Blog #149 Cooked

                                                                 Blog #149 Cooked

 

With weather growing increasingly hot, people are suffering more heat injuries than before. Recently, I learned that someone who has spent over a decade working hard outdoors through all the seasons suffered from heat exhaustion or heat stroke.  Fortunately, she recovered, but she no longer works outdoors in hot weather.  Since the rest of her family dislike air-conditioning, they set up an air-conditioned room for her.   

 

Heatstroke is a medical emergency and can lead to permanent organ damage or death.  Heat exhaustion, something that quite a few of us have experienced, usually does not result in permanent internal organ damage.  Both are variations of heat illness, something that more and more people are suffering from due to warming temperatures throughout much of the world. 

 

Thankfully, the woman above was with other people, and when she collapsed, they immediately carried her indoors, put cold compresses in her armpits, at her neck, groin, and wrists.  They gave her some cold water, followed by cold vegetable broth when she could sit up and drink.  Since the closest hospital was almost an hour away, they took care of this emergency at home. 

 

It is best to be with other people when you are outside in hot weather, especially when hiking or working hard.  Carrying water with you is essential, and since pure water is not actually the most hydrating thing we can drink, in the case of heat exhaustion or stroke, water with extra electrolytes or some healthful juice or broth would also be beneficial.  Since heat stroke is an emergency situation where the body temperature rises rapidly and tops 104 degrees F, putting someone in a cold bath will help bring their core temperature down the most quickly.  

 

The woman above almost fully recovered, but says that since the heat injury, she tires easily when in a hot environment, either indoors or outside.  She feels drawn to eat more cooling foods than in the past, especially cucumbers, celery, raw vegetable salads and fruit with especially high water content, such as watermelon, grapes and grapefruit.  She chose to lose a little weight and this, too makes her feel less vulnerable in hot temperatures.

 

People who are elderly, obese, suffering from chronic disease or acute infection, highly medicated, dehydrated or malnourished all may be especially vulnerable to higher temperatures.  Musculoskeletal weakness and excessive physical exertion can also put people at risk, as can dressing too warmly and having a past history of heat damage. Even moderate heat exhaustion may result in mild damage to kidneys, liver, lung, heart, brain and other areas of the body.  Years after an incident of heat stroke, some illnesses may develop, possibly associated with that prior injury.  The immune system, too may be compromised in the long run after heat stroke.  In these times of increasingly elevated temperatures, it is important to be cautious. I never thought I would look favorably on air-conditioning, but gradually, I have been won over to its benefits.  Stay safe and enjoy the rest of Summer.

 

This blog’s offer: feel free to contact me with further questions about heat injury.  Tui Na is a type of Chinese massage for health, and one teacher shared with our class a way to help address heat exhaustion by moving energy in the direction to cool the core.  I am willing to talk about that or share that skill for a very nominal fee or as part of a regular appointment.  Tui Na is not supposed to take the place of the above-mentioned steps or a trip to the emergency room in a serious situation, but it can help you cool off when you feel you have been out in the sun a little too long.