Some Don't Like It Hot

The special risks of summer, from heat rash to heat exhaustion to heat stroke

-Susan Crandell, BettyConfidential.com

With the dog days of summer upon us, it's a good time to review the issues a hot climate can raise. If you're active outdoors, it's a serious enough issue that the National Collegiate Athletic Association has implemented guidelines for sports teams that train outdoors, and Florida Power & Light has instituted a buddy system where workers monitor one another for heat-related problems. We all know the stories of teens at boot camps who have died from heat and dehydration.

Here, a primer on the types of heat problems, how to prevent and treat them.

Heat Exhaustion
Heat-related problems occur when the body can't cool itself sufficiently through sweating. Besides heat and humidity, a surprising number of other factors can limit your body's cooling capacity, including alcohol use, heart disease, obesity and sunburn. Certain medications, including tranquilizers, diuretics and psychotropics, can also impair your cooling.

If you're experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion - you're pale, sweating heavily, dizzy, weak, tired, nauseous, with headache or muscle cramps - you should take measures immediately to cool your body down. Here are some steps the experts recommend: Move to a cooler place, preferably one that's air conditioned, drink cool water and elevate your legs above your heart. Some coaches keep a bucket of ice water handy to douse their players in hot, humid weather.

Dehydration is a major contributor to heat-related illnesses, so make sure you drink enough water, particularly if you exercise. You need to replace the fluids you have lost through sweating, ounce for ounce. Water or a sports drink that replaces minerals and electrolytes work well.

Heat Stroke
This is the stage to which you definitely do not want to progress. It's defined by a body temperature of 104 degrees or above and always requires immediate medical attention to prevent damage to your brain and other organs. When heat stroke occurs, your body may actually stop sweating, leaving your skin hot and dry. Pulse may quicken as your heart labors to cool you down. Muscles can cramp, you may hallucinate, have seizures or be unable to speak. This is 911 time.

Heat Rash
More an inconvenience than a calamity, heat rash is caused by excessive sweat. It can affect anybody, but little kids are particularly vulnerable. Heat rash often turns up in places where skin touches skin - under the breasts, inside the elbows, in the groin - or on the neck and chest. The best response is to avoid skin creams, which can exacerbate the situation, and keep the area dry.

Read more about your health from BettyConfidential.com: The Woes of Wheat and News About Urinary Infections