We are now in the dog days of summer. Every day is sticky, or hot, or both. You can’t hide from the weather, so we just have to deal with it. The weather does become an issue when you are trying to participate in outdoor activities. The weather we are experiencing now should not be taken without precautions.
You hear about individuals passing out during concerts or at sporting events, and in a number of cases heat exhaustion is the main culprit. Heat exhaustion is not as serious as some of the other heat conditions yet can be the precondition to something more serious such as heatstroke. In a number of instances heatstrokes go undiagnosed because the symptoms are close to many other conditions.
Some of the big differences between heat exhaustion and heatstroke is the elevated body temperature (104 degrees or higher), confusion and delirium, and little to no sweat with elevated skin temperature. Those characteristics are what places you in the danger zone and immediate action would need to take place. If you or anyone you see are ever in a state previously mentioned the first action is to always cool the body.
Proteins in the human body will degenerate north of 105 degrees, and since every organ in the human body are made of proteins, chances of organ damage increases. Finding cool water and/or wrapping the heatstroke victim in cool towels are the best ways to lower the body temperature.
The sooner the body gets back to its ideal temperature the less of a chance there will be of permanent damage. Most ideal situations call for the removal of the individual’s clothes since clothing will act as a barrier increasing the time for the body to respond to cool treatment.
In all heatstroke situations quick transportation to the hospital is always advised. You are probably thinking now “fun in the sun is not safe?” Not true. You can still have plenty of fun in the sun even on hot days. You just have to take special precautions.
On extremely hot days make sure you take 10 minute breaks that involve drinking cold water and placing cold wraps around your head and neck. Head protection such as a hat will shade you from some of the direct sun light that produces significant amounts of heat. You can still have fun in the Sun as long as you stay cooler than a cucumber.
-Phil