HOME HEALTH GUIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 January 1942, Page 6

HOME HEALTH GUIDE

HEAT EXHAUSTION. HOW TO EASE THE STRAIN. (By the Health Department.) There’s nothing like a bout of really hot weather to “take the kick” out of us. You know, when your clothes cling uncomfortably and any exertion raises a fresh bath of perspiration. The idea is to find the coolest spot in the place, lie down, flat and motionless, and positively ignore everyone. And it is a good idea, too. It's the best way of easing the strain of the heat, and warding off possible heat ex-’ haustion, particularly in elderly people. Plenty of rest in a well-ventilated room, and copious drinks of cold water, especially before going to bed, and a light diet featuring fruit and vegetables make the best precaution. In very hot weather an ounce of salt added to a gallon of water is a big help. Drink freely of this saline solution. Heat exhaustion is a circulatory upset that is not usually dangerous to life by itself; but it can lead to heat stroke, which is often fatal where temperatures are extreme. The symptoms of heat exhaustion are not severe, but they are many, and they are frequently highly disturbing. In critical cases the doctor may And it necessary to go as far as giving heart stimulant by injection, but ordinary commonsense measures relieve the situation.

A sharp rise in body temperature is the principal feature of heat exhaustion. It commonly soars to 103, and with this movement will occur all those complementary symptoms—a weak and rapid pulse, faintness, langour. dizziness, loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, general exhaustion, and perhaps mild or severe cramps in the muscles. And the patient looks terrible. Remove the patient to as cool a place as possible, and supply aperients and saline drinks. Call in your doctor without delay'. Recovery is the rule, except, perhaps, where the patient is over sixty years of age.