5 Tips to Avoid 5 Common Seasonal Health Issues in Frisco

This article is sponsored by Legacy ER & Urgent Care.

“What’s your favorite season?”
“Cold and flu season!” (said no one, ever.)

Frisco, the season of cold weather illness is upon us. In a few weeks, we’ll be greeted by runny noses and coughs everywhere we go. We all want our families to stay healthy, but seasonal illness and injuries are a reality of life.

In fact, many common health issues are closely related to both the seasons of the calendar and the seasons of our lives.

We sat down with Frisco’s Legacy ER & Urgent Care to talk about seasonal illnesses, discussing what to expect this year, and how to stay healthy throughout. Being mindful of the seasonal trends and following common-sense advice can go a long way toward keeping you and your family well.

Here are Legacy ER & Urgent Care’s round-up of the 5 most common seasonal health issues here in Frisco, along with tips for staying healthy all year long.

5 Common “Seasonal” Issues for Frisco Families

Flu Season: Flu season in Frisco is right around the corner. According to Terri Paterson-McElhaney, Marketing Manager, Legacy ER & Urgent Care, the biggest time for flu is November, December, and January.

Allergy Season: We typically think of spring as the worst season for allergies (and it certainly can be!) but Terri reminds us that winter is also a difficult allergy season in Frisco. Allergies (besides being annoying and unpleasant) can also lead to serious issues that require medical treatment, like sinus infections and even bronchitis.

Back to School Season: The start of the school year brings lots of excitement here in Frisco – along with a wave of contagious illnesses. Terri says Legacy always sees a huge uptick in pink eye, strep, and stomach bugs right at the start of the school year.  The kids “have been outside all summer and all go back in together, so [these issues] are very common at the start of school,” she explains.

Fall Sports and Orthopedic Injuries: In Sports City USA, youth sports injuries are common all year. However, Legacy sees a spike in injuries at the beginning of the fall sports season. Terri says, “We see a lot of sports injuries coming in as soon as school starts, with broken arms, sprains, and dislocations.” These types of injuries occur in children of all ages but are most common for middle school and high school.

For younger children, watch out for those monkey bars! Terri says playground spills are a surprisingly common source of orthopedic injuries for preschool and elementary school-age kids.

Dehydration: Dehydration is a serious issue in the Texas summer and should be top-of-mind for Frisco residents of all ages.  Unfortunately, as Terri points out, “once you’ve had a major dehydration issue, you’re much more likely to have another one.”  She points out that dehydration can happen (with dangerous health consequences) all year, not just in the summer.

Terri explains, “Dehydration is actually a major issue in the winter because people don’t think they need the same amount of fluids and don’t sweat the same way.”

In all seasons, drinking plenty of water (for you and your kids) is key to good health!

5 Tips and Strategies for Staying Healthy

With the fall season in full swing, Terri offers some common-sense tips on how to stay healthy. It’s important to keep these “best practices” top of mind (especially as we head into the flu season) and help your children develop healthy habits.

Hygiene. Hygiene is key for halting the spread of germs and minimizing allergy issues. Terri says,

Wash your hands, make sure you’re clean, and make sure you’re not rubbing your eyes. Keeping your hands clean and taking good showers (both from germs and allergens) is very important. When you’re around a lot of people at school and at work you have to encourage your family and remind yourself about good hygiene.

Hydration. Especially in an active community like Frisco, hydration should be a top priority. Terri urges adults to prioritize drinking water in all seasons and encouraging kids to do the same. It’s very easy to forget to hydrate in colder seasons, but it’s just as important!

Nutrition. Terri reminds us we need to eat healthy to have good energy and a good immune system. In our busy community, families always on-the-go, making healthy and planning nutritious meals a challenge. No one is perfect (and we definitely all deserve an occasional “splurge”) but prioritizing nutrition should be a common goal.

Sleep. Terri says that getting proper sleep is crucial to maintaining the immune system. She notes that it’s particularly important this time of year when kids are coming back into the school season with all of its pressures and different commitments.

Terri suggests creating habits that encourage “shutting down the brain” at bedtime, like turning off social media and even leaving kids’ phones downstairs at night. For all members of the family, consistent sleep is key for good immune health.

Good cold behavior. Kids don’t automatically know how to minimize the spread of germs – we have to teach them. Terri encourages parents to teach kids to cough or sneeze into a tissue and noting that “spreading is half the battle.” She further adds, “don’t drink after people and don’t attend school or work if you’re sick.”

Even older kids need seasonal reminders (and can be equipped with plenty of supplies like tissues and hand sanitizer). After all, staying healthy is a family (and community) effort!

What if Illness or Injury Strikes?

Legacy ER & Urgent Care has you covered. This unique medical practice offers both emergency and urgent care under one roof and only bills you for the services you truly need. In fact, over 80% of patients treated at Legacy ER are billed at the lower, urgent care rates.

Legacy helps minimize health stress for Frisco families by providing multi-level, short wait times, and fair billing practices. Not sure how serious your cough is? Need weekend attention to a sports injury? The experts at Legacy take the guesswork (and excessive costs) out of your health care decisions – all under one roof.

The special seasons of our lives are for making memories, not making doctor’s visits. Don’t catch yourself enjoying your Thanksgiving turkey with a side of the flu! Give us a call today at 972-668-6020 or learn more at https://legacyer.com.