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Chattanooga: Hot tips for avoiding heat stroke

By: Kathy Gilbert
(Contact)

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Tammy Thomas

Tennessee state park rangers say it has been a mild year for heat stroke.

So far, visitors to the state parks have reported few problems with heat problems, even as temperatures hit 90 degrees and above throughout the region, says Shane Petty, chief ranger of Tennessee’s state parks system.

“We’ve been really lucky,” Mr. Petty said. “We haven’t treated a lot of cases over the year.”

Still, becoming overheated can become a serious summer health problem, experts say.

Heat stroke caused 8,015 deaths in the United States from 1979 to 2003, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While deaths are relatively rare, older people and young children are at greater risk of a heat injury severe enough to cause a fatality, said Tammy Thomas, health and safety program manager for the local American Red Cross office.

“People get overheated and think things will be OK, and then they end up with a heat emergency,” Ms. Thomas said.

Most often, people become sick and eventually recover, she added. Problems flare when people forget to take precautions or overestimate their body’s ability to cope with stress.

The body cools itself by sweating. In hot, humid weather, sometimes a body can’t keep up.

If a person’s temperature rises too high, cramps or muscle spasms may develop, followed by heavy sweating, rapid breathing and a fast, weak pulse, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heat stroke occurs when the body temperature rises above 106 degrees. At that point, the skin dries and dizziness or vomiting can begin.

At the emergency room at Memorial Hospital at NorthPark’s, patients come in with heat injury symptoms about three or four times a week, said Forrest King, a family nurse practitioner. The symptoms are sometimes difficult to detect, he said.

“It mimics a lot of other things,” he said.

Some patients will be very thirsty, others just feel hot while others complain of feeling weak or dizzy.

If you suspect heat problems, treatment is relatively simple. You’ll immediately want to get to a cool place, experts say. Drink cool, but not cold, water. An energy drink, if it contains electrolytes and potassium, may also be of some help.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol, Mr. King added. Caffeine and alcohol both dehydrate the body.

The good news? Recovery can be quite rapid.

“We’ll have people almost in a semi-comatose state at times with too much heat and they resuscitate normally quite quickly,” Mr. King said.

If you’re heading into the outdoors and it’s hot, there are simple ways to protect yourself from ending up in the hospital, Chief Ranger Petty said.

Tennessee mornings can fool you.

“A lot of folks may get up early in the morning and think ‘this is not too bad.’ We remind people that hot and humid Tennessee weather can be unforgiving this time of year, especially in the afternoons,” he said.

Bring more water than you think you’ll need, and protect yourself from sun, he added.

Finally, never hike without telling a family member exactly where you’re going, how long you’ll be out, and what trail or natural area you expect to be traveling on.

Then, if you don’t return to your car at the trallhead, it’s easier for rangers to track you down.

Also, take down the emergency numbers listed at each trailhead kiosk in case you need to call for help.

“Make sure you’re in good shape, have plenty of fluids and take breaks and have the contact information,” Chief Ranger Petty said.

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