Number One: Boating Bummers
Any water activity has obvious risks related to drowning. Add a machine with a motor operated by a human and those risks multiply. The biggest mistakes are made when drinking and boating are combined. When you spend extended periods of time in the sun ingesting alcohol, the results are usually disastrous; collisions, falling out of the boat, getting hit by propellers and drowning. The other common mistake is negligence with the use of life jackets. Children need to wear them all the time. If you are on the beach or in a boat with kids you need to know basic lifesaving skills. Courses are offered with the American Heart Association’s ECC Class Connector tool that can be found online at www.americanheart.org.
Number Two: Dehydration Distress
You spent all day hiking and your water bottle ran out hours ago. Suddenly, you feel dizzy and lightheaded and your mouth tastes like cotton. You are dehydrated. Here in the desert, dehydration is not strictly a summer issue; it can happen year round. However, in the summer there is a greater risk of the most severe type of dehydration – heatstroke. This is when your internal temperature rises to a dangerous level, you stop sweating and may pass out, hallucinate and/or have seizures. Prevention for both dehydration and heatstroke is easy – DRINK! Especially drink water, and take breaks out of the sun. Serious dehydration may be treated by lying down and bringing the temperature down with cool cloths or ice packs. Go to the Urgent Care if recovery does not happen in a couple hours.
Number Three: Sunburn Snafus
The risk for melanoma doubles after just five sunburns in your life. And sunburn happens very rapidly here in our Flagstaff altitude since the sun is that much closer! Be smart in the sun by wearing sunscreen that protects against both UVB and UVA rays, wear long sleeves if possible and a wide brimmed hat. If you get sunburned:
* Drink water or juice to replace fluids that you lost.
* Soak the burn in cool water or apply cool cloths for a few minutes.
* Take an over-the-counter (OTC) pain reliever.
* Treat itching with an OTC antihistamine cream such as Benadryl.
* Apply an antibiotic ointment or aloe cream to soothe the skin.
If the effects of the burn last more than 48 hours, go to the Urgent Care. FBN
Randal L. Troyer, M.D., presents part one in a two part series on summer hazards..
