Raucous fun: how to spend New Year's Eve safely
Finishing salads and overindulging in alcohol should be discouraged for a safe New Year's Eve and subsequent vacations , experts have warned. Fire safety techniques should be followed and children should be kept in sight at all times. Pets should not be fed from the table and taken for a walk when the celebrants are actively launching fireworks. How to survive the New Year holidays - in the material "Izvestia".
Preserve health
During the New Year holidays in trauma departments of polyclinics queue up, and the number of ambulance calls increases sharply, doctors told "Izvestia". Raucous fun often ends in injuries, poisoning, heart attack.
- Food poisoning and exacerbation of chronic GI diseases (gastritis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis) are the most common unpleasant results of the holidays," explained Roman Ivanov, an expert at the Hemotest laboratory and a doctor. - On New Year's Eve and the following days, people tend to eat more than usual. Most often it is tasty, but very caloric and not too healthy food: smoked meat, fried meat, salads with mayonnaise, sandwiches with caviar, confectionery. And on January 1 and 2, people often start to finish "last year's" salads, which quickly spoil.
Another serious blow to health is alcohol, the doctor reminded.
So, from the beginning of December in pharmacies and on marketplaces begins to avalanche demand for hangover remedies, added an expert laboratory "Gemotest", neurologist Ekaterina Demyanovskaya. Close to the New Year holidays, the number of purchases of "antipohmelin" increases by 300-400%: people are preparing in advance for the headache and nausea of the first January morning.
- Hangover is a complex of symptoms caused by alcohol poisoning," she said. - With a hangover, concentration is reduced, coordination of movements is impaired, sometimes there is a strong heartbeat, apathy develops. All alcoholic beverages contain ethanol, it is a toxin. Getting into the body, it affects the nerve cells, upsetting the balance of excitation and inhibition.
At first, as the expert explained, ethanol stimulates the production of endorphins and dopamine, giving a feeling of lightness and euphoria. But with excessive intake of ethanol in the body are formed in substantial quantities of substances that cause drowsiness, speech impairment, dizziness, nausea.
- Ethanol is processed in the body by liver enzymes," the expert said. - First, acetaldehyde - an even stronger poison - is synthesized from it, and then - harmless acetic acid. But if a person drank too much alcohol, this process slows down and acetaldehyde accumulates in the body. Because of its poisoning effect, the nervous, cardiovascular and digestive systems suffer. Dehydration and electrolyte deficiency are superimposed on this, since alcohol promotes the excretion of fluid along with useful minerals.
Poisoning with ethyl alcohol can cause exacerbation of chronic diseases, and attempts to hangover with alcoholic beverages often lead to a multi-day binge and chronic ethanol poisoning, added Ekaterina Demyanovskaya. To avoid the unfortunate consequences of holiday toasts, it is better to refuse alcohol.
But if the hangover could not be avoided, it is worth resorting to traditional folk remedies: sleep, drink plenty of water, eat hot soup, go for a walk. It is good to include in the "hangover" diet of bananas, prunes, apricots or seaweed: they contain potassium, helping to fill its deficit, which is formed due to alcohol intake.
- With a hangover should avoid drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid, which includes most of the popular effervescent "antipohmelinov"- emphasized the doctor. - Such drugs irritate the stomach, which has already received from alcohol. It is also not recommended to eat fatty and too caloric food - it will create an additional load on the liver. It is very dangerous to "treat" a hangover with a bath: it can lead to cardiovascular catastrophes.
During the New Year holidays, the risk of developing a heart attack increases. Emotional load, pre-New Year's rush and stress, abundant food and alcohol- all this contributes to the exacerbation of cardiovascular disease, said Roman Ivanov. Problems can arise even in healthy people.
- In medicine, there is even such a concept - "holiday heart syndrome", - said the doctor. - It denotes a failure of heart rhythm due to a sharp disruption of lifestyle during long holidays. To prevent this danger, it is important to find time for rest, to be moderate in food and alcoholic beverages, or better to refuse the latter altogether, to pay attention to your condition and not to be heroic during walks and winter sports.
How to avoid fires in the New Year
During the New Year holidays there are more residential fires than during the rest of the year. According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, from December 30, 2023 to January 8, 2024, there were more than 5.5 thousand fires in Russia. Thus, due to low temperatures, the load on power grids is much higher, because Russians actively use various heaters, especially at night, reminded the head of the department of payments for property and liability insurance PJSC IC "Rosgosstrakh" Julia Serova.
- In addition, with the beginning of the New Year vacations in almost every house there are garlands, decorative candles and other attributes of the holiday, which significantly increase the risk of ignition, - she said. - We should not forget about the well-known Russian tradition of going to a bathhouse on New Year's Eve, which is also reflected in insurance statistics.
According to "Rosgosstrakh", the risk of fires on New Year's vacations increases significantly, and over the years "fire" insurance events during the vacations are only getting bigger. For example, during the holidays of 2023, the company recorded 7% more fires than a year earlier. And in the first decade of January 2024, such insured events were 22.5% more.
- Choosing a garland, pay attention to LED products, - explained Julia Serova. - Such decorations, unlike incandescent bulbs, are not afraid of voltage fluctuations. When buying is also important to check the number of bulbs, expiration dates, information about the manufacturer, insulation of wires and the quality of the winding near the plug or power supply. Don't be lazy to look for the EAC marking on the packaging , which indicates that the product meets safety requirements.
A sharp smell of plastic, she said, should be a "wake-up call " - there is a possibility that the garland insulation used poor-quality plastic, which when heated can release toxic formaldehyde and provoke a fire.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations pointed out that one should not forget about the safe installation of Christmas trees. So, in mid-December 2024 in a five-storey building on Sadovaya-Chernogryazskaya Street in Moscow, a Christmas tree caught fire. The fire was promptly extinguished by the owners of the apartment, a person was injured.
"Install the Christmas tree on a stable stand, the tree should not touch the curtains, walls and ceiling, do not decorate with toys made of combustible materials, buy only certified garland, turn off the garland, leaving the house and before going to bed," - noted in the department.
Scented candles are one of the traditional gifts for the New Year. They add coziness to the house, but here you need to be careful. It is important not to leave them unattended. Candles should be kept at a safe distance from flammable materials and objects such as curtains, furniture and paper.
- In addition, few people know that candles should be extinguished in a certain way: instead of blowing them out, you should use a special extinguisher or simply dip the wick in melted wax to avoid sparks," said Julia Serova.
First aid for burns
Bathhouse in many Russians is part of the mandatory program of country New Year's entertainment. And this hobby requires careful attention not only to one's health, but also to the equipment used. Overheating of the stove, sparks and coals flying out of the furnace, poor insulation of the chimney, mismatch between the wiring and the parameters of the electric stove - all this can also lead to fire.
- For example, during the vacations of 2024, 18% of fires reported by our customers were related to bathhouses, - said Julia Serova.
During the New Year holidays, the number of injuries increases, including burns of various localizations, confirmed Sergei Khripkov, a surgeon at SberZdorovye medical company.
- The most common burns are thermal," he said. - During the festive period, they can occur, for example, with careless use of fireworks, firecrackers, sparklers and so on. The degree of tissue damage depends on the temperature and duration of exposure to the damaging factor.
Fireworks, he said, are particularly common causes of burns to the face and eyes.
When receiving a burn, the first thing to do is to assess the extent of the lesion. Superficial affects only the upper layer of the skin - the epidermis, in this case, the damaged area will be red, and when pressing will be marked by soreness and pallor. First aid in this case is to cool the burn site with water for at least 10-15 minutes, and then it is necessary to apply a remedy with dexapanthenol and apply a sterile bandage.
- At a deeper lesion - at the level of the dermis - redness is noted, there are blisters with fluid and pronounced soreness of the burn wound, there may be detachment of the skin - said the surgeon. - With these manifestations, it is necessary to consult a doctor. If the bubbles have opened on their own, then while waiting for medical help should treat the burn wound with antiseptic and put a sterile dressing on it.
Inno case it is impossible to pierce the blisters at home, as well as to treat the burn wound with alcohol, manganese, oil, fat cream, sour cream, the expert emphasized. These actions can lead to worsening of the condition of the damaged area of the body.
How to make the New Year safe for children
To make the New Year's period safe for the child's health, with him first of all it is necessary to talk about how to behave properly in places of large crowds of people, said Olga Golyzhnikova, pediatrician of clinics of the network "RZD Medicine" Olga Golyzhnikova.
- Make sure he knows his mom and dad's names, remembers at least one of their phone numbers and his address," she said.- After big events it is obligatory to wash hands, it should become an unswerving rule. Pay attention to the holiday table. You should not give a small child everything on the table, especially if in everyday life it is not part of his diet. Make a menu for the child in advance.
Pay attention to the Christmas tree: it should stand in a place safe for children. Also, said the doctor, it is worth checking the certificate of conformity of garlands and do not leave them on if adults are not around.
- If you want to order a greeting at home, use the services of trusted agencies, - added Olga Golyzhnikova. - As a rule, their employees have a medical book, which means that they have undergone medical examination and passed the necessary tests for admission to work. Talk about the scenario of the holiday with the agent in advance. Sometimes small children are frightened by the presence of fairy tale characters.
In addition, you should dress for the weather. Frostbite in strong winds, prolonged exposure to low temperatures cause frostbite.
- Frostbite is possible even at low temperatures, but with high humidity, as well as if the child is wearing wet clothes, - emphasized the specialist. - Most often suffer fingers, toes, ear flaps, nose and cheeks. Listen to the child, periodically interested in his well-being, try to move in the street. When staying outdoors for a long time, take a thermos with a warm drink.
Roxana Portnova, therapist, cardiologist of the medical company "SberZdorovye", reminded about winter fun that can lead to injuries. So, as a result of rolling down a hill on an ice-cart or a cotton candy can get bruises, lacerations, fractures, tears and sprains, sprains.
- To prevent such situations it is necessary to choose the right means for skating: sleds should be preferred to ice-sleds, - she noted.- It is also important to choose the right terrain for skating: it should be specially prepared areas or slopes located away from water bodies, roadways, masses of trees and rocks. Skating down the slope should only be done sitting down and with your feet forward, as this is the main way to control the ice-sled or sled, and after rolling down - immediately move aside to avoid collision with other people.
How to take care of pets
Theholiday period, despite its joyful atmosphere, can be a serious test for pets, told "Izvestia" director of the Foundation forthe protection of food and packaging quality "Law and Health" Grigory Balagurov. Loud feasts, fireworks, disruption of the usual routine and temptation to treat pets with viands from the holiday table create stressful conditions that can affect their health and behavior.
- The biggest stressor for animals is noisy parties," he said.- Large numbers of people, loud music and disruption of routines can cause anxiety in pets. This has the potential to cause aggression or lead to apathy. To minimize this stress, it is necessary to create a secluded place in the house for the pet in advance, where it can feel safe. This space should be quiet, inaccessible to guests and familiar to the pet in advance.
Marianna Onufrienko, Doctor of Veterinary Sciences, expert of the Center for the Study of Nutrition and Animal Welfare, warns: even if you think that one olive or a piece of sausage will do nothing to the pet, it is not so.
- Most prepared foods contain excessive amounts of salt and fat, which can cause digestive upset in dogs and cats," she said. - Other categories of foods, such as seemingly innocuous fruits and berries, can cause the same effect. For humans, they're part of a balanced diet. But for dogs and cats digestion of the same grapes, especially toxic even in small quantities, is fraught with symptoms of severe poisoning and significant deterioration of kidney function, up to lethargy.
Among the products dangerous for animals Grigory Balagurov also singled out chocolate, which contains theobromine, toxic for dogs and cats, and bakery products can cause irritation of the digestive organs. Fatty and spicy dishes with lots of spices, such as sausage and pickles, overload the pancreas, and ingredients such as onions and garlic can cause great harm to the digestive system.
- Particularly careful attention should be paid to beverages. Even a small amount of alcohol can provoke severe poisoning," he noted. - To avoid these risks, it is recommended to completely exclude the access of pets to the table, and as an alternative to offer specialized treats from the pet store.
In addition to food during the holidays, fireworks and pyrotechnics are particularly stressful for pets. Loud sounds and bright flashes can cause panic attacks, especially in dogs.
- It is important to prepare for such situations in advance, - said Grigory Balagurov. - For walks do not choose parks, neighborhoods and stadiums, where there is a large concentration of people and a high probability of encountering pyrotechnics. The animal should be on a leash to eliminate the risk of escape in case of fright. If you notice that the pet is particularly afraid of loud noises, you can discuss the use of sedatives with your veterinarian in advance.
The safety of the animal during the holiday period is the responsibility of the owner, he emphasized. And caring for four-legged friends is, above all, paying attention to their needs.
