When summer comes, the hot weather "bakes" to test everyone's tolerance. In addition to sunburn, we should also focus on heatstroke prevention, especially heatstroke, which is related to everyone's health.
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However, many people actually have different degrees of confusion or cognitive misunderstanding about heatstroke prevention and rehydration. For example, why do you drink white water without using it or even become thirsty more and more? How can you get heatstroke if you don't go out. Zhang Qian, director of the clinical nutrition department of Beijing Tongren Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, answered these questions for us, and shared the know-how of efficient heatstroke prevention and scientific hydration to avoid misconceptions affecting our health.
Electrolyte supplement is key to prevent heatstroke
As we all know, the normal temperature of the human body is roughly between 36.2 ℃ and 37.2 ℃. When the body temperature rises, the body will speed up metabolism, reduce the body temperature through perspiration, maintain the stability of the body, and prevent damage to important organs. However, if the ambient temperature exceeds the normal body temperature, approaching or even exceeding 40 ℃, the human body cannot control the body temperature through heat dissipation, and then there will be such premonitory heatstroke symptoms as headache, dizziness, thirst, sweating, etc.
As for how to prevent heatstroke for ordinary people, Director Zhang Qian believes that the following five measures can be taken: first, keep enough sleep, and achieve proper balance between work and rest; Second, pay attention to opening windows and ventilation indoors, and use electric fans, air conditioners and other appliances to cool down; Third, avoid the high temperature environment and try not to go out in the high temperature period. If you want to go out and do a good job of sunscreen, it is better to exercise in the cooler morning and evening; Fourth, timely and actively supplement water, especially electrolyte; Fifth, wear light, loose and light colored clothes, and wear fast drying clothes when exercising.
Director Zhang Qian said that in terms of heatstroke, whether it is prevention or relief, rehydration is effective. In hot and humid weather, the body is sweating all the time, which is easy to lack water. However, there is also a need to replenish water, which is dangerous if you drink the wrong water. Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink water. When there are deep yellow urine, thirst, upset or fatigue and headache symptoms, it means that the body cells have been dehydrated. The ideal state can be scientifically replenished according to the temperature. When the temperature is mild and cool, it is recommended that women drink at least 1500ml of water every day, and men drink 1800ml of water every day. In hot weather or when sweating after exercise, more water should be added.
Secondly, pay attention to supplement electrolyte. "If you have sweated a lot and the electrolyte is lost due to sweat, you cannot simply add boiled water at this time, or diluted hyponatremia may occur. In this case, you can choose the electrolyte beverage sold in the supermarket. In addition to potassium, sodium and chlorine plasma, it also contains a little sugar to provide energy for physical activities, and also nourish the intestinal mucosa to maintain its normal function, so as to absorb water more effectively, prevent hypoglycemia, and replenish water more scientifically and efficiently. " Zhang Qian said.
In addition, for some people who have to engage in outdoor operations or activities under high temperature and humidity, Director Zhang Qian suggested that they should pay attention to their physical condition at any time and take a break in time. On the one hand, try not to work when the sun is too strong, let alone work under high temperature for a long time. On the other hand, it is recommended to take the initiative to replenish water in a timely manner, preferably electrolyte drinks or sugar salt water, to maintain body fluid balance through timely and effective water supplement and multiple electrolytes.
What measures should be taken to deal with heatstroke
Director Zhang Qian said that the essence of heatstroke was that the body could not maintain its normal temperature because it failed to dissipate heat in time, which caused a series of acute diseases with central nervous system and cardiovascular dysfunction as the main manifestation. Specifically, it can be divided into three categories: premonitory heatstroke, mild heatstroke, and severe heatstroke. Among them, heat stroke disease is the most serious type of heatstroke. If it is not treated timely and effectively, the mortality rate is extremely high.
"Heat stroke does not appear suddenly, but gradually worsens. If there are dizziness, nausea, fatigue, panic, a lot of sweating, chest tightness, shortness of breath and other heatstroke symptoms, we must pay attention to and deal with them in a timely manner." Director Zhang Qian reminded everyone that we can deal with heatstroke from three aspects: first, get out of the high temperature and humidity environment as soon as possible, and move to a ventilated and cool place or cool room, For example, air-conditioned rooms. Second, water should be replenished. People who are conscious should drink electrolyte drinks in time. People who are not conscious should not be forced to drink water and should be sent to the hospital in time. Third, unfasten the collar button, tie, etc. to expose the skin as much as possible, maintain ventilation around, or sprinkle cold water and fan on the patient to cool down quickly.
"If the condition is serious, the person suffering from heatstroke is delirious, his limbs are cold and wet, and his face is pale, he can lift his feet to relieve the shock symptoms, and at the same time, he can be sent to the hospital immediately." Director Zhang Qian said that in general, the following five cases should be treated in time: first, the body temperature continues to rise, even more than 40 ℃; Second, persistent headache; Third, muscle spasm, especially involuntary twitch of limb muscles; Fourth, the breathing is shallow and fast, which is mainly manifested by the accelerated breathing speed, more than 20 times/minute, and the small amount of inspiration and exhalation; Fifth, nausea, vomiting but unable to vomit.
In the opinion of Director Zhang Qian, some people who are prone to heatstroke in hot summer can focus on prevention, such as those who work in high temperature and high humidity environment, those who exercise, those who lack sleep and rest, those who are large in size, and the elderly, children, pregnant women who are poor in physique are more prone to heatstroke, which needs more attention. At the same time, doing a good job in daily health management can also help prevent heatstroke, such as eating breakfast, avoiding lack of sleep, and maintaining exercise.
Seven common misconceptions of heatstroke
Most people know something about heatstroke, but most people have "misunderstanding", that is, misconception. In the opinion of Director Zhang Qian, the common "misconceptions" can be summarized into seven aspects: heatstroke only occurs outdoors, heatstroke only occurs in hot weather, heatstroke faints and pinches people, Huoxiang Zhengqi therapy for heatstroke, oral antipyretic drugs for cooling, one-time large amount of drinking water for relieving heatstroke and alcohol bath for cooling.
Director Zhang Qian explained that heatstroke is caused by the imbalance of human body temperature regulation function. It is not just a matter of staying at home without going out. If the home environment is sultry and poorly ventilated, it will also cause heatstroke if you stay in such an environment for a long time. If the heat dissipation condition is too poor, it may also cause heatstroke if the weather is not hot, such as being afraid of the wind during confinement, or covering your sweat with quilts when you have a cold or fever, which will affect the heat dissipation of the body, resulting in a sharp increase in body heat in a short time and imbalance of electrolyte in the body, causing heatstroke.
"There is no first-aid role in pinching people. The first thing to do for heatstroke is to cool down and get rid of heat source. pinching people can only stimulate pain, which is no different from pinching legs." Zhang Qian said that for patients in coma, pinching people may lead to aspiration asphyxia because the pain stimulus makes the injured's airway more blocked, but there is a potential risk of aggravating the condition.
In addition, as for the common use of Huoxiang Zhengqi to treat heatstroke, Director Zhang Qian explained that the indication of Huoxiang Zhengqi Water is to relieve exterior dampness, regulate qi and neutralize heat. It is used for colds caused by exogenous cold, internal injury dampness or summer injury heat dampness, excluding heatstroke. In addition, the alcohol component in Huoxiang Zhengqi Water may aggravate dehydration, cause electrolyte disorder, and aggravate heatstroke symptoms, so it is not recommended.
Of course, it is also wrong to take antipyretic drugs to cool down after heatstroke. The reason is that the mechanism of heatstroke fever is different from that caused by bacterial or viral infection. "The heat caused by heatstroke is that the heat accumulated in the body due to the blockage of the heat dissipation center of the human body cannot be dissipated through sweating; antipyretic drugs are mainly used to cool the body through sweating. Taking antipyretic drugs after heatstroke will further cause sweating, aggravate the loss of water and electricity, and thus aggravate the condition," said Zhang Qian.
In addition to physical cooling, scientific rehydration is also critical after heatstroke. Director Zhang Qian said that scientific rehydration is needed after heatstroke, but it is not a one-time binge drinking of plain water or mineral water. It is better to choose electrolyte drinks, medical rehydration salts, and drink them in small amounts, multiple times and separately. Because a lot of sweating will be accompanied by the loss of electrolytes. If you just drink a lot of white water, it will lead to diluted hyponatremia in the body. In serious cases, it can lead to brain edema and coma.
In addition, Director Zhang Qian explained that the reason why alcohol bath is not recommended for cooling is that alcohol evaporation is far less efficient than water evaporation in taking away heat. "Alcohol scrubbing may relax blood vessels on the body surface, aggravate water loss in the body, and cause electrolyte imbalance," Zhang Qian said.
In short, the most effective way to prevent heatstroke is to avoid high temperature and humidity environment as much as possible, pay attention to ventilation, heat dissipation, and supplement electrolyte in time. Oral rehydration salts and electrolyte drinks are acceptable. In fact, if you pay more attention to portability and taste, there are also sold solid electrolyte drinks on the market, which are very convenient to carry. You can carry them with you in sauna weather, and it will soon be dog days. You must pay more attention to heatstroke prevention and rehydration. Don't be careless.
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