Beat the Heat and Stay Cool

It is important to remember that soaring temperatures in the 90's and 100's can bring health risk and heat stress, exhaustion, or stroke. There are several symptoms that heat is bothering you. Signs of mild heat stress include fainting, muscle cramps, and skin rash from clogged pores. A person showing these symptoms should drink fluids and rest in a cool place. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include clammy skin, a pale or flushed complexion, weakness, dizziness, nausea, a throbbing headache, chest pain, and breathing problems. The most extreme reaction to heat is heat stroke, which is a life-threatening condition. The first sign is usually a headache, followed by a rise in body temperature to 103 degrees or higher. The skin becomes dry instead of sweaty. It is hard to distinguish between heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Professional medical evaluation should be sought whenever a person experiences the above symptoms associated with overheating. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Division of Health also warns that significant changes in alertness or orientation, incoherent speech, an unsteady gait, loss of consciousness or an elevated temperature in association with overheating should be treated as a medical emergency.

Wilson Medical Center and the City of Neodesha would like to advise citizens in our community to take special precautions during this time. Ways to stay cool and keep healthy during brutally hot days are to:
•Drink plenty of fluids. Water is the best liquid for the body, but vegetable and fruit juices also add fluids. Caffeinated beverages such as coffee and soft drinks actually draw more water out of the body than they add. Alcoholic beverages can cause dehydration and can overburden the body in hot weather, especially during strenuous work or exercise. People who are outside should drink a gallon, or 16 cups, of water a day to make up for fluid lost through perspiration.
•Reduce outside activities and wear sunscreen. Try to schedule outdoor activities before noon or in the evening. To give your body's thermostat a chance to recover, rest frequently in a shady area.
•Wear loose and light-colored clothing
•Take cool showers
•Eat light meals such as salads and fresh fruits. Increase the amount of potassium in your diet with such fruits and vegetables as bananas, cantaloupes, oranges, beans, broccoli, potatoes and tomatoes. Perspiration strips the body of salt and potassium.
•Spend time in air-conditioning. If your house is not air-conditioned, seek public places to take a break from the heat for a while. Air-conditioned public places you may find in Neodesha are the Rankin Memorial Library, hours M-W 9:30 am -6:30pm, TH-F 9:30am- 5:30pm, Sat. 9:00 am to noon., Neodesha Civic Center, hours M-F 8:15 am- 4:45 pm, and Get Fit! Wellness Center M-F 5:30 am - 7:30 pm.