Summer tips

It's summertime. Can you feel the prickling heat already?
Here are some tips for you to enjoy summer and at the same time stay healthy.

Protect your skin from the sun
Reducing skin cancer risk

Scientists claim skin cancer risk can be reduced by up to 78 percent if skin is protected during the first 18 years of life.
•Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which provides protection from UVA and UVB rays, to all sun-exposed areas. Dermatologists recommend using a sunscreen with an SPF rating of at least 15. A sunscreen with an SPF of 30 does not provide twice the protection; it only gives you 3 percent more protection. Remember, reapply sunscreen after swimming and reapply about every hour while you are in the sun.
•Throw out last year’s sunscreen; over time it loses its ability to protect you.
•Stay out of the sun when sunlight is most intense, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
•Lips are very sensitive to skin cancers; use a lip balm with an SPF rating of at least 15.
•Babies under six months of age are too young to use sunscreen. They should be kept out of direct sunlight.

Heat and sports tips
Heat illness can affect anyone — players, coaches or spectators — but heat affects people differently. Those who are physically fit, well-hydrated, and used to being out in the sun may tolerate heat well, but children (and the elderly) do not. They can become ill from too much exposure to intense sun and heat.How to stay safe in heat and sunIt’s essential to wear sunscreen and a hat, but drinking enough fluids is probably the most important way for athletes and others to stay safe in heat and sun.Approximately 60 percent of our bodies are water.

While sweating helps athletes and others cool themselves to maintain a normal body temperature, it’s also water lost from the body. In addition, during active play, hard working lungs also give up water.
An athlete can become dehydrated when the fluid lost during active sports play isn’t replaced. Every athlete needs to have plenty of water or sports drinks available before, during, and after play.
Ice pops are a great way to replenish body fluids and get glucose for energy too. Watermelon and oranges are also great ways to replenish fluids lost during strenuous sports activities.How to tell if someone is dehydrated•Clear/light-colored urine indicates adequate hydration, but dark urine indicates the body needs more fluids.
•Dehydration may cause painful muscle spasms called heat cramps. Gentle stretching can help relieve the pain of heat cramps and drinking fluids before, during and after active play can help prevent them.

Heat exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is a common heat illness that may cause sufferers to feel dizzy and/or nauseated. Headache, irritability and excessive sweating are also indications of heat exhaustion. The skin will feel cool and clammy to the touch.

These symptoms indicate that the person is losing their ability to maintain a normal body temperature and is beginning to overheat. The best treatment is getting out of the sun immediately and cooling off.

Heat Stroke
Heat stroke is uncommon, but is very serious and may be fatal. Heat stroke causes a person’s bodily cooling system to completely shut down. Their blood pressure may drop so low that they go into shock. The person with heat stroke may be confused, have hot and/or dry skin, a faster than normal heart rate and may not be sweating at all. The heat stroke victim may even become unconscious. The treatment for heat stroke is rapid cooling and quick transportation to a hospital.

Source: Children's Hospital Oakland