Young adults face numerous life changes and challenges as they prepare for adulthood (or “adulting” as they’d say). Learning how to cook and clean, do the laundry, get an oil change or run an errand at the store, adolescents pick up a significant amount of skills at this age, but one bit of education that

The UVM Medical Center Emergency Department has seen a spike in poisonings from people ingesting a plant called false hellebore that they thought were wild ramps. Find out how to tell the difference and what to do if you eat hellebore.

Winter is a beautiful season, but it can also be frightful and full of injury risks. Here are our top 5 hints for keeping you and your loved ones safe so you can enjoy the delights of winter weather without visiting us! The weather outside is frightful Regular ice, black ice, compacted snow, all of

Winter means that many of us are traveling to work at dawn and coming home at dusk. It’s important to use your headlights when driving around dawn or dusk or in other cases when visibility is poor — whatever the clock says. It makes a difference when it comes to car safety. But I can

When you think of holiday burn prevention, a lot of it focuses on making sure candles aren’t left unsupervised and placed far away from flammable holiday decorations (looking at your poorly watered Christmas trees and fake autumn leaf displays). Today, I want to talk to you about preventing burns and scald burns in the kitchen

What is health literacy? “Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, appraise, apply and advocate for health information and services in order to maintain or enhance one’s own health and the health of others.”1 Why does it matter? Patients with low health literacy have poorer health outcomes and use more health care resources. What

There is a chill in the air and the leaves are changing color. That means it must be hunting season again! It doesn’t matter if your game of choice is deer, turkey, or black bear, we have some basic safety tips to help keep your hunting party safe! Be sure to dress in bright colors.

Bats are linked to human rabies cases. Forty-two of the 52 human cases of rabies in the U.S. between 1990 and 2016 were due to rabies from bats. While we see rabies in bats across the US, including Vermont, most bats do not have rabies. In Vermont, only 5 percent of bats have it. The

Have you ever heard of radon? Radon is a natural gas that forms from the breakdown of radioactive metals (such as uranium, thorium, or radium) in rocks, soil, and groundwater. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. Breathing air with radon is dangerous because radon gas decays into particles that

Are you confused about when to call your primary care provider, or go to the ER after hours, or on the weekend? Here are some tips to help you: If you are unsure about your medical problem, call your primary care practice first. A nurse or doctor is available 24 hours a day, 7 days

Summer brings fun, but it can also bring injuries if we are not careful or prepared. The most common summer injuries include cuts, ticks, poison ivy, sunburns, eye injuries, and broken bones. Fortunately, it’s simple to take preventive measures to stop these problems in their tracks. One great way to prepare is to create two

Summer is a great time in Vermont for enjoying the outdoors. We are lucky to have so many beautiful areas to explore and enjoy. Most of the time, things go just fine, but reviewing some basic safety precautions will help keep people safe. Swimming holes I love swimming, especially during these hot summer days. Swimming

Fishing season is upon us! Many of you may plan to get out this summer and enjoy the pastime. For those who share a love of the sport, here are tips to keep the season memorable for all the right reasons. Using Tackle Tackle and hooks are very sharp. Always keep them out of the

If you’re looking for dangerous spiders, Vermont is not the state for you. While most spiders produce some type of venom, the types of spiders in Vermont are not harmful. Spider bites are not common, and most spiders will cause only minor symptoms, such as pain, swelling, redness and itching if they bite you. Types

April is national Child Abuse Prevention Month. Lewis First, MD takes this opportunity to share information on the signs of child abuse and what your role is in reporting suspected child abuse.