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Coping With the Heat |
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SATURDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDayNews) -- On hot and humid summer days, heat-related illness can pose a serious and potentially fatal threat.
Cramps, sun stroke and heat exhaustion are among the first stages of heat-related illness, which can progress to life-threatening heat stroke, said Dr. Abhinav Chandra, an emergency room doctor and assistant clinical professor at Duke University Medical Center.
The first steps in treating heat-related illness can be crucial.
"In the earlier phases, common-sense measures like getting the person out of the heat, moving into a cool area and drinking a lot of cold liquids is a great start. If you don't have a cool place, public environments like the library or the mall are great places to go," Chandra said in a prepared statement.
"If it has progressed to the point of heat stroke, the person needs to be seen by a doctor. Call 9-1-1 immediately," Chandra said.
Giving liquids to someone with heat-related illness must be done with care.
"Liquids can either help you or hurt you. One of the biggest problems is to go out and drink iced cappuccino or a soda. Though they have the salts, they also have caffeine, and the caffeine actually works against you and makes you urinate more. As a result, you actually get more dehydrated," Chandra said.
Alcoholic beverages also cause dehydration.
If you do exercise outdoors during the summer, schedule your workouts for cooler times of the day and make sure you stay well hydrated.
"The best fluids in this situation are sports drinks. They're cold, they have calories and they have electrolytes. As you exercise, you're breaking up calories and using up your body's resources. You have to replace them," Chandra said.
"Probably the best message we have in medicine is prevention. Make sure you're constantly hydrating yourself; wear cool, light clothes and hats, and take breaks during the day. These are some of the best ways to prevent a medical problem from the heat," Chandra added.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers advice on how to cope with heat.
(SOURCE: Duke University Medical Center, news release, July 2004)
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