HABITS HEALTHY FAMILY

Store Medicines Safely

Do you stow your medicine in the bathroom? If so, it’s time to relocate. According to the National Institutes of Health, this popular storage spot is one of the worst places to keep your at-home remedies. The warm, humid environment speeds drugs’ breakdown processes and makes them less potent. Instead, store your meds in a cool, dry spot out of a child’s reach. (Since kids can climb step stools, keeping meds locked away is always smart.) Among children, ER visits for accidental medication poisonings are twice as common as poisonings from other household products, such as cleaning products, according to a study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Another key to drug safety is proper dosing: Use only the measuring device supplied; never give a child an adult medicine; don’t give cough and cold medicine to children who are 2 years old or younger; and consult your pharmacist with any drug-related questions — whether OTC, prescription or supplement.

Arm Yourself With a Flu Shot

 “All members of a family should get a flu shot annually,” says Lisa M. Asta, MD, a pediatrician in Walnut Creek, California, and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Unfortunately, that’s often not happening. According to the CDC, less than half of all children ages 6 months to 17 years old received an influenza vaccination in 2011. And the number is even lower for adults: 27 percent. “The flu can be dangerous, especially in the very young and very old,” says Dr. Asta. “Not only can it translate to a week or so of fever, chills and coughing — it can also lead to pneumonia, a dangerous inflammation of the lungs.” And getting the flu shot is as easy as a trip to your local pharmacy or doctor’s office.