(Swat!) Summer has arrived full force with her (smack!) predators in the air and on the ground. unfortunately, for legions of mosquitoes and ticks, we are the prey. but beyond the annoyance of these pests lurks a medical risk of disease. Insects carry numerous mild to life-threatening infectious agents ranging from Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ehrlichia to West Nile Virus, viral encephalitis, and Dengue, our newest summer contender. And don’t get me started on the bacteria in the potato salad.

But don’t panic. Awareness of infectious risks and how to minimize them can avoid abdominal cramps without cramping your summer fun.

Tick-borne illness: You can contract Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichia and Lyme disease (which is rare in Georgia) from ticks. Each of these diseases causes headache, back and muscle aches, fevers, and Erlichia also sparks a rash. these symptoms begin within 4 to 21 days after tick exposure. unfortunately infection may occur without you knowing you even had a tick.

Exposure is best prevented by wearing light-colored clothing which makes ticks more visible, along with long pants and long sleeves when walking in tall grass or brush. Tucking your pant legs inside your socks also prevents the tick from accessing your skin and climbing to hidden

areas. Insect repellant with DEET on clothing and Picaridin on the skin is effective if you reapply it every few hours.

Mosquito-borne illness: Several types of viral meningitis are carried by mosquitoes in Georgia. these include West Nile Virus, Saint Louis Encephalitis, fortunately rare Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and a variety of unnamed arboviruses. Their symptoms are headache, stiff neck, fever and slight to severe confusion. Dengue is a new serious viral agent identified last year in Key West with 28 cases as of June, 2010. Previously this virus was only seen in travelers. This illness can vary from mild to severe with rash, fever and headache, up to life threatening hemorrhagic fever.

There are no effective treatments for any of these illnesses. Prevention is your only protection: since mosquitoes avoid direct sunlight, staying in direct sunlight during the day will help. In the shade and as the sun sets, it’s wise to either cover up or apply insect repellants containing Picaridin to the skin, and DEET to collars and cuffs.

Food-borne illness: Summer cookouts are always fun, but foods that are left out of a cooler can quickly become contaminated with Staphylococcus, Campylobacter, E. Coli, all causes of diarrhea, vomiting or both. Beware of food that has been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours. if many hands have already visited the dish during the picnic, be especially cautious. these uncooled foods could make for a very uncool after-party.

Remember that taking a few precautions can reduce your risk for illness so you can enjoy the season.

We’ve spent the past few decades preaching about how important it is to stay out of the sun. We’ve understood just how real a risk skin cancer can be and are doing every little thing we can think of to prevent it from happening. we slather on layers and layers of the largest SPF sunscreens that we can buy. we place huge old floppy hats on our heads. we wear long sleeves in addition to pant legs even in the warmest of temps. we try and stick to the shady areas—some folks have even taken to carrying parasols around with them to keep the sun from ever making contact with their skin.

Some people think that perfumes like Michael Kors Perfume will protect their skin from the sun but that is not for certain.

Now we’re discovering that the sun can actually be beneficial! can sunshine actually help you?

I personally avoid the sun by staying indoors and going shopping in malls or other stores looking for Crystal Chandeliers for Sale

A new study has been performed and it shows that people who allow some time in direct sunshine aren’t as likely to get MS as the people who do everything they can to keep out of the sun. the study was originally performed to discover how Vitamin D affects the progression of Multiple Sclerosis. It didn’t take long for them to realize that it is the Vitamin D our bodies produce after exposure to sunlight that is at the center of the issue.

We’ve known for a very long time that the sun’s rays and Vitamin D can impede the way the immune system plays a role in MS. this study, on the other hand, focuses on the affects of sunlight on individuals who are experiencing the very earliest symptoms of the disease. this study is trying to figure out the effects of Vitamin D in addition to the sun’s rays on the precursory symptoms of the disease.

Unfortunately there are not a massive amount of ways to really quantify the hypothesis of the study. the objective of the study is to find out if sunlight can actually prevent the disease. unfortunately, the researchers discovered, the only way to that is to watch people over the course of their lives. this is only way that it may be possible to calculate and fully grasp the levels of Vitamin D that exist in a person’s blood before the precursors of the disease show up. the way it is now, people who get normal exposure to the sun appear to experience fewer symptoms of MS than those who live in colder or darker climates–which isn’t new news.

There is also the very important problem that spending a lot of time in the sunlight greatly increases a person’s chances of developing skin cancer. so, in an attempt to keep one particular illness from setting in, you could be inadvertently causing another. of course, if it gets caught in early stages, skin cancer is very treatable and can even be cured. this isn’t true for MS.

So what should you do: chance skin cancer or risk MS? Your physician may help you figure out whether or not this is an option for you. Your health care provider will look into your current state of health and fitness, your health history and even into your genetics to help you figure out if you even sit at risk for the disease at all. from there your physician will help uou discover the best ways to keep the disease at bay.

Some doctors have said that eating quinoa can help with Multiple Sclerosis symptoms, so I recommend looking at Quinoa Recipes Easy to learn more.