First Aid & Health Tips

The patient has been exercising and sweating out water and salt. The person feels very tired. Skin may appear pale and sweaty. The person complains of a headache, perhaps nausea and vomiting. Dizziness may strike the person stands quickly and have a elevated heart rate. Overall the person may feel like they've come down with the flu.

The cure is suggested by the name of the condition; Exhaustion calls for rest. Replace lost fluids with water and eat a salty snack. Do not use salt tablets, they are too concentrated. To increase the rate of cooling, wet down and fan the person. A drowsy person may be allowed to sleep. Only when the person feels OK should they be allowed to continue.

Heat Stroke:

Pushing past a minor heat illness can lead to the major problem of heat stroke. The person's inability to shed heat faster than gaining it produces a rise in temperature to 105 degrees or more. Disorientation and bizarre personality changes are common signs. Skin turns hot, red and sometimes dry. Look for a fast heart rate, fast breathing and complaints of a headache. Heat Stroke is a temperature problem and a true emergency.

Take off any heat-retaining clothing and drench the person in water. Concentrate cooling efforts on the head and neck. Cold packs can be used on the head, hands, neck, groin, armpits and sole with caution. Fan the person constantly to increase evaporation. Massage the limbs to encourage cooler blood to return to the core. When or if the person is able to accept cool water, give it. Do not give fever-reducing drugs. The person must see a doctor as soon as possible, even if she or he appears to have recovered. During evacuation, a careful watch on the person should be maintained.

Lyme Disease:

Q: Can I still get Lyme disease once there is frost?

A: Most people think that bloodsuckers like mosquitoes and ticks disappear along with the risk for disease transmission once there is a frost and the weather turns cooler. That's true for mosquitoes; they either die, or some species go into a feeding diapauses. Some ticks also go into feeding diapauses in the autumn, but not deer ticks.  They are a different type of bug! The adult stage deer tick actually begins its feeding activity about the time of first frost (or early October throughout its range), and it will latch onto any larger host (cat to human) any day that the temperature is near or above freezing. Typically, the Lyme disease spirochete infection rate in adult female deer ticks is 40-60% in the eastern and mid-western portion of this tick's range. However, these ticks need to be attached for at least 48 hrs before they begin transmitting any infection through their saliva. So, even in the fall it is important to check yourself and your pets daily for any attached ticks, and continue to take precautions like using clothing repellents on you and topical products on your pets.