What Ails You: How to stay healthy, and a bit cooler, during the summer heat

It’s that time of year when blistering temperatures seem to have snuck up on us. It seems every year I hear myself muttering how it never seemed to be this hot this early in the year before. Since the summer heat is upon us, I thought it might be a good time to review our annual summer safety tips. 

The symptoms of heat exhaustion can be much more obvious to an onlooker than they are to the victim. For that reason, one of the most important heat safety warnings I can give you is to never work alone. Certain medications make you more susceptible to heat illness. If you are taking tranquilizers or anticholinergics, be especially careful. Children, the elderly, invalids and folks with weight or alcohol problems are especially susceptible to heat illnesses so if you know the neighbor lady lives alone, take time out of your day to check on her.  Spend a few minutes chatting and watch her for symptoms of illness. 

Heat cramps are painful spasms which normally occur in the legs or abdomen of folks working or playing in the heat. Your friend will be sweating profusely and may be unable to walk or stand upright because of severe cramping. Get your friend out of the sun and into cool air as quickly as possible. Placing firm pressure on the muscle that is cramping, gently stretching it and placing cool towels over the area can be helpful. Give your friend sips of cool water or watered down electrolyte drink such as Gatorade. Don’t let them gulp.  Too much fluid too quickly can lead to nausea, vomiting and dehydration. They should stay out of the heat as much as possible for the next 48 hours.

Although we also call it sunstroke, the sun is not a requirement during this hot weather when most of us who only have evaporative cooling are forced to swelter in our homes. If your body temperature is already high because of fever, you are even more susceptible to heat stroke. Simply put, heat stroke is a failure of the body’s cooling system which allows our core temperature to creep upward.  Temperatures above 105 can cause permanent brain damage, disability or death so heat stroke is a medical emergency. 

A victim of heat stroke has a rapid, strong pulse. Their skin is red and hot, but dry because sweating has stopped. They have a dry mouth and headache. They may be nauseated and trying to vomit. They are confused or anxious and may become hysterical or combative and argumentative. Their breathing is deep and rapid at first, but becomes shallow and weak. A person with heat stroke can lapse into a coma and die without proper attention. Call 9-1-1 and immediately start trying to cool your friend. 

Quickly move your friend out of the sun, into shade or air conditioning and laying down with their head and shoulders elevated slightly. Simply applying an ice pack to their neck or forehead will not be enough cooling. Get their clothing off and pour cool water over them being careful to avoid their nose and mouth. Place fans around them and pack ice packs under their arms, on the neck, groin, wrists, ankles and behind each knee. These are the places where blood runs closest to the surface of the skin and can be quickly cooled.  Don’t allow your friend to start shivering since the muscle contractions of shivering produce heat. If your friend starts to shiver, slow down your cooling efforts.   

As the body cools to 104, convulsions may occur. Do not put your fingers or anything else in your friend’s mouth. Simply keep him safe from injury. If you can, roll him onto his side so any vomit can drain. 

Heat exhaustion is the most common heat injury. It is a mild state of shock brought on by the pooling of blood in the vessels which lie just under the skin. Because of profuse sweating, salt and water are lost, blood circulation is diminished and that affects the function of the heart, brain and lungs. Heat exhaustion leads to dehydration which can lead to the more severe heat stroke. 

The signs of heat exhaustion are rapid heartbeat, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Skin is hot and sweaty at first and then becomes cold and clammy. Folks with heat exhaustion may feel faint and seem pale. 

Get your friend out of the heat, but be sure they don’t become chilled. Remove as much clothing as possible and loosen what cannot be removed. Have them lie down with their feet elevated about eight to 12 inches. Apply cold, wet compresses to the area and fan lightly. Give sips of cool, clear water and encourage your friend to drink as much as possible, but don’t give sweetened drinks. If your friend becomes nauseated or vomits, stop giving the fluids for a time. 

Keep yourself safe by drinking lots of water, but not sugary drinks or drinks with caffeine that increase your dehydration risk. Drink even if you don’t feel thirsty. Stay away from alcohol and don’t take salt tablets unless you’ve been specifically ordered to do so by your doctor. Spend as much time as possible under air conditioning and try not to get too much sun. If you must be out in the heat, slow down. Eliminate any strenuous or non-essential activity and try to get what you must done during the cooler early morning hours. 

I have a special note here for my dieting friends. Meals heavy in protein increase your metabolism which is a fancy way of saying they increase your body temperature. Now is not the time to be following a high protein diet. Keep your meals simple and light with lots of easy to digest and cool fruits and vegetables. 

It promises to be a hot one, my friends, but we can get through it if we keep ourselves safe and keep an eye on those around us. 

ABOUT THE WRITER:
Jackie Randa is a physical therapist who owns Back on Track in Barstow. She can be contacted at jranda@aol.com