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Guidelines For Coping With The Heat

According to The New York State Office Of Mental Health, the elderly, people with special medical problems and those taking particular medication, including psychotropic medication, are at increased risk of developing a serious heat illness. If you or someone in your family is taking medication for a mental illness, be sure to consult your physician or pharmacist about the risk of a heat illness as well as any other risk factors associated with the medication.

Heat illnesses include heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Everyone should take steps during periods of high temperature and humidity to protect themselves from heat illnesses:

Try not to overexert yourself - particularly during the hottest part of the day
Drink plenty of fluids
Move to cooler rooms during the hottest part of the day
Open windows in the evening and keep them closed during the heat of the day
Dress in loose-fitting, light-colored clothing

Should you experience any of the following symptoms during a period of hot weather, contact your physician immediately:

Irritability
Slightly low blood pressure
Rapid full pulse and heart beat
Rapid breathing
Cold, pale skin
Profuse perspiration
Dizziness, weakness
Nausea, vomiting
Cramps
Agitation, confusion
High Temperature (105 degrees or above)
Hot, dry, flushed skin

Heat illnesses are serious. You may exhibit only one or two of the above listed symptoms yet require medical intervention to recover. Heat stroke, the most serious of the heat illnesses, can lead to death if left untreated. So, stay cool and be careful.

Summer 2007

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