KUALA LUMPUR, April 30 — Gulping down water may not be the only option to survive the ongoing hot spells.
Some simple dietary and fashion changes can come in handy too, health experts said.
Prince Court Medical Centre emergency medicine physician and head of emergency services Dr Siva Perumal said avoiding a high-protein diet allows the body to cope with the heat stress.
“A high-protein diet increases the body’s metabolism and this generates more heat.
“Instead, have more vegetables and fruits like watermelon or pomelo that have high water content.”
He also advised people to wear loose and light-coloured clothes that allows the skin to breathe and promotes air circulation during outdoor activities.
“Schedule your outdoor activities either early in the morning or late in the evening.
“It’s also good to carry an umbrella along.
“Hydrate yourself every 30 minutes if you are under direct exposure to sunlight."
Dr Siva stressed that homes and workplaces must also be well-ventilated to prevent overheating.
“Otherwise, the house itself acts like an oven that can subject you to heat exhaustion or even heatstroke,” he said.
Dr Siva said heat-related illness usually starts with heat rashes or heat cramps and if left untreated, it progressively worsens into heat exhaustion and ultimately leads to a heatstroke.
A heatstroke, he said, occurs when the body’s temperature regulating mechanism fails and in extreme cases, the patient might suffer multiple organ failures.
Keeping the vulnerable safe
Manipal University College Malaysia Faculty of Medicine dean Prof. Dr. G. Jayakumar warned that children and the elderly with medical conditions such as high should not be left in cars parked at hot outdoor areas.
Dr Jayakumar, an occupational and community medicine professor, said students should not exercise in open fields during unusually hot days to prevent heat syncopes.
Heat syncope is a fainting episode or dizziness that could occur due to a spike in temperature, aggravated with dehydration and by prolonged standing or sitting.
“It commonly occurs in cadets involved in marching stints or school children playing outdoors especially under scorching heat.”
In such cases, he said the person should be transferred to a cooler indoor area or to a shaded place first.
“Clothing and footwear should be removed to a minimum.
“It should be followed by cooling the person and damping the head, face and neck with a wet towel or cloth.
“Frequent sips of water are encouraged until medical help arrives.
“In high-risk workplaces like army cadet camps and at other hot workplaces like iron foundries, emergency showers are installed to cater to cases of such nature.”
Dial back on alcohol and caffeine
Dr Jayakumar said it is advisable to limit the consumption of caffeinated, carbonated or alcohol drinks especially before or during exercise.
Alcohol and caffeine, he said, are diuretics that disrupts the body’s hydration by increasing the urine output.
Likewise, Dr Siva said alcohol dilates the peripheral blood vessels which eventually reduces blood flow to internal organs and interferes with the body temperature regulation mechanism.
“Similarly, caffeinated beverages increase your metabolism to keep you awake, and consequently, your body temperature also increases.
“One cup of coffee a day should be good enough.”
