it is, Dr Martin suggests switching to a different activity.
She advises people to steer clear of trampolines due to the risk of fractures, which typically happens when the trampoline surface recoils just as someone is about to hit it. This causes a severe impact on the body.
'We see so many broken bones, especially legs, on trampolines,' the doctor said.
And getting a net or an in-ground trampoline won't reduce the risk of the most common injuries because the accidents 'happen on the trampoline itself,' she added.
The risk also increases when more people are on the trampoline due to people falling into each other or landing awkwardly.
According to Radiopedia, trampoline fractures occur most often in children ages two to five and can require surgery.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reported there were more than 300,000 injuries from trampolines in 2018 — the latest data available. This includes more than 110,000 visits to the emergency room.
And the American Academy of Pediatrics reported about four percent of all US pediatric fractures are caused by the devices.
Swap out metal grill brushes
Dr Martin detailed the case of a four-year-old boy at her hospital who swallowed a metal grill brush that was stuck in his burger
Keeping the grill clean is essential for maintaining food flavor and warding off bacteria. However, not all grill brushes used to remove grime are created equal.
'Stop using those [metal] grill brushes. There are so many better options out there,' Dr Martin said.
She noted the small pieces on the brush can break off during cleaning, leaving them lingering on the grill's surface.
'They get stuck on the grill and then you put a burger on there and you eat the burger,' she said.
'They get lodged in your tongue, your mouth, your throat, your GI tract.'
This can cause life-threatening tears.
In a separate video she posted last year, which has 41million views, Dr Martin detailed the case of a four-year-old boy who came to her emergency room after eating a burger at a barbecue.
The boy was suffering from sudden ear pain and fevers and refused to eat or drink.
After several days of tests, a CT scan of his neck revealed a piece of a metal grill brush lodged near his tonsils.
Instead, Dr Martin recommended using scrubbing stones, wooden scrapers, wipes, and brushes with soft bristles.
Get your bug spray ready
Mosquitos can seem like an unavoidable nuisance, but it's crucial to protect against the pesky bugs.
Dr Martin explained some mosquitos can carry serious illnesses like West Nile virus, which is spread from the bite of an infected insect.
In rare cases, it can be transmitted person-to-person via a blood transfusion or organ transplant.
West Nile virus can lead to fever, headache, muscle ache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and pain behind the eyes, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
There have been 51,000 cases in the US since the virus first arrived in the country in 1999.
The CDC recommends using a bug spray containing one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil or lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone.
However, DEET and IR3535 can cause eye or skin irritation in people with sensitive skin or allergies.
Be wary of swimming in the lake
If you plan to enjoy a cool dip in a lake, be sure to plug your nose, Dr Martin warned last.
This is important to protect against the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri, which is found in warm freshwater environments like rivers, lakes, and hot springs.
The amoeba infects people when it enters the nose and travels to the brain through the olfactory nerve responsible for sense of smell.
There, it causes severe inflammation and damage.
Symptoms include splitting headache, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Death can come about five days after symptom onset.
The damage to brain tissue, primarily to the frontal lobes and areas critical to motor skills, cognitive functions and speech ability, is so severe people who survive the infection have to relearn to talk and walk.
'It is found in fresh water, especially warm, fresh water in the south,' Dr Martin said. 'You avoid it by not getting fresh water in your nose.'
'Don't dive into freshwater lakes.'
Less than 10 Americans contract this condition every year, though the fatality rate is over 97 percent, even with treatment.