Stay cool out there

By Anya Tikka
MILFORD — With a heat wave forecast for several days, with high humidity, the Courier reached out to Pike County Emergency Management/Fire Services for tips on how to cope.
Warren Keegan, service administrator, described the tell-symptoms that your body has had enough. He explained the alarming fact that a heat stroke can be fatal in extreme cases.
“Your body eventually shuts down,” he said.
Before heat exhaustion turns to an actual heat stroke, a plan of action is crucial.
The clues that your body is starting to overheat, and that you need to hydrate, seek shade, and rest are, extreme sweating — or no sweating at all — giddiness, being tired, and your urine is dark in color and has a bad odor.
Your body tries to cool down by excreting sweat," Keegan said.
Once your body temperature reaches 101 to 102 Fahrenheit, you’re in the trouble zone, he warned.
“The usual body temperature is 98.5 degrees,” he explained.
The key is to keep body temperature low, and that means hydrating.
“Drink at least 8 full glasses of water during each day,” he said.
Fruit juices are also good, but avoid sodas, and no alcohol is advised. Water is the best, but Gatorade and PowerAde are also good, because they contain electrolytes and other ingredients that help keep the body hydrated, Keegan advised, adding we are lucky in Pike County, known for its exceptionally pure and clean water supply, a fact that’s not true across the country.

Limit activity

Keegan said there’s a need to limit activity outdoors. Construction workers or anyone else whose job requires them to be outside should seek shade, wear sunblock, and — the key factor — stay hydrated.
Dark clothing absorbs energy from the sun and your own body. A little wind can also help dissipate heat.
Keegan said it’s important to always wear sunblock when out in the sun, to keep the harmful UV rays that can damage your skin, cause mild or severe sunburn that’s not always noticed, and add to dehydration.
“Reapply sun block every 30 to 45 minutes,” Keegan said.
Other things to remember: check on elderly or disabled neighbors, keep your house cool by closing curtains and drapes if south facing, and allow for regular exchange of air in and out, if there’s no air conditioning.
If you suspect you or another person is having a heat stroke, call 911, giving your or the person’s details.
When the ambulance comes, the EMS crew will assist to try to bring the body temperature down by hydrating IV in Advanced Life Support to try to rehydrate the body. Once in the hospital, doctors and nurses take over.
Pricechopper reminds us that hydrating foods — Cucumbers, 95 percent water content; salad greens, more than 90 percent; strawberries, 91 percent; watermelon, 92 percent; yogurt, 85 to 88 percent; papaya, 88 percent; and butternut squash, 88 percent — contain so much water, it’s almost as good as drinking it.