By Mary Jane Dittmar
Reminder About Body Hydration
Sometimes, we forget about keeping our body’s level of fluids adequate during this hot, humid weather. Signs of dehydration are not always very noticeable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a reminder on its blog, written by Brenda Jacklitsch, M.S., a biologist and epidemiologist with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) Document Development Branch. The article contains much good information. A few important points are mentioned here.
Heat illness may be influenced by many risk factors including air temperature and humidity, direct sun exposure, indoor radiant heat sources, limited air movement, physical exertion, not drinking enough fluids (dehydration), personal protective equipment or clothing, certain medications, physical condition, lack of recent exposure (not acclimatized), and advanced age (65+). You should discuss your individual risk factors with your healthcare provider.
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| Photos courtesy of www.photos8.com. |
NIOSH recommends drinking one cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes for moderate activity in moderate conditions. You should drink before you become thirsty. Eating regular meals and salt-containing snacks usually should be able to replace electrolytes lost during sweating.
You can gauge the state of your body’s hydration by the color of your urine. The darker the urine, the more likely that your body is dehydrated.
To help keep your body cool and maintain a normal core temperature, take regular rest breaks in a shaded or air-conditioned area. Reflective clothing and cooling vests may also help keep you cooler and safer. Do not take salt tablets unless your doctor instructs you to do so. Drink plenty of water with your meals and snacks.
Your health status and medications may affect how your body handles high temperatures and heavy physical exertion. Health problems such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even common colds and the flu—especially if accompanied by a fever and vomiting—can increase your risk. Medications that may affect your body’s ability to cool down or to heat up more quickly include diuretics, antihypertensives, and anticholinergics. If you are in any of these categories, discuss how to protect against/prepare for additional risks when working in a hot environment.
For additional information on heat stress, heat illnesses, and hot environments, see the following:
• OSHA-NIOSH Infosheet: Protecting Workers from Heat Illness.
• NIOSH Fast Facts: Protecting Yourself from Heat Stress.
• NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic: Heat Stress.
• NIOSH Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure.
FDA Approves Anascorp for Scorpion Bites
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved the first treatment specifically for the sting of the Centruroides scorpion, the most common type in the southwestern United States. According to Karen Midthun, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, the new biologic treatment—called Anascorp—”provides a new treatment for children and adults and is designed specifically for scorpion stings.”
Severe stings can cause loss of muscle control and difficulty breathing, requiring heavy sedation and intensive care in a hospital. Small children generally experience severe reactions, but adults can also be seriously affected, explains Keith Boesen, managing director of the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center (APDIC).. He says Arizona’s two poison centers document about 11,000 scorpion stings each year; 17,000 stings were reported to U.S. poison centers nationwide in 2009.
University of Arizona researchers, who led the U.S. study of the drug, note that Anascorp was developed in Mexico, where it has been used for many years. Researchers began studying the drug in Arizona hospitals in 2004 and found it to be highly effective against the sting of the bark scorpion (also called the Arizona bark scorpion), the most poisonous scorpion in the United States. The new drug is said to eliminate the need to remain in the hospital intensive care unit for days and enables a patient to return home after a few hours in the emergency room..
The APDIC says most stings to healthy, young adults can be managed at home with basic first aid and follow-up. Victims should do the following:
• Clean the site with soap and water,
• apply a cool compress,
• elevate the affected limb to the same level as your heart, and
• take aspirin or acetaminophen as needed for minor discomfort.
If a child is stung or the victim experiences severe symptoms, go to a medical facility immediately. If the child is under five years old or if an older patient is experiencing more than minor discomfort, call the poison center at (800) 222-1222.
People stung by a scorpion should get treatment if severe symptoms develop. These symptoms include shortness of breath, fluid in the lungs, breathing problems, excess saliva, blurred vision, slurred speech, trouble swallowing, abnormal eye movements, muscle twitching, thrashing of the arms and legs, trouble walking, and other uncoordinated muscle movements.
This entire article is at FDA’s Consumer Updates page.
The Heart Remedy with No Adverse Side Effects
“Look on the bright side… it’s good for your heart,” advises Cate Stevenson, BA. It can lower your risk for a stroke as well. Stevenson says that researchers at the University of Michigan report that the more optimistic you are, the less chance you have of suffering a stroke. Their finding is based on data from the Health and Retirement Study, which included 6,044 men and women, 50 years old and up.
Stevenson offers these tips “for looking on the bright side of life”:
▪ Take care of your personal needs. it will make you feel better about everything else.
▪ Focus on today. Make it the best it can be.
▪ Don’t let your energy be drained by inconsequential things. Let go of things that don’t really matter.
▪ Feed your mind and body with positive words and messages. There is more to life than bad news.
▪ Pursue your interests–study, participate, learn, watch–whatever it takes to feed your imagination and emotions. www.doctorshealthpress.com.
Mary Jane Dittmar is senior associate editor of Fire Engineering and conference manager of FDIC. Before joining the magazine in January 1991, she served as editor of a trade magazine in the health/nutrition market and held various positions in the educational and medical advertising fields. She has a bachelor’s degree in English/journalism and a master’s degree in communication arts.
