Summer 2024A plague upon summer health negativity

Stack up the troubles and summer can sound as bad for your health as winter: hay fever, dehydration, heat exhaustion, burns, skin cancer… The list is a familiar one.

Make no bones about it, lighter, longer days are better for you, as you move outside and exercise. It just takes a few precautions.

Keep the clobber on

Wearing sun cream and proper clothing for protection is as salient advice as it has ever been. Being properly dressed, particularly when walking, also offers a shield against insect bites and the lack of antibiotics to treat them. You may think they are a given in summer, but bug bites can cause a wound that becomes seriously infected if the skin is broken.

Global warming has created the perfect environment for an invading army of horse flies. Certainly, the pudding has been overegged with media images of vampire hoards causing welts and swellings!

Without the medication to soothe infection, the possibility of a small bite turning into a deadly infection remains. Had we developed new antibiotics and not seen them as a panacea for everything, then this situation may not have occurred.

Keep skin covered when rambling in the countryside, particularly near water and in long grass.

That should include the feet by the way, as barefoot injuries increase once the heat rises.

Flaming dangerous

Two other health risks are barbecues and anti-social behaviour.

Ill-cooked meat on the grill can result in salmonella, and even flipping burgers and throwing on more charcoal can be hazardous when the person in charge is fuelled by alcohol.

Drink generally can be the demon in the summertime. All-day binges in the sun lead to dehydration, liver damage and poor choices.

But overdoing the sauce is not the only problem. Drugs taken at summer festivals and in the open, lead to a myriad of unfamiliar behaviours, including, sadly, violence. Police forces across the country report peaks of harm during the summer months, many exacerbated by drink.

Summer’s the time

For all the seasonal health problems summer might summon, the ability to exercise and get fit far outweighs its downsides.

Post-Covid Britain is still experiencing a mental health crisis, but the power of light and sun can provoke happier, more hopeful emotions. It is arguably a time of reduced stress as those fortunate enough to afford time in the sun do so.

As far as wellbeing is concerned, nothing is finer than the lazy, hazy days of summer, and the power and light of the sun. Just treat it – and yourself – with a little respect, that’s all.

About the writer

Dr Anita Sharma is a published women’s health expert, the founder of the charity Endometriosis Awareness North and the president of the Rochdale Inner Wheel club.

As a GP, she previously coordinated the NHS pessary service for Greater Manchester. She also works closely with Rochdale medics to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing.