By Antoinette Grajeda
One of the best parts of summer is the warm temperature, but too much heat can lead to heat-related illnesses. These conditions occur when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. The body normally cools itself by sweating, but sometimes that isn’t enough. In these instances, body temperature rises rapidly and can damage the brain or other vital organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Several factors affect the body’s ability to cool itself including high humidity, age, obesity, fever, dehydration, prescription drug and alcohol use, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation and sunburn. Those with the greatest risk for heat-related illness include people who are overweight, ill, children up to 4 years old and adults 65 years of age and older, according to the CDC. The risk may increase among those using psychotropics, Parkinson’s disease medications, tranquilizers and diuretics.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related illness and occurs when the body’s temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails and the body is unable to cool down. Within 10 to 15 minutes, the body’s temperature may rise to 106 degrees or higher. Heat stroke can cause permanent disability or death if emergency treatment is not provided, according to the CDC.

Warning signs of heat stroke vary, but include a body temperature of about 103 degrees; red, hot and dry skin; a rapid, strong pulse; throbbing headache; dizziness; nausea; confusion; and unconsciousness.

If someone should experience a heat stroke, in addition to calling for immediate medical assistance, you should cool the affected person rapidly by moving them to a shady area or immersing them in a tub of cool water. If the humidity is low, wrap them in a cool, wet sheet and fan them vigorously. Monitor their body temperature until it drops to 101-102 degrees and if emergency medical personnel are delayed, call the hospital emergency room for further instructions.

Prevention
The key to avoiding heat stroke is prevention, and sitting in an air-conditioned location is a good start. Electric fans may also provide comfort, but in extreme temperatures, they won’t prevent heat-related illness, according to the CDC. Other prevention techniques include drinking plenty of fluids, replacing salts and minerals, and wearing appropriate clothing and sunscreen.

To help keep athletes safe during the hot summer months, Gatorade has teamed up with the National Football League to educate parents and coaches about heat-related illness and the importance of hydration. As part of the 4th annual “Beat the Heat” program, NFL players, coaches and their wives will lead hydration awareness efforts, while raising money for the Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation. For every unique download of the Gatorade Heat Safety kit on www.nfl.com/trainingcamp, Gatorade will donate $1 (up to $25,000) to “Beat the Heat” charities.

The Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation was created in memory of its namesake who died from complications of heat stroke in 1995. The organization is located in Rogers and raises awareness about hydration and heat illness prevention locally as well as nationally by hosting an informative Web site, an annual 5K Run, and through the distribution of information, pamphlets and squeeze bottles to coaches and physical education teachers.
Last year, the House approved a resolution to designate August as National Heat Stroke Awareness month. The foundation’s executive director Rhonda Fincher said August is the perfect time to raise awareness because it’s typically a hot month and that’s when local schools begin football practice. However, she added that caution should be taken more often than one month out of the year.

“People need to be aware of it year-round because it can happen any time, any where, depending on the conditions, but especially in the heat of the summer,” she said.
While there are lots of tips for preventing and treating heat stroke, Fincher said the simplest one to remember is “pre-hydrate, hydrate and re-hydrate” and it applies to everyone, not just athletes. Information from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute supports Fincher’s insistence of the importance of hydration. The organization’s research showed that as many as 70 percent of high school football players could show up for practice poorly hydrated. The research also indicated that the recommendation of drinking fluids prior to working out increased the number of players appearing to be adequately hydrated upon their arrival to practice.

For more information, visit www.kendrickfincher.org, www.nfl.com or www.gatorade.com

The ongoing team effort between Gatorade and the NFL is built on communicating heat-illness prevention and treatment techniques, including the “4 Downs” of heat safety to athletes and parents and coaches of athletes who are playing or practicing in hot weather.

The “4 Downs” are:

• 1st Down: Prevent — Know how to avoid heat illness, identify the warning signs and treat the symptoms
• 2nd Down: Prepare — Acclimate to the heat and hydrate BEFORE you get to practice
• 3rd Down: Proper Hydration — Choose sports drinks like Gatorade to replace electrolytes, especially sodium lost in sweat
• 4th Down: Plan — Have an emergency plan and keep a cool pool nearby to immerse players suffering from heat stroke

Source: Beat The Heat Campaign, www.nfl.com

Heat Illness Prevention
What Puts Youth Athletes At Risk?
Heat-related illnesses are some of the most common problems for youth athletes playing in the heat. These conditions can be dangerous, or even fatal in some cases. Heat-induced illness is one of the most preventable sports injuries. Parents, young athletes and coaches need to understand the physiological factors that increase the risk for heat-related illness and take steps to prevent it.

Why kids are at risk:

• Children absorb more heat from a hot environment because they have a greater surface-area-to-body-mass ratio than adults. The smaller the child the faster he heats up.
• Children and adolescents may have a reduced ability to dissipate heat through sweating.
• Children and adolescents frequently do not have the physiological drive to drink enough fluids to replenish sweat losses during prolonged exercise.
• Youth athletes may be more easily distracted when occasions allow for them to rest and rehydrate.

Signs Of Dehydration And Heat Illness
If dehydration progresses unchecked, the risk of heat illness increases. Heat illness is best understood in three separate degrees of severity: heat cramps, heat exhaustion and the most serious and deadly form, heat stroke. The symptoms outlined above do not necessarily occur in progression, so young athletes could experience heat stroke in absence of other indicators.
Source: Kendrick Fincher Memorial Foundation, www.kendrickfincher.org