SAN ANTONIO (Dec. 3, 2014) — Bruce Adams, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, and his team of experienced emergency room doctors are available this holiday season to discuss an array of safety issues which are common during this hectic, stressful time of year.
Holiday injuries and illness: ER visits and hospital admissions increase over the holiday season.
What you can do to stay healthy over the holidays:
1. Practice basic safety to avoid injury, especially putting up decorations and the Christmas tree or playing with new toys on Christmas day.
2. Eat, drink and exercise in moderation to avoid illness, especially heart problems.
3. If you can’t reach your doctor, the ER is always open to serve your medical needs. Know what symptoms indicate an emergency.
4. Holiday plants are a wonderful tradition but can be poisonous to children or pets.
– Poinsettias are NOT poisonous.
– Mistletoe and firethorn should be kept out of reach of children and pets.
– Call the South Texas Poison Center at 800-222-1222 if ingested.
These ER physicians are available now through Dec. 19. Please email or call me to set up an interview because they have busy schedules between working in the ER and their university duties.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the country’s leading health sciences universities, ranks in the top 13 percent of academic institutions receiving National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. The university’s schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions and graduate biomedical sciences have produced more than 31,000 graduates. The $787.7 million operating budget supports eight campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. For more information on the many ways “We make lives better®,” visit www.uthscsa.edu.