I still remember the cold, bleak day when I first arrived in the U.S. Not having properly done my homework, I had no idea that my trip to ‘paradise’ was actually scheduled to occur during the winter season. The scruffy taxi driver who picked me up from the airport to my hotel gave me one look over, grinned and shouted over the din, “You from Africa, huh?” You would not need a rocket scientist to figure that one out since my mother had insisted I wear a matching tie-dye pant suit and tied my freshly woven braids tightly with a kente scarf. “Now you just wait for summer time to come around, missy, and it will be nice and toasty as it is in Africa,” he assured me as I rubbed my palms vigorously.
Huddled in the back seat of the cab, I played this sentence over and over in my mind, taking comfort in the knowledge that winter would pass and then it would be sunny as it was in Ghana. It was a phrase I returned to several times that winter especially on those ‘below-freezing point’ days. Then with much excitement, summer finally rolled in after a rather short spring.
But instead of the nice warmth I had anticipated, the sun scorched the earth with a vengeance made all the more unbearable by the humid New England weather. I learnt on the news that this heat could actually cause severe illnesses, especially in children and the elderly – a concept so foreign to me despite having lived in a country that received most of the sun’s direct rays all year round given its location on the equator. The reporter called it heat stroke with a milder variant known as heat exhaustion.
Heat Exhaustion
The human body is generally well equipped to handle the temperature changes we experience daily. For instance, when it is hot we sweat to help our bodies to naturally cool down. We lose quite a lot of fluids and electrolytes when we sweat, especially when we exercise or work for long periods in hot, humid environments. When we fail to adequately replenish lost fluids, we can develop a condition called heat exhaustion. People who experience heat exhaustion tend to complain about muscle cramps, headaches, weakness and thirst. They might look pale with cool moist skin, sweat profusely and feel faint or dizzy. When their temperature is taken, it usually exceeds 37.7°C (100°F). The pulse is typically fast but weak to the touch and breathing might be rapid. When not treated, heat exhaustion can easily progress to heat stroke, a more serious form of illness.
Heat Stroke
This is due to an abnormally elevated body temperature (41.1°C/106°F) resulting in both physical and neurological symptoms and can be fatal if not treated immediately. There are two general causes of heat stroke:
a) the body’s inability to quickly and effectively respond to intense, hot humid temperatures
b) dehydration (the body does not have enough circulating fluid to release as sweat in order to cool the internal system).
People particularly at risk of developing heat stroke include infants and the elderly; those with several chronic diseases affecting their heart, kidney and lungs; people on specific types of medications such as antihistamines for allergies; and athletes. Typical symptoms include high body temperature, dizziness, hot red or flushed skin with no sweating and difficulty breathing. Some people experience an altered mental state with confusion, hallucinations and in extreme cases, seizures, comas and even death.
Treatment
It is important to move a person suffering from either heat exhaustion or heat stroke to a cool, shady area and remove as much clothing as possible. If the person is conscious and able to drink, try to re-hydrate with a cool beverage while fanning to facilitate air movement around the body. Should heat stroke be suspected, first call 911 because the individual might need extra medical attention. Then focus your attention on lowering the core body temperature by fanning, spraying cool water on the body and if available, placing ice packs in the armpits and the groin area. Continue cooling efforts until the temperature falls below 101.3°F. If you live in an area with no 911 services or immediate medical assistance, try to cool the body by immersing the individual in cool water and have a fan directed at the patient. It is important once the temperature is adequately low, to transport the patient to the nearest health facility for further evaluation.
Prevention
Fluids, fluids, fluids! Make it a habit to drink at least eight glasses of water each day in addition to other beverages. Remember that drinks containing caffeine and alcohol act as diuretics, which drain fluids from your body. As such, drinking tea all day leaves you more dehydrated than you would have imagined. Carry an extra bottle of water with you to work or while exercising – and to be more environmentally conscious, use a reusable flask instead of a plastic bottle. Wear light-colored, light-weight clothes and keep to shady, cool places as much as possible. If you need to exercise or train extensively outdoors, take frequent breaks and do stay hydrated. Finally, it is important that caretakers or coaches of people most susceptible to heat stroke know the signs and symptoms in order to appropriately institute measures to reduce risk. For instance:
a) Check in more frequently with elderly family, especially if disabled, to ensure that they have an easily accessible source of cool fluids and that they are able to drink this when thirsty. Some elderly people lose their ability to determine when they are thirsty and might require timed reminders to drink something
b) Do not leave children in locked cars with windows rolled up even for a few minutes
c) Coaches should have frequent training breaks with sport drinks and water available
d) Take frequent showers or go to the nearest pool to cool off
e) Follow the weather reports for your area and know what heat-related alerts are out (see figure above).
The summer is a great time to have fun, show off that nice figure and the clothes you have been slaving all winter long for. Just make sure to stay cool with a refreshing drink, wear your UV protected shades and use your SPF suntan lotion generously. Now you are ready to take the summer by storm!
Sources:
1) Emedicine Health http://www.emedicinehealth.com/heat_exhaustion_and_heat_stroke/page2_em.htm#Heat%20Exhaustion%20and%20Stroke%20Causes
2) MedicineNet
http://www.medicinenet.com/heat_stroke/article.htm