Health and wellbeing

CDC and NIH guidance on the everyday health risks people ask about most — illness prevention, medication safety, and mental health support.

988 reaches the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by call or text, 24/7, for you or for someone you're worried about.

Store medications up and away from children, and take unused prescriptions to a drug take-back site instead of the trash.

Know the early signs of heat illness — cramps, heavy sweating, dizziness — and get to shade and water before it becomes heat stroke.

Wash hands with soap for 20 seconds; it outperforms sanitizer whenever hands are visibly dirty.

Keep a current list of medications and conditions where a paramedic can find it. It changes the first five minutes of an emergency.

Sourced from public guidance published by the FTC, CISA, FEMA/Ready.gov, the National Weather Service, NHTSA, CPSC, the U.S. Fire Administration and CDC. Federal works are in the public domain; summaries and checklists on this page are original.

• Heat Stroke: Call 911 Immediately — Hot, red skin with confusion or fainting is a medical emergency. Move the person to shade, cool them with water, and call 911 right away. CDC
• Drink Water Before You're Thirsty — In hot weather, thirst is a late signal. Drink water steadily throughout the day — avoid alcohol and sugary drinks that speed dehydration. CDC
• Sunscreen: SPF 15 or Higher — Apply broad-spectrum SPF 15+ at least 15 minutes before going outside. Reapply every 2 hours, and after swimming or sweating. CDC
• Wildfire Smoke: Stay Indoors, Run AC — When smoke rolls in, close windows, run AC on recirculate, and use an N95 mask if you must go outside. EPA
• Bug Spray: Use EPA-Registered Repellents — Use repellents with DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus to prevent tick and mosquito bites that spread Lyme and West Nile. CDC
• Check for Ticks After Time Outdoors — Do a full-body tick check after hiking, gardening, or playing outside. Remove ticks with fine-tipped tweezers, pulling straight up. CDC
• Air Quality: Check Before Outdoor Exercise — On Code Orange or Red days, move workouts indoors. Visit airnow.gov for your local AQI before heading out. EPA
• Heat: Watch for Warning Signs — Heat stroke signs: high body temperature, hot dry skin, confusion. Call 911 immediately and move the person to a cool place. CDC
• Handwashing: 20 seconds with soap — CDC says scrubbing for at least 20 seconds — about the time it takes to hum Happy Birthday twice — removes far more germs than a quick rinse. CDC
• Poison help is one phone call away — The national Poison Help line, 1-800-222-1222, is free, confidential, and staffed 24/7 by experts. Program it into your phone. HHS Poison Help
• Know the signs of heat stroke — Hot, red skin, confusion, a pounding pulse, and no sweating are medical emergencies. Call 911 and cool the person with water and ice packs while you wait. CDC
• Learn Hands-Only CPR — For a teen or adult who collapses, call 911 and push hard and fast in the center of the chest, about 100–120 compressions a minute. It can double or triple survival odds. CDC
• Test your home for radon — Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. Test kits are inexpensive and many state programs offer them free. EPA
• Check the air quality before outdoor exercise — AirNow's daily AQI tells you when smoke or ozone makes outdoor activity risky for kids, older adults, and anyone with asthma or heart disease. EPA AirNow
• Store medicines up and away from children — Most child medicine poisonings happen when a kid gets into a bottle on their own. Relock the safety cap every time and keep purses with pills out of reach. CDC
• Wash Hands for 20 Seconds — Hand-washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of illness. CDC