Post by Sir Trevor on Jul 9, 2010 17:40:14 GMT -5
I thought it would be a good idea to repost this.
I gathered some facts and info from various web sites and put them together here.
This applies to everyone at faire. Not just cast, who are at greater risk due to costumes and activity level. But anyone can succumb to the heat if they don't watch out and take care of themselves.
Everyone.
Please watch out for yourself and others.
We all want everyone at faire to have a great day, and not get hurt.
Heat Exhaustion
Description
Heat exhaustion is a serious illness caused by too much heat. It is often brought on by overexertion or profuse sweating in a hot, humid, poorly ventilated environment. During prolonged heat waves, the very young and the very old are also often at risk, even if they are not active. Luckily, if heat exhaustion is recognized and treated promptly, the effects can easily be reversed.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
Heat stroke
, unlike heat exhaustion, strikes suddenly, with little warning. When the body's cooling system fails, the body's temperature rises fast. This creates an emergency condition.
Signs of heat stroke include:
Treatment
The two basic steps in treating heat exhaustion are to replenish the body's lost fluids and to cool the body's temperature.
Move the person into a cool place out of the sun.
Loosen any tight-fitting clothing and remove any extra layers of clothing.
Offer the person fluids such as water, fruit or vegetable juices, or sports drinks. Do not offer drinks that contain alcohol or caffeine. Encourage the person to drink about a half glass of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes.
Help the person cool off by sponging him or her with cool water, or applying cool, wet cloths such as towels or sheets.
In most cases, the person will begin to feel better within 30 minutes. If symptoms do not clear up, or if the person begins to lose consciousness, call for emergency medical assistance
Prevention
I gathered some facts and info from various web sites and put them together here.
This applies to everyone at faire. Not just cast, who are at greater risk due to costumes and activity level. But anyone can succumb to the heat if they don't watch out and take care of themselves.
Everyone.
Please watch out for yourself and others.
We all want everyone at faire to have a great day, and not get hurt.
Heat Exhaustion
Description
Heat exhaustion is a serious illness caused by too much heat. It is often brought on by overexertion or profuse sweating in a hot, humid, poorly ventilated environment. During prolonged heat waves, the very young and the very old are also often at risk, even if they are not active. Luckily, if heat exhaustion is recognized and treated promptly, the effects can easily be reversed.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- Feeling weak, faint or dizzy, with an accompanying headache or nausea
- Cold, clammy skin with ashen pallor
- Dry tongue and thirst
- Severe muscle fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Profuse sweating
- Physical collapse, with muscle fatigue and sometimes cramping
Heat stroke
, unlike heat exhaustion, strikes suddenly, with little warning. When the body's cooling system fails, the body's temperature rises fast. This creates an emergency condition.
Signs of heat stroke include:
- Very high temperature (104 degrees F or higher)
- Hot, dry, red skin
- No sweating
- Deep breathing and fast pulse - then shallow breathing and weak pulse
- Dilated pupils
- Confusion, delirium, hallucinations
- Convulsions
- Loss of consciousness
Treatment
The two basic steps in treating heat exhaustion are to replenish the body's lost fluids and to cool the body's temperature.
Move the person into a cool place out of the sun.
Loosen any tight-fitting clothing and remove any extra layers of clothing.
Offer the person fluids such as water, fruit or vegetable juices, or sports drinks. Do not offer drinks that contain alcohol or caffeine. Encourage the person to drink about a half glass of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes.
Help the person cool off by sponging him or her with cool water, or applying cool, wet cloths such as towels or sheets.
In most cases, the person will begin to feel better within 30 minutes. If symptoms do not clear up, or if the person begins to lose consciousness, call for emergency medical assistance
Prevention
- Take caution when you must be in the sun. At the first signs of heat exhaustion, get out of the sun or your body temperature will continue to rise.
- Drink lots of liquids, especially if your urine is a dark yellow, to replace the fluids you lose from sweating. Thirst is not a reliable sign that your body needs fluids. When you exercise, it is better to sip rather than gulp the liquids.
- Drink non-alcoholic fluids at regular intervals, whether you feel thirsty or not. When you are in the heat, drinking a half-cup to a cup of fluids every 15 to 20 minutes will help keep you properly hydrated
- Do not drink alcohol or beverages with caffeine because they speed up fluid loss.
- Be carefull of drinking too much water with nothing else. Water is great for you, but too much of it can flush needed minerals from your system. So, yes, drink water, but mix it up occasionally with something else.
- Eat light; frequent small meals
- Know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion and don't ignore them.
...
! Please eat ---BESIDES drinking lots of liquids. You can get cold water at First Aid in the front entrance ---& at Sadies Soaps (by Friar Puck's) & at The Black Ox ( And, they have ICY cider TOO ! 
)