How to stay safe during hotter temperatures

As the United States continues to experience record-setting heat waves, the University of Cincinnati's Dustin Calhoun, MD, and B. Woods W. Curry, MD, joined WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to discuss heat-related illnesses.

Calhoun explained there is a spectrum to heat-related illnesses, with the most severe end including heat stroke that alters a person's mental state and can lead to seizures, stroke, detrimental and permanent brain damage and death. Less severe, but still serious, symptoms of heat-related illness include nausea and vomiting, dizziness, body aches, muscle cramps and skin rashes, he said.

"I think the thirg that’s really important to keep in mind is that there isn’t an absolute temperature," said Calhoun, associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine in UC's College of Medicine and a UC Health physician. "People always want that: 'Is there a temperature I can measure that then I have heat illness?' And there really isn’t. It’s how your body is responding to different temperatures."

Curry said in addition to taking regular breaks and staying hydrated, one potentially overlooked aspect to dealing with being in extreme heat is acclimatization, getting your body used to the heat little by little.

"I grew up in Mississippi...and someone who’s used to that sort of heat can go out on a hot day and not be affected," said Curry, associate professor and associate director of the EMS Fellowship Program in the Department of Emergency Medicine in UC's College of Medicine and a UC Health physician. "But if you’re from somewhere that you’re not used to that, it’s way more important that you get out and do a little bit of exercise with more rest, increasing that over time."

Curry noted there are resources for sports schedules to help youth acclimatize during practices, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration also publishes guidelines on how to help workers ease in to work conditions in extreme heat.

Listen to the Cincinnati Edition segment.

Featured photo at top of silhouette of a man drinking water during heat wave. Photo/Marc Bruxelle/iStock.