Summer is a time for lots of fun adventures. While you are enjoying the great out doors, let me remind you of a few health tips about mother nature:

The Sun

I can always tell my patients who are using a tanning bed. I know we do not have nude beaches in North Carolina and these ladies are tan all over (if you know what I mean)! I was talking to one of my favorite patients about her tanning-bed tan and she smiled and said “Brown fat is always better than white fat!” We enjoyed a good laugh together.

I love the sun and I baked in it for years. I am wiser now and think more in moderation. Here are a few tips:

• Excessive sun exposure leads to an increased risk of skin cancer and wrinkles. Don’t just wear sunscreen when you go to the beach or pool. Apply daily to areas that are constantly exposed (face, neck, and arms). Look for makeup and lotions with sunscreen in them.

• If you do get a sun burn, try a cool compress, aloe vera lotion and ibuprofen. If you get nauseated, fever, or chills, you make need to see a doctor.

• Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and reduce squinting, which worsens those crows feet around your eyes. You don't have to buy expensive glasses, but make sure they are polarized and protect against UVA and UVB radiation.

Tornadoes

While we do not live in Tornado Alley (The Plains States), we are at risk for tornadoes here in Greenville. Tornadoes originate from severe thunderstorms and can also accompany tropical storms and hurricanes. Tornadoes can occur any time of the day, but are more likely occur between the hours of 3–9 p.m.

• To reduce your risks during conditions ripe for a tornado, look for danger signs including a dark, often greenish sky, large hail, dark low-lying clouds and a loud roar similar to a freight train.

• If you see a tornado, take shelter immediately. If you can get indoors, go to the lowest level possible. Many of us in eastern North Carolina don’t have a basement, so you should go to the center of an interior room away from windows, doors and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Close any open windows, if you have time. Mobile homes, even if they are tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes so, if possible, find a sturdy building nearby.

• If you are outside with no shelter, lie flat in a ditch or ground depression and cover your head with your hands. Do not get under an overpass or bridge as they may collapse. You are safer in a low-lying ground location. If you are in a car, do not try to outrun the tornado. Leave the vehicle immediately for a safer shelter.

Bugs

I need psychiatric help when it comes to insects. I am deathly afraid of them all, with bees and wasps being my least favorite. When I pray that God uses me to serve him, I always say, “Thank you that my mission field is here in Greenville, N.C.” I so admire individuals who go to places with really big bugs. As a matter of fact, I am convinced that heaven will be insect-free so I can live in perfect peace and harmony. That being said, even in North Carolina we have our share of bugs. So what should you do if you are stung by a bee, wasp, hornet or ant?:

• Expect a “local” reaction with pain, swelling and redness. The reaction will usually last a few hours. You may treat it with ice, baking soda, meat tenderizer (Make a paste with a few drops of water to a teaspoon of meat tenderizer; this breaks down the venom and reduces swelling) or an antihistamine such as Benadryl.

• A more serious and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction may happen in 1 out of 100 people. If you experience swelling in other parts of your body or if you break out in hives, you should go to the emergency room. An allergic sting can lead to anaphylactic shock, where breathing becomes difficult and the circulatory system goes into shock. A severe reaction begins within a few minutes after a sting occurs and may be associated with feeling light-headed, nauseated and weak. You may get diarrhea and have trouble breathing.

• It is important to try to identify the insect that stung you to help the doctors diagnose the problem. Wasps, yellow jackets and hornets have a stinger without barbs and can sting repeatedly. They should be brushed off your skin.

Honeybees have a barbed stinger with a venom sac attached; do not try to pull or pinch it out with your fingers or tweezers, as that releases more venom. The sac takes a few minutes to release all its venom so try to remove the stinger as soon as possible with a sideways scrape of your fingernail.

• If you see me driving crazily down the road, I am not drinking and driving — a wasp or bee is probably in my car. This is not the correct way to respond to this situation. If this happens to you, try to stay calm, as the insect is most likely trying to get out and will fly against the window. Slowly pull over off the road and unroll your window. Hopefully the insect will fly out.

Dr. Susan Bane is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist at Greenville OB/GYN, a division of Physicians East, and an adjunct professor in East Carolina University's Department of Exercise and Sport Science.