Yearly Archives: 2013

Suicide and poisoning: Prevention strategies

Suicide is a complex issue involving multiple factors. According to the Surgeon General’s 2012 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, “There is no single path that will lead to suicide. Rather, … Continue reading →

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Suicide and poisoning: Current statistics

According to the CDC, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death [PDF] in the U.S. in 2010 with 38,364 suicides, a rate of 12.4 per 100,000. Northern New England … Continue reading →

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Mr. Yuk: A retired poison prevention icon

Do you remember Mr. Yuk? Many poison centers used to give parents Mr. Yuk stickers to put on poisonous things. The idea was that kids would learn to stay away … Continue reading →

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New Hampshire drug-related deaths – 2011

The number of drug-related deaths in New Hampshire hit 200 in 2011. During poison prevention week, our New Hampshire educator, Laurie Warnock, presented on this growing problem and what can be … Continue reading →

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Prescription Drug Abuse: An ED perspective

The abuse of prescription drugs, especially opioid painkillers, is a growing public health concern. Our Medical Director, Dr. Tamas Peredy, is also a doctor with the Maine Medical Center Emergency … Continue reading →

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Adults are more likely to die from poisoning than kids

When most people think of poisonings they think of a little kid getting into cleaning products stored under the kitchen sink. These poisonings happen a lot, but so do poisonings … Continue reading →

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Home, safe home? Not always, but help is just a call away

Did you know that most poisonings happen at home? A lot of these poisonings are by little kids, who learn through trial and error. They explore their surroundings and put … Continue reading →

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Of porcupines and poison prevention

Did you ever think a porcupine might improve your health? Alisa Zapp Machalek, writing for the Inside Life Sciences series at the National Institute of General Medical Sciences website, has … Continue reading →

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How can you help a child with a cold feel better?

As we talked about in yesterday’s post, cold and cough medications are not recommended for young children. But if your child feels miserable, what can you do? To bolster my … Continue reading →

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Is it safe to give my child cold medicine?

If your house has been anything like mine this winter, your family has been busy playing “pass the cold.” As a parent of a toddler it’s really tough when your … Continue reading →

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How much Tylenol can you give your baby?

Every parent at some point has asked this question: How much medicine is safe to give my baby? One of the most common medications for parents to wonder about is … Continue reading →

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Are boys more likely to get poisoned than girls?

Do young boys get poisoned more often than young girls? In our house the answer appears to be yes. Just the other day I caught my 10-month-old son with the … Continue reading →