How to Prevent Heatstroke in Hot Weather
HOT! high temperature! It has become the hottest buzzword recently.
In the summer of 2022, we witnessed the extremely high temperature weather once in 60 years;
And now in 2023, we may be facing the hottest summer since records began.
Since June, many places in North my country have continuously issued high temperature warnings, and the temperature in many places has soared to 40 degrees Celsius.
In the “burning mode” for many consecutive days, netizens expressed that they have begun to be so hot that they doubt their lives.
During the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the surface temperature in many areas in Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Shandong and other provinces reached 70 degrees and above, making tourists who went to travel say “hot feet”!
However, we are not the only ones “baptized” by this heat wave. Its footsteps have already swept all over the world.
As early as April this year, heat waves swept across Thailand, Spain, Vietnam, Canada and many other countries.
In Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, temperatures soared above 40C, the hottest day in 58 years, causing local roads to melt.
Even in some parts of Southeast Asia, the projected heat index is approaching the “extremely dangerous” level of 54°C, posing a considerable risk to human health across the region.
Why this year may be the hottest summer on record
The root cause is the gradual approach of the El Niño phenomenon.
Because of global warming and various human factors, its appearance is not only a few months earlier, but also develops very fast.
Affected by this will not only cause extreme high temperature weather, but also the global temperature will break records and new peaks will appear.
Under the ravages of continuous high temperature weather, the situation at home and abroad is not optimistic, which poses a great threat to our life and survival.
Due to severe drought around the world, agricultural production will drop sharply, and meeting food demand will become the top priority.
The impact of temperature on electricity consumption is also becoming more and more prominent, and areas that rely on hydropower are facing severe challenges.
The high temperature has led to frequent wildfires in various places, and it will face the busiest fire fighting season.
These seem to sound a little far away from us, but what happens around us is also frightening.
As the high temperature weather remains high, heat stroke cases have appeared in many places in my country!
In Shijie Town, Dongguan, a worker suddenly fainted on the construction site while working outdoors, convulsed all over his body, and was in a state of shock;
He was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, but fortunately he turned the corner and was finally diagnosed as “heat stroke” by the doctor.
In Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, a boy suddenly developed heat stroke and became unconscious after running 5,000 meters. He was diagnosed with heat stroke.
After being rescued, he was finally out of danger.
A 57-year-old female patient in Beijing suffered from dizziness and fatigue while taking her baby outdoors, and was sent to the hospital for treatment until she could not wake up. Her body temperature was higher than 42°C and she was diagnosed with heat stroke.
After that, multiple organ failure soon appeared, and he died after nearly 7 hours of rescue.
You may wonder, what is the difference between heat stroke and heat stroke?
According to Teng Fei, deputy chief physician of the emergency department of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, heatstroke can be divided into three stages: premonitory heatstroke, mild heatstroke, and severe heatstroke according to clinical manifestations.
Among them, severe heat stroke is divided into heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
As the name suggests, heat stroke is severe heat stroke, and if the rescue is not timely, the mortality rate is as high as 70% to 80%.
Symptoms of heatstroke begin to develop from relatively mild symptoms such as fatigue, lack of energy, profuse sweating, and thirst that are a precursor to heatstroke.
If the corresponding measures are not taken in time, the patient will gradually experience the stage of rising body temperature, twitching of limbs, loss of consciousness and finally heat stroke.
As body temperature rises, blood flows through multiple parts of the body, and human organs gradually fail as if they have been boiled in boiling water, eventually threatening life.
However, in the face of emergencies, we are not helpless. Mastering the correct prevention and response methods in advance will definitely be able to effectively resolve risks.
Relevant experts say:
“As the world continues to warm, record-breaking high temperatures will continue in the next few decades, and the frequency of occurrence will continue to accelerate.”
Perhaps in the next few decades, high temperatures will continue to be with us.
In the face of the normalization of hot weather that may be coming, heatstroke prevention has become a key ability that we must master.
Today, Youshujun compiled this “High Temperature Heatstroke Prevention Collection” for everyone, which is very important in this special period.
What should be eaten to prevent heatstroke?
In the heat of summer, how to choose nutrition intake correctly and scientifically is very important.
Working in a high-temperature environment will cause significant changes in the body’s internal digestion, metabolism and other functions as the body temperature rises, and the consumption of energy and nutrients will increase.
In addition, because the hot weather will cause people’s appetite loss, it will also limit the intake of nutrients to a certain extent.
Experts suggest that the corresponding nutrients should be supplemented in time to ensure the body’s adequate intake of nutrients.
1. Supplement adequate protein.
Protein is an essential nutrient for the human body, not only to maintain good health, but also to provide the body with sufficient energy.
Fish, meat, eggs, milk and beans are rich in protein, suitable for all kinds of people to absorb.
2. Supplement the right amount of vitamins.
In daily life, due to low immunity, the body will experience large and small discomforts, and vitamins are the key to improving immunity and maintaining good health.
However, most vitamins cannot be synthesized in the human body and must be supplied by food.
Among them, fresh vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, watermelons, bayberries, melons, peaches, plums, etc., are particularly rich in vitamin C;
Vitamin B content is more in cereals, beans, animal liver, lean meat, and eggs.
3. Add sufficient water and inorganic salts.
In hot weather, more potassium ions are lost with sweating, and the resulting hypokalemia can cause fatigue, dizziness, headache, loss of appetite, heatstroke and other symptoms.
The most effective way to prevent potassium deficiency is to eat potassium-containing foods. Fresh vegetables and fruits are rich in potassium. You can eat some bananas, oranges, kelp, and potatoes.
You can also eat foods that clear away heat and promote dampness, such as mung beans, watermelon, bitter gourd, tomatoes, etc.
4. Drinking more porridge in summer is also good for heat protection.
Loofah porridge, watermelon rind mung bean porridge, winter melon lean meat porridge, etc. have the functions of clearing heat and detoxifying, clearing away heat and reducing fire.
In addition, you can also drink millet porridge, red bean barley porridge, etc. in summer, which can usually play a role in strengthening the spleen and stomach, clearing away heat and detoxifying.
How to drink water correctly for heatstroke prevention
Dry mouth is the most obvious symptom of summer, and the best solution is to drink water to replenish water.
Drinking water is also very particular, and drinking water correctly and scientifically will be more beneficial to the health of the body.
1. Don’t drink water until you are thirsty
When the body reflects the symptoms of thirst, it indicates that the body is already in a state of dehydration at this time.
And regular replenishment of water can ensure that toxins in the body can be discharged with body fluids in time to prevent toxins from staying in the body.
Minerals can be properly supplemented, and an appropriate amount of salt can be added to plain boiled water before drinking.
2. Do not drink water
The famous medical scientist Ge Hong once said: “If you don’t want to be extremely thirsty, drink, but not too much.”
When I am thirsty, I always like to hold a large glass of water and drink it in one go.
Drinking a lot of water will quickly expand the stomach capacity, thereby increasing the burden on the human gastrointestinal tract and reducing digestion capacity.
“Drink less often” is the most scientific way to drink water.
3. Avoid cold drinks
Most people think that drinking a cold drink is the happiest thing when the weather is the hottest.
However, drinking cold drinks after sweating, especially after exercise, will cause the blood vessels to shrink rapidly, the temperature will drop suddenly, and cause diseases such as pharyngitis.
So even if the weather is hot, don’t be greedy for coolness.
What should I do if I have heat stroke?
There is a good saying:
“Only by mastering the method will you have the courage to face difficulties.”
Only by learning to respond scientifically and rationally can we help others and ourselves in the face of emergencies.
First of all, the patient should be moved immediately to a ventilated, cool and dry place, such as a corridor or under the shade of a tree.
Put the patient in a supine position, reduce the clothes on the body as much as possible, and massage the patient’s limbs and trunk to effectively dissipate heat.
If the clothes are soaked with sweat, they should be changed in time, and at the same time, turn on the fan or air conditioner to dissipate heat as soon as possible.
The most important thing is to cool down the body temperature as soon as possible and drop it below 38 degrees.
Apply cold compresses to the head, underarms, and groin with a cool, damp washcloth or an ice cap, or a plastic bag filled with ice cubes;
Conscious patients or patients who have been sober after cooling down can drink mung bean soup, take light salt water or salty cool drinks, and Huoxiangzhengqi water to relieve heat.
In addition, for patients with severe heatstroke, dial 120 immediately to ask medical staff for emergency treatment.
The writer Hugo once said:
“Nature is a kind mother and a cruel butcher.”
Those who don’t know how to accept the gift of nature with gratitude, but ask for more kindness more greedily, will definitely be punished.
We are now facing countless survival challenges, but we don’t know that these problems that endanger us are the consequences of our own hands.
While learning how to save yourself in the face of emergencies, you also need to know how to heal the seriously injured nature.
Don’t think you are weak, the flapping of a butterfly’s wings can cause a storm.
The powerful thoughts we gather will still cause a huge butterfly effect.
