McKinney, TX – Summertime in Texas brings most people outside for a variety of activities – hours lounging around the pool, playing a round of golf, or watching baseball or soccer games.

Summertime in Texas also brings heat, lots and lots of heat. Because of the intense heat, many Texans are more likely to suffer from a variety of heat-related illnesses.

            “We see patients presenting with a number of different problems because of the heat,” says Kevin Martens, MD, an Emergency Department physician with the Medical Center of McKinney. 

“People can suffer from relatively minor problems such as heat fatigue (feeling of weakness after exposure to high temperatures); heat syncope (feeling dizzy, with a weak and rapid pulse after exercising in the heat); or heat cramps (painful muscle spasms after strenuous activity).

“However, we do see patients with more serious heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion (thirst, weakness, fatigue, nausea and profuse sweating when the body becomes too hot) and heat stroke (potentially lethal rise in body temperature accompanied by confusion, bizarre behaviors, a strong, rapid pulse, dry, flushed skin with no sweat, headache and/or nausea).”

 Long exposure to extreme heat or too much activity in the hot sun causes excessive sweating.  Sweat removes large quantities of salt and fluids from the body.  When the amount of salt and fluids falls too far below normal, overheating can result.  The key to keeping yourself from becoming overheated is to keep your body well supplied with its coolant – water.  That means drinking before and during exercise.

Dr. Martens recommends drinking about a cup of water or sports drink for ever 

Beating the Heat: Preventing Heat-Related Illnesses

 minutes of exercise – before you even feel thirsty. Sweating can result in a loss of two to three percent of your body weight.

 Certain medications, including many psychiatric drugs and blood pressure medications, affect your body’s water balance. People who take them need to drink more than those who don’t. Beverages containing alcohol and caffeine can actually cause your body to excrete extra fluids, leading to dehydration.

Fortunately, heat-related illnesses are easy to prevent, and if caught early, simple to treat. A few preventative measures include:  

• Wear white, short-sleeve, loose-fitting, natural-fiber clothing
• Wear a wide-brim hat outside to provide shade
• Take a cool shower
• Cook with the microwave rather than the oven or stove
• If you do not have air conditioning, cover windows to block sunlight and visit an air-conditioned library or mall
• Do not go out during the hottest part of the day (afternoon and early evening)
• Pace your activities
• If you are elderly, ask a friend or relative to check on you at least twice a day.

 Symptoms & Treatment for Common Heat-Related Illnesses

Heat Exhaustion: Symptoms: Feeling of being light-headed or dizzy; possible heat cramps (painful muscle spasms); feeling of being nauseous, a bit disoriented; profuse sweating; initially

appearing flush, followed by appearing pale; skin is cold to touch with goose bumps and shivering.  Treatment: Stop physical activity immediately. Move to a cool area. Drink cool (not iced) fluids. Place cooling blankets or wet towels that have been soaked in ice on your skin.

 Heat Stroke: This is the most serious of the heat conditions and is considered a medical emergency. Symptoms: May exhibit symptoms of heat exhaustion, but skin is hot and dry, not cold. May be delirious or combative and even pass out. Body temperature is usually over 104◦F. Treatment: Call an ambulance immediately. Move the victim to a cool area and use ice, fans, and other methods to lower his/her body temperature while you wait for help to arrive.

Food Safety Tips to Help You Keep the Summertime Blues Away

             McKinney, Texas – Summertime fun means picnics, cookouts and lots of great food. But happy times can turn to summertime blues with one mouthful. 

Storing and preparing food safely can help assure that food borne illnesses won’t take the fun out of your activities.

            According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 76 million cases of food borne disease occur each year in the United States. The large percentage of these cases is mild, causing symptoms for only a day or two. 

Some cases are more serious. The CDC estimates that there are 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to food borne diseases each year. The most severe cases tend to occur in the very old, the very young, those who have an illness already that reduces their immune system function, and in healthy people exposed to a very high dose of an organism.

            “Food poisoning is caused by a variety of substances in foods or beverages, including bacteria; toxins produced by bacteria; viruses; amoeba or parasites; and chemicals, said Farzeen Sukheswalla, RD/LD, MS, a registered dietitian at the Medical Center of McKinney.

The most commonly recognized food borne infections are those caused by the bacteria Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. coli, and by a group of viruses called calicivirus, also known as the Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses.

            Sukheswalla says food safety is the responsibility of everyone in the home. 

 Food Safety Tips

“Everyone can help prevent food poisoning by taking control of food safety in their homes and by following some simple, basic food safety tips.”

• Clean: Wash produce. Rinse fresh fruits and vegetables in running tap water to remove visible dirt and grime. Because bacteria can grow well on the cut surface of fruit or vegetables, be careful not to contaminate these foods while slicing them on the cutting board, and avoid leaving cut produce at room temperature for many hours. Wash your hands with soap and water before preparing food.
• Separate: Don’t cross-contaminate one food with another. Avoid cross-contaminating foods by washing hands, utensils, and cutting boards after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry and before they touch another food.  Put cooked meat on a clean platter, rather than back on one that held the raw meat initially.
• Cook: Cook meat, poultry and eggs thoroughly. Using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of meat is a good way to be sure that it is cooked sufficiently to kill bacteria. For example, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160◦F. Eggs should be cooked until the yolk is firm.
• Chill: Refrigerate leftovers promptly below 40◦F. Bacteria can grow quickly at room temperature, so refrigerate leftover foods if they are not going to be eaten within four hours. Large volumes of food will cool more quickly if they are divided into several shallow containers for refrigeration.
• Report: Report suspected food borne illnesses to your local health department.  The local public health department is an important part of the food safety program. Often calls from concerned citizens are how outbreaks are first detected. 

Symptoms of food poisoning from eating contaminated food or beverage are generally delayed before exhibiting themselves. This incubation period can last anywhere from hours to weeks.

Food Safety Tips

“Symptoms of food poisoning may include nausea and vomiting; diarrhea; stomach pain; dehydration if vomiting or diarrhea is severe; headache, dizziness, and cramps,” said Sukheswalla.

A physician can diagnose the specific type of food poisoning an individual may be suffering from by asking questions and running some blood and urine tests. Generally, most types of food poisoning symptoms improve in 12 to 48 hours. Unfortunately, there are few treatments available to speed recovery from food poisoning.

Drinking plenty of fluids will help prevent dehydration from severe vomiting or diarrhea. Some type of bacterial food poisoning can be treated with antibiotics.  The physician will prescribe the best treatment for food poisoning.

            “Following the simple safe food rules will help ensure that your family and friends have a delicious summer,” Sukheswalla says.

            Now that’s food for thought.