How can you protect yourself when it is hot outside?



For many people, warm weather is a time for fun-filled outdoor activities. However, hot weather and outdoor activities don’t always mix well, especially during periods of extreme heat— times when temperatures are substantially hotter and/or more humid than average for a location and date.



Warmer temperatures can mean higher ozone levels. Pay attention to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Indexexternal icon when planning outdoor summer activities, especially if you have asthma or another lung disease.



When temperatures are extremely high, take steps to protect yourself and your loved ones:




  • Stay in an air-conditioned indoor location as much as you can.

  • Drink plenty of fluids even if you don’t feel thirsty.

  • Take cool showers or baths to cool down.

  • Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.

  • Never leave children or pets in cars.

  • Check the local news for health and safety updates.



 



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What is hypothermia?



Hypothermia is a medical emergency that occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature. Normal body temperature is around 98.6 ºF (37 ºC). Hypothermia (hi-poe-THUR-me-uh) occurs as your body temperature falls below 95 F (35 ºC).



When your body temperature drops, your heart, nervous system and other organs can't work normally. Left untreated, hypothermia can lead to complete failure of your heart and respiratory system and eventually to death.



Hypothermia is often caused by exposure to cold weather or immersion in cold water. Primary treatments for hypothermia are methods to warm the body back to a normal temperature.



When the balance between the body's heat production and heat loss tips toward heat loss for a prolonged period, hypothermia can occur. Accidental hypothermia usually happens after cold temperature exposure without enough warm, dry clothing for protection. Mountain climbers on Mount Everest avoid hypothermia by wearing specialized, high-tech gear designed for that windy, icy environment.



However, much milder environments can also lead to hypothermia, depending on a person's age, body mass, body fat, overall health, and length of time exposed to cold temperatures. A frail, older adult in a 60-degree house after a power outage can develop mild hypothermia overnight. Infants and babies sleeping in cold bedrooms are also at risk.



 



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When does someone get a heat stroke?



Heatstroke is a condition caused by your body overheating, usually as a result of prolonged exposure to or physical exertion in high temperatures. This most serious form of heat injury, heatstroke, can occur if your body temperature rises to 104 ºF (40 ºC) or higher. The condition is most common in the summer months.



Heatstroke requires emergency treatment. Untreated heatstroke can quickly damage your brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. The damage worsens the longer treatment is delayed, increasing your risk of serious complications or death.



Heat stroke results from prolonged exposure to high temperatures -- usually in combination with dehydration -- which leads to failure of the body's temperature control system. The medical definition of heat stroke is a core body temperature greater than 104 degrees Fahrenheit, with complications involving the central nervous system that occur after exposure to high temperatures. Other common symptoms include nausea, seizures, confusion, disorientation, and sometimes loss of consciousness or coma.



 



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How much skin do we each have?



Our skin is amazing stuff. It stops bacteria entering our bodies. It keeps in the water that makes up sixty per cent of our total content. Skin shields us from the sun's harmful rays and changes itself to provide extra protection when it is needed. That is why we go brown after sunbathing. Our skin helps control our body temperature. It contains our sense of touch. The outer layer is constantly renewing itself. It can repair itself when wounds happen. One-tenth of our blood circulates through our skin. It is also very crowded. On average, each square centimetre of skin has hundreds of nerve endings, not to mention the blood vessels, hair follicles and sweat glands that are packed in too.



With all this work to do, it is not surprising that our skin accounts for about sixteen per cent of our total weight. The average man is covered by about 1.85 square metres of skin and the average woman by 1.57 square metres.



 



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Why do our legs sometimes get a massive jerk just as we are about to fall asleep?



You probably know the feeling. You are in bed. It is warm and cosy. Your eyes are feeling heavy. You are just about to nod off. Then suddenly your leg jerks for no apparent reason. Well, doctors have worked out the cause – but they do not know the reason for it.



What gives the muscles in our legs this final good-night twitch are the nerve fibres threaded through them. They carry signals from our brains to the muscles all over our bodies. The signals come in the form of tiny electrical impulses. For some reason, a whole bundle of the nerve fibres are sometimes activated simultaneously – just as we are falling asleep. It is a bit mean, but there we are. They all get a shot of electrical impulses at the same time. The leg muscles leap into action and we sit up in bed, jerked awake by one of our limbs and feeling a bit dazed.



 



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Why should antibiotic ointments be applied?



This combination product is used to treat minor wounds (e.g., cuts, scrapes, burns) and to help prevent or treat mild skin infections. Minor skin infections and wounds usually heal without treatment, but some minor skin wounds may heal faster when an antibiotic is applied to the affected area. This product contains antibiotics that work by slowing or stopping the growth of bacteria.



Topical antibiotics are often applied to wounds after surgery because it is thought that they prevent surgical site infection. There are thought to be benefits in using antibiotics topically rather than orally or intravenously. As topical antibiotics act only on the area of the body where they are applied, there is less likelihood of unwanted effects that affect the whole body, such as nausea and diarrhoea. Topical antibiotics are also thought to reduce the chances of bacterial resistance (bacteria changing to become resistant to medication). However topical antibiotics can also have unwanted effects, the most common being an allergic reaction on the skin (contact dermatitis), which can cause redness, itching and pain at the site where the topical antibiotic was applied.



 



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What is an abrasion?



An abrasion is a superficial rub or wearing off of the skin, usually caused by a scrape or a brush burn. Abrasions are usually minor injuries that can be treated at home. The skin may bleed or drain small amounts at the time of the injury or at times over the next few days if rubbed or scratched. 



Abrasions are very common injuries. They can range from mild to severe. Abrasions are most likely to occur on the:




  • elbows

  • knees

  • shins

  • ankles

  • upper extremities



Abrasions can be painful, since they sometimes expose many of the skin’s nerve endings. However, they don’t typically cause much bleeding. Most abrasions can be treated at home.



Abrasions aren’t usually as serious as laceration or incision wounds. These are cuts that typically affect deeper skin layers. They may cause intense bleeding and require medical care.



 



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What is scar made of?



Scars form when the dermis (deep, thick layer of skin) is damaged. The body forms new collagen fibers (a naturally occurring protein in the body) to mend the damage, resulting in a scar. The new scar tissue will have a different texture and quality than the surrounding tissue. Scars form after a wound is completely healed.



There are different kinds of scars. Most scars are flat and pale. However, in cases when the body produces too much collagen, scars can be raised. Raised scars are called hypertrophic scars or keloid scars. Both of these kinds of scars are more common in younger and dark-skinned people.



Some scars can have a sunken or pitted appearance. This kind of scarring occurs when underlying structures supporting the skin (for example, fat or muscle) are lost. Some surgical scars have this appearance, as do some scars from acne.



Scars also can appear as stretched skin. Such scars result when the skin stretches rapidly (for example, as in growth spurts or during pregnancy). In addition, this type of scar can occur when the skin is under tension (near a joint, for example) during the healing process.



 



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What is Pus?



Pus is a whitish-yellow, yellow, or brown-yellow protein-rich fluid called liquor puris that accumulates at the site of an infection.



Pus is the result of the body’s natural immune system automatically responding to an infection, usually caused by bacteria or fungi.



Leukocytes, or white blood cells, are produced in the marrow of bones. They attack the organisms that cause infection.



Neutrophils, a type of leukocyte, have the specific task of attacking harmful fungi or bacteria.



For this reason, pus also contains dead bacteria.



Macrophages, another type of leukocyte, detect the foreign bodies and release an alarm system in the form of small, cell-signaling protein molecules called cytokines.



Cytokines alert the neutrophils, and these neutrophils filter from the bloodstream into the affected area.



The rapid accumulation of neutrophils eventually leads to the presence of pus.



 



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What is fitness?



When sports professionals or teachers refer to fitness they divide the topic into three separate areas. These categories are Stamina, Strength and Flexibility.



Stamina (or endurance)



Stamina is the ability of your body to continue physical activities for an extended time. To improve your stamina you need to do more aerobic exercise.



Aerobic exercises Include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling and even dancing. There are many classes offering different styles of aerobic exercise depending on your fitness level.



Aerobic exercises strengthen your lungs and heart, which means that more blood and oxygen can be pumped around your body to where and when it is needed most, and you can work for longer length of time without getting out of breath.



Strength (or power)



To increase your strength and power, and build up your muscles you need to concentrate on anaerobic activities. Strong, well developed muscles support your joints and lessen the risk of injury when you are doing sudden, explosive movements like sprinting or simply when you are lifting things.



If you have not finished growing it is ill advised to take up lifting weights, as you can do serious damage to your body



The best and fortunately the cheapest way to build up strength is to use your own body in resistance when training, eg push-ups, where your arms are pushing against the weight of your body.



Flexibility (or suppleness)



Flexibility is your bodies ability to go through all its regular movements without feeling any sort of pain. Stringy tissues called tendons fasten your muscles to your bones, without regular movement they can get tight and make it harder to do things like touch your toes or scratch your back.



Gentle stretching eases stiffness. You should always warm up your body gently before you start any physical activity.



 



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What are kidney stones?



Your kidneys remove waste and fluid from your blood to make urine. Sometimes, when you have too much of certain wastes and not enough fluid in your blood, these wastes can build up and stick together in your kidneys. These clumps of waste are called kidney stones.



The kidneys, ureters and bladder are part of your urinary tract. The urinary tract makes, transports, and stores urine in the body. The kidneys make urine from water and your body's waste. The urine then travels down the ureters into the bladder, where it is stored. Urine leaves your body through the urethra.



Kidney stones form in the kidney. Some stones move from the kidney into the ureter. The ureters are tubes leading from the kidneys to the bladder. If a stone leaves the kidney and gets stuck in the ureter, it is called a ureteral stone.



Common symptoms of kidney stones include a sharp, cramping pain in the back and side. This feeling often moves to the lower abdomen or groin. The pain often starts suddenly and comes in waves. It can come and go as the body tries to get rid of the stone.



Other signs of a kidney stone include:




  • A feeling of intense need to urinate.

  • Urinating more often or a burning feeling during urination.

  • Urine that is dark or red due to blood. Sometimes urine has only small amounts of red blood cells that can't be seen with the naked eye.

  • Nausea and vomiting.

  • For men, you may feel pain at the tip of the penis.



 



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What is the purpose of the kidneys?



The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs in the renal system. They help the body pass waste as urine. They also help filter blood before sending it back to the heart.



The kidneys perform many crucial functions, including:




  • maintaining overall fluid balance

  • regulating and filtering minerals from blood

  • filtering waste materials from food, medications, and toxic substances

  • creating hormones that help produce red blood cells, promote bone health, and regulate blood pressure



The salt and water balance is maintained by a series of hormones acting on the kidney. The kidneys recognise and act upon a series of messages that vary according to how much fluid is drunk. If a person does not drink enough, the body fluids become more concentrated and, as a result, the kidneys excrete a more concentrated urine. If an excess of fluid is drunk, the body fluids become more diluted, and the kidneys excrete a more dilute urine, getting rid of the excess that has been taken in. These mechanisms are very efficient. If the body is in a satisfactory balance, approximately 80% of ingested fluid is excreted within an hour. Salts are also maintained within very strict limits. If an excess of sodium is taken, the amount in the blood increases and the person will become thirsty and drink fluid. The body senses this increase in salt and water, and again, through a series of messages, the kidney excretes the excess. As with sodium, if an excess of potassium is taken, it is excreted by the kidneys, ensuring that the amount in the body’s fluids remains within the correct limits.



 



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