The Gardener’s Medicine Cabinet: Heat Exhaustion
Written by biscuit on May 24, 2008 – 8:12 am -With an eye to Peak Oil, global warming and spiraling costs, I’ve been relying on fans and haven’t yet put in the window air conditioners for the season. But, alas, the time has come.
True, the houndie grrl is thriving, which, I suppose, is to be expected, given her coonhoundy pedigree. But Moose Boy (aka my lab) and I are suffering. He’s starting to really drag and is going through gallons of water a day. Unfortunately, this morning, I woke up downright nauseated.
Not a good sign. And I have way too much to do over the next month or so to live in front of the giant fan or become debilitated in any way. So Chore One is putting in one of the air conditioners and getting myself recharged.
Now, if you live in a mild climate, heat exhaustion really isn’t an issue, unless you get it into your head to travel south in July — which I’ve seen. I once met a family from Alaska who decided it was finally time to see the lower 48.
Unfortunately, they came down mid-July and thought they’d landed in hell — which, for them, it was. True, your body does adapt to some extent to 100+ temperatures, and lifers in these parts acquire some tricks along the way to compensate for what the body can’t do.
But there’s truth to the saying that only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun. But unfortunately — again — with air conditioning so prevalent these days, we’ve lost that particular truth.
And it’s an important truth because, despite a complete lack of scientific evidence to back me up, I know for a fact that the effects of heat on the body accumulate over time. That is, you can begin the summer charged up and ready to go. But, as time goes by, and you spend more and more days in the heat, your bodily reserves are depleted, and you become more vulnerable to the effects. Even worse, if, like me, you’ve ever suffered heat exhaustion, you become even more sensitive and have to be even more careful.
The warning signs of heat exhaustion include nausea, clamminess, dizziness, muscle cramps (which have become an ongoing problem for me, thanks to my one experience with heat exhaustion — yet more reason to never get it in the first place), weakness and a touch of confusion.
The cure? Get cooled down ASAP. Go inside, jump in a bath or shower of cold water, drink lots of cold beverages and take a long nap. I also suggest taking some mineral concoction like Emergen-C (which has the added benefit of tasting pretty darned good - and it’s kind of fizzy, too). Personally, I’m not a fan of the electrolyte replacers or salt tablets, but some people swear by them, and your mileage could vary.
Rather than treat heat exhaustion, however, it’s better and easier to just prevent it. How? So simple!
Take lots of breaks if you’re working outside.
Wear light, loose clothing.
Drink lots of water.
Dowse your head or hat in water.
Take a cue from the critters and take afternoons off! Around here, the worst of the heat is in late afternoons until early evening — about 3 p.m. ’til 6 - 6:30. Nothing is stirring, unless there’s a nice cloud overhead. Might as well go inside and read Politicook!
And — my own personal advice — be sure to get plenty of minerals, especially magnesium, potassium and calcium. But don’t neglect the less popular minerals, as I’m not sure we even really know what role boron and the like play in keeping us up and going.
Okay, so, enough of that. I’m off to rearrange the furniture so I can get the window air con in.
Posted in Diaries, Environment |
A much cheaper and far better alternative is to purchase a HEPA filter air purifier. It comes with three speeds and cools the room you’re in. I have on in my bedroom, and it’s perfect. It costs around $80 and consumes little electricity. If you want a link say so.
It’s 90 with 80% humidity here right now. In a month or so, it will be 105-110, maybe even higher. I’ve seen 120+ here when I lived a little south of OKC (drchelo land). A summer or two ago, it was 112? or thereabouts.
I’m spending my time now in front of a huge mega-fan, and it works as long as I don’t move. Only problem is, the dogs are hogging the front of the fan.
I have window fans going, but they’re only cooling the area in front of them at this point.
Trust me, an air filter can’t combat this kind of heat.
Now a good attic fan with all the windows open on the other hand …
My granny used to stick a dish full of ice cubes in front of the fan, she would sometimes pour rock salt on the ice to make it last. It worked for hours.
Well, one of the problems we have here is that the buildings and ground around us heat up. When I was living south of OKC, I learned what an issue that was because our temps didn’t drop below 100 (even at night) for a month and one day hit 128! God, I remember that day.
The weathermen finally explained to us that until the ground and all the structures cooled down, we wouldn’t cool down.
Huge cracks were appearing in the earth, foundations were crumbling, people were having to water their houses and nothing was cooling anything down.
But there was an amusing component to it in that nobody did anything until after dark. So you’d go grocery shopping at midnight and the stores were packed!
I’m glad that worked for your granny, though. And it would work here if I didn’t have to move. Unfortunately, I can’t park myself in front of the fan fr the summer.
In non-heat related news: the orchard orioles have won the turf wars against the hummingbirds for the feeders out front, and the hummingbirds have moved to the back.
Meanwhile, the orchard orioles are nesting! They keep landing on my front porch with bits of straw and goodies in their beaks, making sure their stash is safe while they’re otherwise occupied.
Dude! My prayers were answered! There were storms north of us, but alas, none here.
But the heat just triggered a severe storm, complete with hail.
And not only have the temps outside dropped precipitously, but the rain will cool the home down.
Ah! Relief!
See! The Gods of Storms are smiling at you!
It’s simply lovely out now! I have the doors open to bring in more of the nice air.
One thing that’s going to be great about my new home (IF it passes inspection [I find out Monday] and IF the title is clear {I find out son enough) is that it has actual interior walls and rooms. This place doesn’t, and its front faces directly south, which leads to all kinds of great solar possibilities, but is hell when it heats up!
Speaking of my new place, I just packed my first box.
I’m taking a little early lunch break (strained yogurt mixed with Bragg and garlic and lots of black pepper, and *more important* THE LAST GREAT PEAR OF THE SEASON! which I’ve been carefull preserving in the fridge for a week now. Yesterday was the last day of severe carb restriction and today, I start adding them back in).
It gets very hot and humid here too. Most of us don’t have air conditioners. I have overhead fans in every room and I survive. We shut the town down around 2pm and nothing reopens until about 6pm.
We have our main meal at 2pm and then a long relaxing afternoon. Tacos and street meat in the evening. My dogs and cats just sleep in the afternoon and do their playing early in the morning and at night.
When I lived in Palm Springs Ca. which really gets HOT! We had kids water pools for the dogs to cool off in. That doesn’t seem to be necessary here.
People here get pools for their dogs, too.
If we’d change our schedules around here and only work early in the morning and after dusk, it would make such a difference. But it’s like America is on this absurd roller coaster which complicates matters. Our busiest times are when it’s hottest, and our very activities heat things up even more.
That reminds me… now I have two (2!) large fuzzy dogs which do not handle heat well. Puts kiddie wading pool on shopping list.
Thanks for the reminder!
I almost kidnapped a Pyranees yesterday. He was wondering the old road home looking like he was going to drop. Poor guy!
I used to have one named Buffy. He was a great dog! Lots of hair though.
I love Pyranees. I admit to an affection for heelers, too, even though all that staring is very disconcerting.
But houndies are my favorites.
I love the afternoon. The town is silent, just like it is at five in the morning. At first it was hard to get used to. When I have company from up north, they want to shop in the afternoon and can’t understand why all the shops are closed.
We have to purchase our meat and veggies early in the morning since they are usually not under refrigeration. Happy hour starts here at 2pm and ends around 6pm. Beer and the beach are nice on a hot afternoon.
Sounds like paradise! Siestas, tacos & margaritas!
Heat exhaustion is arriving early in Texas - lucky Oklahomans! We just have the heat and humidity, but none of the storms just yet…wait ’til next week.
Home-made oral rehydration solution is a MUST when I have to work outside in the heat - it’s easy to make: One quart water, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and lemon/fruit juice/sugar to taste. I keep a gallon of it in the refrigerator in the summertime to hydrate before and after walking my blue heeler (who came complete with stares) as he is a VERY vigorous walker, and if I don’t walk him daily, he takes it out on the other dogs.
Omg, I didn’t know you have a heeler. I love heelers.
Does he stare when he wants you to do something?
He stares at me as if I were the Only Thing in the World, whether he wants something or not. That was one of our “issues” when I had surgery, as his over-protectiveness of me sometimes became snarling dogfights. I had to foster him out for several weeks until I got some strength back after my surgery. He now wears his backpack with 12 pounds of weight in it when we walk now, to burn off some of his excess energy.
But I love his stares.
Since there seem to be other Okies here as well, and I have some experience with heat and work, I’ll comment. drchelo’s recipe for a good oral-rehydration sounds good, and a lot cheaper than the store-bought stuff.
I went through basic training in the Army from June through August in southern Louisiana, and the heat and humidity were intense. And we were worked very hard, but they didn’t want us to die. At every water station was a salt pill dispenser, and as I recall we were required to eat one with each water break. It worked.
As a young man in central Oklahoma, I worked as a water-well driller and pump man. The key was to drink cold fluids (I prefer ice water), and I got enough salt from my meals, which I salt heavily. Our heaviest work period was during the summer months, and on the first really hot and humid day I would develop a splitting headache. I never did find a quick cure for that, but getting home, a cold shower, a good meal and I was as good as new. It was a once-a-year event for many years, so your body does acclimatize.
If you wish to give this an easy test, simply taste your sweat and your urine (urine is sterile when it comes out), both are salty. If you don’t replace those salts your body gets out of kilter, and you have problems. I sweat heavily in heat, so I drink a lot of fluids and eat salts, and I don’t have problems. I would also suggest a trace mineral supplement.
Once again, I would recommend drchelo’s recipe. It sounds like a good idea.
Oh lordy, you know it well, too!
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