Newswise — Summer's brutal heat brings with it the dangers of skin-scorching sunburn, heartbreaking accidents and deadly dehydration. Summer is also the time when travel season peaks, as people journey to various locations for rest and relaxation, to enjoy water activities and take a "time out." Healthcare specialists from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston offer advice and tips to beat the heat and stay safe this summer.
Hydrate
Richard N. Bradley, M.D., associate professor of emergency medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston, can address summertime dangers involving heat-related illnesses such as dehydration, heat stroke, heat exhaustion and heat cramps. "Don't push it too hard due to the soaring temperatures we are seeing this summer. When possible, stay inside your air-conditioned homes or go to places that have A/C," said Bradley. His tips:
"¢ Drink plenty of water " the amount of water people should drink depends on how much water they are losing through sweat and other sources. Bradley suggests people who do not have kidney failure should drink at least a pint per hour if outdoors and during heavy exertion in hot weather..
"¢ Do not drink alcohol, which accelerates dehydration.
"¢ Drink water throughout the day, even when you are not thirsty. Healthy people should drink one pint per hour.
"¢ If you notice someone acting confused and they have been out in the hot sun, seek help immediately and call 911.
Bradley also suggests you be alert to the symptoms of heat-related illnesses such as cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
"¢ Heat cramps are painful, brief muscle cramps that occur during exercise or work in a hot environment. The cramps are usually felt in the calves, thighs, abdomen or shoulders.
"¢ Heat exhaustion occurs when the body is not able to maintain normal functions because of the excessive loss of body fluids and salts. In effect, the body is trying to protect itself from a greater rise in body temperature. The symptoms include: heavy sweating, intense thirst, dizziness, nausea and a weak or rapid pulse.
"¢ Heat stroke is a life-threatening emergency. It is the result of the body's inability to regulate its core temperature. As the body's water and salt supplies dwindle, its temperature rises to extreme levels. The symptoms include: a body temperature above 104 degrees (although heat stroke can occur at lower body temperatures), disorientation, confusion or coma. The skin may be hot and dry or sweaty.
Tan Ban
Overexposure to the sun can damage the skin, causing painful sunburns and heat rash. According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, ultraviolet (UV) radiation is considered the single largest environmental contributor to skin cancer. "Minimize your exposure in the sun during the hottest hours of the day, which are usually between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.," said Adelaide Hebert, M.D., professor of dermatology at UT Medical School at Houston. The rates of skin cancer in the United States have significantly increased; over a million new cases are diagnosed each year. Melanoma is now the second most common cancer in women ages 20-29.
Hebert can address skin cancer and offers this advice if you are going to be in the sun:
"¢ Wear sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
"¢ Wear protective tightly woven clothing and hats.
"¢ Wear wraparound sunglasses to protect eyes.
"¢ Reapply sunscreen every two hours if you have sweated or been exposed to water, wind or high altitudes.
"¢ Protect your lips, ears and tops of your feet.
Swim Safely
Brent R. King, M.D., professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at UT Medical School at Houston, stresses the importance of supervision of minors and inexperienced swimmers. "Young children can drown in just a few minutes, so the supervising adult should pay full attention to the swimmers," King said, "However, supervision can be ineffective if those watching the swimmers do not know how to swim or safely rescue a drowning person." Basic water safety and lifesaving classes are available through the American Red Cross, the YMCA and other organizations, King said, and everyone should learn basic CPR. King provides the following water safety tips:
"¢ Designate a responsible adult, who will not be involved in any other distracting activity, to watch young children.
"¢ Always swim with a buddy. Select swimming sites that have lifeguards whenever possible.
"¢ Avoid drinking alcohol before or during water activities or while supervising children swimming.
"¢ Learn to swim.
"¢ Constant and careful supervision and barriers such as pool fencing are necessary even when children have completed swimming classes. Do not use air-filled or foam toys in place of U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets (personal flotation devices). Toys are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
"¢ Know the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming or boating. Strong winds and thunderstorms with lightning strikes are dangerous.
"¢ Watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents. If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore; once free of the current, swim toward shore.
Travel Tips
Pre-travel planning is important to ensure safe and healthy travel. "Travelers, especially those with chronic illnesses, should take precaution and locate travel clinics and medical facilities ahead of time in the area they plan to visit. It is also important for travelers to pack a mobile personal pharmacy," said Herbert DuPont, M.D., professor and director of The Center for Infectious Disease at The University of Texas School of Public Health. DuPont suggests building a medicine kit for the trip:
"¢ Place two sets of prescription and over-the-counter medications in two different pieces of luggage in original labeled containers.
"¢ Carry medications and a small first aid kit for common complaints that may arise, such as headaches, heartburn, cuts and scratches and colds.
"¢ Bring specialized items geared for travel to developing tropical or semi-tropical regions. Those include medication for treatment and possible prevention of traveler's diarrhea and malaria; antibiotics for infections; and compression stockings for lengthy air travel to reduce the risk of forming blood clots in the legs.
DuPont advises travelers to use caution while eating and drinking in developing regions of Latin America, Southern Asia and Africa. Safe foods include those served steaming hot, carbonated drinks, those containing high amounts of sugar such as (syrups, jellies, jams), dry items such as bread and any item that has been peeled. Potentially unsafe foods include those served with moisture at room temperature and fruits and vegetables served with intact skins, DuPont said.
Avoid alcohol
Whether you are attending a party, cookout or an evening at the game, many people think of summer as a "time out" from normal routines and they tend to drink more, according to UT School of Public Health associate professor Scott Walters, Ph.D. Unfortunately, people are also more likely to experience drinking related problems during the summer, such as hangovers, assaults and intoxicated driving. Walters advises people to be careful with not only how much they're drinking, but also how they drink. "Our research has suggested that people can reduce the amount of problems they encounter by adopting simple drinking strategies to slow or spread out their drinking," said Walters. Here are some tips from Walters:
"¢ Decide ahead of time how many drinks you will have or when you will stop drinking.
"¢ Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
"¢ Avoid doing "shots" of liquor.
"¢ Drink plenty of water and put extra ice in your drink.
"¢ Don't mix different types of alcohol.
"¢ Drink slowly, rather than gulp or chug, and don't try to keep up with other's drinking.
"¢ Eat before or during drinking.
"¢ Keep track of the number of drinks.
According to Walters, research shows that people who use strategies like these tend to have fewer problems, even when they are drinking the same amount.
ATV Safety
Every year, all-terrain vehicle riders " many of them children " wind up in hospital emergency rooms with serious and sometimes fatal injuries. According to James McCarthy, M.D., an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the UT Medical School at Houston and medical director of the Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, the accidents can be reduced by following basic safety rules.
McCarthy says all riders should wear protective gear, especially a good helmet, and stick to designated trails. He says young riders should stay off adult-sized ATVs and that young riders require adult supervision. Young children probably should not be on them at all, he said.
"ATVs are vehicles " not toys," said McCarthy, whose ER has already treated multiple ATV accident victims this summer. "All-terrain vehicles need to be driven responsibly. Alcohol and ATVs definitely do not mix."
In 2006, there were about 150,000 injuries and 555 fatalities involving ATVs and more than a 100 of those fatalities were children under the age of 16, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
RSS