Spring time is here!! IT’S ACTUALLY HERE!!! The days are getting warmer and more inviting. Let us all rejoice and break out the gardening tools, lawn mowers, flower pots and soil.
This all sounds amazing so far…but if you have been reading these posts all along you know there is a health-related issue hiding in the shadows. Don’t worry, I’m not here to rain on your parade. I am here, however, to let you know that there are still some preventative measures that you should check off the list before you dive in lawn and garden renovation.
For instance, make sure you are current with your tetanus shot. This protects you from a harmful bacteria that likes to live in the soil. Accidents happen (hopefully not too often) and a cut or a scrape when you are in the throes of planting may go unnoticed by you but are an open invitation for pathogens. The vaccine is just once every 10 years. The most common reaction afterwards is generally just a sore shoulder for a day or so. Not a big deal, you’ve got this!
See, that wasn’t so bad. Other health measures are generally common sense measures you are likely already doing such as wearing sun protection, both in hat and sunscreen forms, protecting yourself from mosquito’s, staying hydrated while working out in the yard and making sure you don’t over heat as our days get warmer.
That’s it guys! Get out there and start planting…. I mean, after your tetanus shot, of course.
-Brooke Rieth FNP
