FAMILY MEDICINE® COLUMN
By John C. Wolf, D.O.
Associate Professor of Family Medicine®
Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine

[DR. WOLF'S RECIPE FOR A SAFE AND SANE HOLIDAY SEASON]

As faithful readers of this column will remember, for the last several years at this festive time, I've dispensed with my usual discussion of human illness. Instead, I've given my readers the recipe for a food I like to prepare for my friends and family. This year, at Thanksgiving, I donned my chef's cap a few weeks early and gave you a recipe for Rum cake. Now, as Christmas is upon us, I want to furnish you with some tips on avoiding holiday illness and injury.

Holiday parties are a common event. Most of these feature food, and that is usually a source of nutrition as well as pleasure. On unfortunate occasions, it can also be a source of illness as well. Most of us think of food poisoning as a summer time picnic problem, but it can also occur in the cold winter months.

The best way to prevent illness-causing bacteria from attacking your food and your family is to keep all foods "cooking hot" (above 140 degrees) or "refrigerator cold" (below 40 degrees) until they are consumed. Temperatures in the middle of this range - the pleasant room temperatures - are the most dangerous. There is a particular risk from those hors d'oeuvres that sit out during long periods of holiday socialization. There is also risk from the main fare of a holiday feast if those items are allowed to sit at room temperature for too long. Each of us has probably gotten away with violating food safety rules at one time or another, but wouldn't you hate to have this year's holiday party remembered by your guests because you made then all sick? To prevent this from happening, I'd recommend "playing by the rules" this year and at every holiday gathering in the future.

There are other risks at this time of year in addition to food-borne illness. For instance, Christmas tree and holiday decorations seem to pose a special risk for toddlers and pets. They tend to knock over, pull over or crash into things and then step on or eat whatever is on the floor. (I know that your and my children and grandchildren are well behaved, but you can never tell about the children of your guests.) Be sure that your decorations are safe. Also, remember that Poinsettia plants are poisonous.

The most common cause of holiday injury is alcohol. The alcohol itself is rarely the cause of illness or injury, but rather, it is the dumb things people do while under the influence of this common drug. Please be a responsible guest or host. If you drink alcohol at all, please do so in great moderation. I doubt that you want to be remembered as "that fool who got drunk at the Christmas party and fell down and broke his arm." The most important thing you can do if you are going to have alcohol is choose a designated driver!

I hope you have the opportunity to gather with friends and loved ones for this holiday season. Celebrate with good food and good times, but do it safely. I wish for you a delightful Yuletide filled with good food, good friends, and abounding love.

Family Medicine® is a weekly column. To submit questions, write to John C. Wolf, D.O., Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Grosvenor Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701.