Preventing and Treating Burns During the Holidays

As we gather to cook for holiday celebrations in the home, it’s important to remember that there are simple steps we can all take to avoid burn injuries.

Preventing Burns During the Holidays

Here are a few pointers to help you and your loved ones avoid being injured by accident: 

1. Turn the handles of all pots and pans away from the edge of the stove so that children’s wandering hands can’t pull down on hot liquids.
   
2. If your oven does not have an automatic lock, install an exterior oven door lock on the side to keep children from opening it while food is cooking.
   
3. Install a baby gate around any fireplace currently in use or has recently been used; the fireplace can remain hot and cause burn injuries if a child touches the glass or surrounding area. 
   
4. Place all mugs, cups, and bowls containing hot liquids in the center of the table, where children cannot reach or accidentally spill them.
   
5. Do not hold a hot drink in one hand and a child in another. It is very easy for a child to reach over and pull at the hot cup. 
   
6. Grease fires cannot be extinguished with water; always keep a fire extinguisher in a convenient location. Small pan fires can also be extinguished with a pan lid or a wet rag.

Treating Burns

If someone gets burned, these are the first things to do: 

1. If the area is pink or blistered, you can run room temperature water over it to help soothe the injury. Applying ice to the affected area will cause further tissue damage.
   
2. Use a mild, unscented soap and water to clean the area. This is the most crucial step in treating a burn injury and is frequently overlooked. Simply washing the affected area will help to keep it free from infection.
   
3. Leave intact blisters alone if they have not yet broken. If the blisters do break open, make sure to wash the newly exposed area.

It is possible to treat your burn more naturally

It is critical to contact your health care provider if you have any questions or concerns about your treatment.

Here are some of the products that we recommend at Naturopathic Family Health: 

1. BLDG Active Skin Repair: Can be sprayed on the clean first-degree and second-degree burns (Area of skin is pink, painful, and maybe blistered) 
   
2. Boiron Calendula Burn Cream: Can be spread over clean first and second-degree burns.  
   
3. Lavender Essential Oil: It is very important to dilute this before use over your burn. You can mix the lavender oil with jojoba or coconut oil. This remedy can only be used to help soothe pain in first-degree burns, and the skin must be intact.  
   
4. Bacitracin Ointment: This antibiotic ointment can be very helpful in healing blistered burn areas and effectively preventing infection.  
   
5. Arnica Nontana: is an over-the-counter homeopathic that can help provide pain relief after injury.   

Keep your wound clean and covered with gauze or a bandage as healing progresses. The gauze must be changed daily and kept clean.

If the pain persists, the area appears infected, or the burn covers a large surface area, please visit your nearest hospital or urgent care center.