JOURNEY TO THE GREAT BACKYARD
Summer is drawing to a close, but there’s still time to make some great memories. Camping trips are a summer staple. Fortunately, you don’t have to drive hours into the mountains to find the perfect campsite. Your backyard is right there waiting for you! Here are a few tips to help your family say farewell to summer with a perfect backyard camping trip.
need if you were really going into the woods for the night so no one is tempted to go back inside. This means tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, pajamas, books, binoculars, a compass, water bottles, and a cooler of food with snacks and dinner. Treat this like a “real” camping experience right from the beginning! FIGURE OUT THE CAMPFIRE. Don’t have an in-ground fire pit? No worries! You can still enjoy hot dogs and s’mores with a charcoal grill or a store-bought fire pit. If you have enough room in your backyard, you could even try building a bonfire. Just make sure to check your city ordinances and get any necessary permits first. You can find advice for building the perfect campfire at REI.com/ learn/expert-advice/campfire-basics.html. REMEMBER: IT’S OKAY TO CALL IT A NIGHT. For kids, the most exciting part of camping in the backyard is getting to sleep in a tent — that is, until they actually have to sleep. After stargazing, some kids will want to stay up all night whispering and giggling in the tent, and that’s great! But other kids might decide they’d rather sleep inside, and that’s okay too. Your camping trip isn’t a failure because everyone spent the night in their own beds. It’s not about where everyone sleeps; it’s about howmuch fun your family had together before bedtime. disease have a reciprocal relationship. According to WebMD, “people with poor blood sugar control get gum disease more often and more severely, and they lose more teeth.” On the flip side, periodontal issues like gum disease can cause glucose spikes, which presents a serious issue for patients with diabetes. The studies involving heart disease are just as revealing. The bacteria that causes gum disease travels through your blood stream, where it comes in contact with your heart and circulatory system. During heart surgeries, doctors have found the same species of bacteria in clogged arteries that are common in gum diseases. Needless to say, those pesky organisms in your mouth can end up affecting your entire body. The connection between oral hygiene and your health is why it’s so important for us to know about any conditions you have or medications you take. We want you to have a beautiful smile, but it’s just as important to promote a healthy environment in your mouth. It’s not just a cosmetic issue; it’s a part of your overall wellness. Your dentist and doctor may be in separate offices, but the work they do is intertwined. Or to put it another way, you can’t get a full picture of your health without taking a look inside your mouth. The Connection Between Oral Care and Overall Health The best part of backyard camping? It doesn’t take a lot of planning. Just grab your gear and your family and hike out into the great backyard.
PACK FOR AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE. Your back door is literally a few yards away, which can be great in the event of an emergency. But if the kids are running in and out of the house all night long, they might end up deciding they’d rather be inside playing video games after only an hour. Be sure to pack everything you would
KARA’S CORNER
Maybe it’s because we’ve always gone to the doctor and dentist separately, but many people think of oral hygiene and overall health as separate concerns. While I understand the reason for this misconception, it’s important to remember that your mouth and teeth are parts of your body and just as connected to your systemic health as anything else. In recent years, an increasing body of research has demonstrated just how important solid oral care is to your overall wellness.
Much work has been done exploring the link between oral health and two major diseases: diabetes and heart disease. Diabetes and gum
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