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The excuse: I'll suffer heat stroke!

The rationale: Uncle Irv was carted away from the family picnic last year after he fainted during the three-legged race.

The remedy: Was Uncle Irv partaking of liquids other than those of amber hue? If he'd been staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water, he probably would have been fine. Did he take a time out from the softball tournament? If he'd started to overheat, he should have put himself in time out under the nearest shade tree. Maybe slapped a cool towel on his forehead, under his armpits or anywhere else where the blood runs close to the surface, too. To recap, Irv: Drink water, take advantage of available shade.

Learn more: www.mayoclinic.com/ health/first-aid-heat-exhaustion/FA00020.

The excuse: Plants don't like me!

The rationale: Poison ivy, oak and sumac -- they all bite!

The remedy: Know your enemy. Indeed, poison ivy in particular can be pernicious in this region. Your first and best defense is to steer clear of the stuff. And while that can be a challenge in a forest draped and carpeted with vines of various and dizzying characteristics, you'll do well to live by that simple childhood admonition: Leaves of three, let it be. (You'll also do well to avoid fuzzy vines wrapping themselves up the trunks of trees.) If you do come in contact, WakeMed's Mann says you should resist the urge to paint yourself with a standard itch-reliever such as calamine lotion. Instead, take Benadryl orally. It'll stop the itching, she promises, while letting the rash heal faster in the open air.

Learn more: www.fda.gov/fdac/features/796_ivy.html.

The excuse: Helmet? Who needs a bike helmet?

The rationale: I like the wind in my hair. Besides, I hardly ever fall.

The reality: Of all the concerns of summer the one that concerns WakeMed's Mann the most is kids -- and adults -- riding bikes without helmets. "This time of year we see more people on bikes and we" -- meaning the Emergency Department -- "see a lot of them who aren't wearing helmets." A few quick facts.

First, anyone riding a bike who's 16 or younger in North Carolina is required to wear a helmet -- it's the law. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, the typical cyclist will crash every 4,500 miles; of the 750 bike deaths reported annually, 75 percent result from head injuries. And, again according to the Institute, 85 percent of head injuries can be avoided with a helmet. "In my mind," Mann says, "there's just no excuse for not wearing a helmet while on something on wheels that can go faster than you do."

"We can fix your broken bones," adds Mann, a mother of two, who says she has eight bike helmets hanging in her garage. "Head trauma is another thing entirely."

Learn more: www.helmets.org/guide.htm.

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