Seven everyday foundations to help your family stay strong, protected, and thriving through peak summer.
July is the month the sun means business. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we wait all year for these long, bright days — and when they arrive, families pour outdoors. Hikes, lakes, barbecues, camps, road trips. It's the season we dream about during the gray months.
But as a retired pediatrician, July also brings a question I've heard in exam rooms for decades: how do I keep my family healthy through all this sun and activity?
The answer I've come to trust isn't just about sunscreen and hydration — though those matter. It's about giving the body the raw materials it relies on to support and maintain itself from the inside. Your skin, your cardiovascular system, your stress response, your gut — they're all connected, and they all work harder in summer. Supporting those foundations is one of the most practical things a family can do.
July is also UV Safety Awareness Month, and that makes this the right time to think about protection from the inside out. Sunscreen handles the outside. The nutrients your body needs to stay resilient — antioxidants, omega-3s, skin-support botanicals, the minerals that keep you hydrated — those come from what you put in.
What I've come to believe after decades of practice — and parenting — is that real wellness isn't about perfection or doing all the things. It's about giving your body steady, reliable support, season by season, and trusting it to meet you halfway.
DeeDee and I often come back to the idea that wellness has four dimensions — physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Supplements support the physical. The rest comes from showing up, being present, and loving the people in your life ferociously. That part, I suspect, summer already does for you.
Wishing you a healthy, sun-soaked, resilient July.
In good health,
Dr. Paul (retired)