Heat Stroke, Heat Exhaustion or Sun Stroke - Simple remedies

Heat stroke or Heat exhaustion occurs when you're in a warm environment and your body loses its ability to sweat and naturally cool itself down. It can become serious or even fatal if left untreated. There are natural remedies, however, that can effectively cool your body down. Follow these steps to naturally healing yourself.

The average normal body temperature is 98.6 degree Fahrenheit. Heatstroke is an outcome of the inability of the body to regulate its own temperature, and body temperature continues to rise. Heat stroke is a non scientific name for hyperthermia, a body temperature that is so far beyond normal that physiological developments are subjected to harm and dysfunction. The negative outcome of hyperthermia can be temporary or lifelong and can cause unexpected death. The higher the temperature and the longer the hyperthermia continues the further harm it causes. It is a consequence of prolonged, excessive exposure to sun, in which an individual does not perspire enough to lower body temperature.

Remedies for Heat Stroke
Drink plenty of water, stay away from the sun, and avoid taxing activity during hot weather conditions. If you start experiencing the warning signs, shift to a cool, sheltered area and gulp something cool.

Drink water. It's still the best beverage to turn to for hydration, says Dr. Keller. It should be taken a little at a time—not gulped down. The doctor adds, "Ideally, you would have loaded up on water ahead of time—before going out into the sun."
Eat more fruit and vegetables. "They have a fairly high water content and good salt balance," Dr. Keller says.

Drink diluted electrolyte drinks. Gatorade is the best-known example and is widely used by professional sports teams. Football teams, for instance, often have twice daily practices in July and August, and players who sweat heavily can lose a lot of potassium and sodium, says Bob Reese, head trainer for the New York Jets and president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. "We have Gatorade and water available on the field at all times," he says.
Avoid salt tablets. Once routinely handed out to athletes and anyone else who wanted them, these pills now are considered bad medicine by most doctors. "They do the opposite of what they're supposed to do," says Larry Kenney, Ph.D., an assistant professor of applied physiology in the Laboratory for Human Performance Research at Pennsylvania State University. "The increased salt in the stomach keeps fluids there longer, which leaves less fluid available for necessary sweat production."

Avoid alcohol. Booze fast forwards dehydration, says Danny Wheat, an assistant trainer for the Texas Rangers baseball club. The team often plays in 100-degree-plus conditions in Arlington, Texas. "We stress to players that the night before a day game, they should limit their alcohol consumption," he says.

Avoid caffeine. Like alcohol, it speeds dehydration and "can make you sweat more than normal," says Dr. Keller.

Don't smoke. Smoking can constrict blood vessels, Dr. Keller says, and impair the smoker's ability to acclimate to heat.

Acclimate slowly. "You can't work and live in air conditioning all the time and then go out and be a weekend warrior," says Dr. Keller. "Starting early in the season, you should get some outdoor time every day and slowly build from there."

Go slower. Whatever you're doing outside, you should do it more slowly than usual when it's extremely hot, Dr. Keller suggests.

Pour a cold one—on yourself. Dousing your head and neck with cold water will help if it's hot and dry, says Dr. Kenney, because the water will evaporate and then cool you off. "In humid conditions," he says, "there's probably no benefit."

Be your own fan. Use a newspaper, a picnic tablecloth—whatever you have—to keep yourself in a cool breeze.

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Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Heat Stroke, Heat Exhaustion or Sun Stroke - Simple remedies

Heat stroke or Heat exhaustion occurs when you're in a warm environment and your body loses its ability to sweat and naturally cool itself down. It can become serious or even fatal if left untreated. There are natural remedies, however, that can effectively cool your body down. Follow these steps to naturally healing yourself.

The average normal body temperature is 98.6 degree Fahrenheit. Heatstroke is an outcome of the inability of the body to regulate its own temperature, and body temperature continues to rise. Heat stroke is a non scientific name for hyperthermia, a body temperature that is so far beyond normal that physiological developments are subjected to harm and dysfunction. The negative outcome of hyperthermia can be temporary or lifelong and can cause unexpected death. The higher the temperature and the longer the hyperthermia continues the further harm it causes. It is a consequence of prolonged, excessive exposure to sun, in which an individual does not perspire enough to lower body temperature.

Remedies for Heat Stroke
Drink plenty of water, stay away from the sun, and avoid taxing activity during hot weather conditions. If you start experiencing the warning signs, shift to a cool, sheltered area and gulp something cool.

Drink water. It's still the best beverage to turn to for hydration, says Dr. Keller. It should be taken a little at a time—not gulped down. The doctor adds, "Ideally, you would have loaded up on water ahead of time—before going out into the sun."
Eat more fruit and vegetables. "They have a fairly high water content and good salt balance," Dr. Keller says.

Drink diluted electrolyte drinks. Gatorade is the best-known example and is widely used by professional sports teams. Football teams, for instance, often have twice daily practices in July and August, and players who sweat heavily can lose a lot of potassium and sodium, says Bob Reese, head trainer for the New York Jets and president of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society. "We have Gatorade and water available on the field at all times," he says.
Avoid salt tablets. Once routinely handed out to athletes and anyone else who wanted them, these pills now are considered bad medicine by most doctors. "They do the opposite of what they're supposed to do," says Larry Kenney, Ph.D., an assistant professor of applied physiology in the Laboratory for Human Performance Research at Pennsylvania State University. "The increased salt in the stomach keeps fluids there longer, which leaves less fluid available for necessary sweat production."

Avoid alcohol. Booze fast forwards dehydration, says Danny Wheat, an assistant trainer for the Texas Rangers baseball club. The team often plays in 100-degree-plus conditions in Arlington, Texas. "We stress to players that the night before a day game, they should limit their alcohol consumption," he says.

Avoid caffeine. Like alcohol, it speeds dehydration and "can make you sweat more than normal," says Dr. Keller.

Don't smoke. Smoking can constrict blood vessels, Dr. Keller says, and impair the smoker's ability to acclimate to heat.

Acclimate slowly. "You can't work and live in air conditioning all the time and then go out and be a weekend warrior," says Dr. Keller. "Starting early in the season, you should get some outdoor time every day and slowly build from there."

Go slower. Whatever you're doing outside, you should do it more slowly than usual when it's extremely hot, Dr. Keller suggests.

Pour a cold one—on yourself. Dousing your head and neck with cold water will help if it's hot and dry, says Dr. Kenney, because the water will evaporate and then cool you off. "In humid conditions," he says, "there's probably no benefit."

Be your own fan. Use a newspaper, a picnic tablecloth—whatever you have—to keep yourself in a cool breeze.

No comments:

Post a Comment